ACORN responds to McGuinty's Anti-Poverty Initiatives

WELCOME!!!

As a resident of Durham Region I believe that all of the issues and this blog affects just about everyone throughout the area, practically the low income families, as well as the middle class income families, senior citizen's and those with disabilities.
I encourage all of you to come together and let your voices be heard loud and clear to our political figures, politicians and to our municipalities officials so that each and every one of us have our say and we the people benefit from our strength in numbers for the benefit of everyone.

Sincerely,

Garry Cuthbert
Durham Region-Pickering ACORN Chapter
Coordinator and Recruiter
Phone:905-839-3031
E-mail:gcuthbert@rogers.com
Web Site:http://gcuthbert2007.tripod.com/id15.html
Canada ACORN Web Site:http://acorn.org/?2690

Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now

ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, is the nation's largest community organization of low and moderate-income families, with over 175,000 member families organized into 850 neighborhood chapters in 80 cities across the country. Since 1970 ACORN has taken action and won victories on issues of concern to our members. Our priorities include: better housing for first time homebuyers and tenants, living wages for low-wage workers, more investment in our communities from banks and governments, and better public schools. We achieve these goals by building community organizations that have the power to win changes -- through direct action, negotiation, legislation, and voter participation.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

ACORN responds to McGuinty's Anti-Poverty Initiatives

ACORN responds to McGuinty's Anti-Poverty Initiatives

We offer this response to the announcement made today by Premier Dalton McGuinty;

While we are encouraged by the announcement of new resources for social housing, dental care and student nutrition, it falls far short of the comprehensive poverty reduction strategy the Premier has promised, and that Ontarians deserve.

What was layed out by Premier McGuinty today are incremental pieces of a larger puzzle of how to reduce poverty in Ontario. As a membership owned organization, with a large constituency of low and moderate income families, including many members living in social housing, our members call on the provincial government to systemically address the growing rates of poverty in our province by implementing the following platform;

· Regulation of the payday lending industry with a 60% interest rate cap, licensing of lenders and a ban on roll over loans.
· Asset development program for tenants in social housing, allowing them to save their rent increases in an escrow account for use purchasing a home or skills retraining.
· Full rent controls to bring private rental housing costs back under control.
· Universal childcare based on Quebec’s $7/day program.
· Licensing of temp agencies to guarantee the protection of workers basic labour rights.
· Peg the minimum wage to inflation
· Raise social assistance and ODSP rates by 40% and peg to inflation.