Council must support poverty investment – TheSpec.com

You can say many things about Hamilton city council, some not complimentary. But you cannot legitimately say council hasn’t done the right thing on issues pertaining to poverty and the people living with it.

When the provincial government took away needed benefits, council stepped in to protect the people left vulnerable. It has supported the work of anti-poverty groups like the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction. Time and again, council has shown its ears, eyes, hearts, and perhaps most importantly, brains, are open to why investing in people and against poverty is smart.

Council will be asked to do that again Wednesday when it is asked to support an anti-poverty strategy put forward by city staff and Mayor Fred Eisenberger with the motion seconded by Coun. Chad Collins. It’s an ambitious plan that would see $50 million invested over 10 years. Twenty million will come from the city’s Future Fund while another $30 million will come from dividends resulting from the Horizon Utilities merger.

Read More: http://www.thespec.com/opinion-story/7225550-council-must-support-poverty-investment/