Grading government's action plan

The residents of Labrador West think the first step to eliminating poverty is ensuring people know where to get help.

Shawn Skinner, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment (HRL&E), was in town Oct. 22 to conduct poverty reduction consultations, and about 25 people came out to have their voices heard.

Minister Skinner started the informal consultations by explaining the province's commitment to reducing poverty.

In 2004, he noted the provincial government stated it would bring Newfoundland and Labrador down from the province with the highest level of poverty in Canada, to the lowest within 10 years.

In 2005, he added, government conducted consultations across the province to form an action plan, and by 2006, it started implementing a list of initiatives from the plan, and has invested over $100 million on an ongoing annual basis.

As part of the action plan, Mr. Skinner said, the province also committed to going back to the communities every two years to discuss how government is doing and what improvements should be made.

"So far, we've been hearing a lot of 'that's good, but we want more,'" he explained the consultations to date. "We're going to try to do what you want in the next budget, and we have six or seven more budgets to bring in new policies before the 10 years is up."

The province's vision, he said, is to eradicate poverty, but until then it wants to prevent, reduce and alleviate poverty for everyone in the province.

Mr. Skinner explained the strategy can change as priorities shift, and he hopes it will be a living, breathing document that will ensure everyone benefits from the prosperity projected across the province.

Written to suit people of the island

Nina Burford, a concerned Lab. West resident, started off the discussion by noting it would have been nice if government provided copies of the consultation document to citizens before the meeting, so people could go through it and prepare what they wanted to say.

She added the people she knows living in poverty have great pride and aren't taking advantage of the programs and services available through the provincial government, and she'd specifically like to see changes made to the Medical Transportation Assistance Program.

"Those forms (for the program) are written to suit the people of the island," she stated thoughtfully. "I recently had to travel for a medical appointment, but there was no flight available when I needed to go, so I had to drive. When I submitted my receipts to get reimbursed, I was told by the Minister of Health that I didn't qualify because I didn't follow the proper procedure. When is the government going to change the program to suit the needs of the people of Labrador?"

She said all forms of transportation should be covered under the program and urged government to make changes, which ensure residents on the island are treated the same as citizens in Labrador.

Baker acknowledges housing needs

Lab. West MHA Jim Baker also made reference to the Medical Transportation Assistance Program saying government needs to provide some kind of subsidy to residents when travelling for medical.

He said while some people can afford to pay their costs up front and get reimbursed later, many low-income earners can't take on that burden, and in some cases they have to skip medical treatment because of the high cost of travel.

He also pointed out rent has doubled in Lab. West since the beginning of the economic boom, and it's caused some people to have to choose between paying their rent and buying food.

While he admitted the province's rental subsidy program - where the government will pay a portion of a person's rent if the landlord agrees to the arrangement - could help alleviate the problem, the issue of affordable housing needs to be looked at once again.

Federal government's role

Mr. Skinner, however, said he thinks it's important for people to understand the federal government has a role to play when it comes to affordable housing.

He explained all the provinces and territories have agreed they need to do something about the housing issue Canada-wide, but the federal government has refused to engage in discussions with the provinces.

He pointed out the province has put an extra $50 million in different housing initiatives, but the federal government needs to get involved to help the government find solutions.

Lack of childcare

Issues around childcare and programming were also raised at the consultations last week.

Heather Tucker, career development specialist with HRL&E, noted many of her clients are single mothers, and while many of them have expressed a desire to go back to school or work, they can't go because they can't find anyone to look after their child.

She admitted there are provincial programs out there to help parents, but there is a lack of child care - particularly a daycare - in Labrador West, and the support government provides isn't enough.

College residence

A residence for the college and additional programming could also help alleviate poverty, according to Ms. Tucker.

She noted many people have enrolled in the skilled trades programs at the local College of the North Atlantic, but they have to go away for block training every couple years, which costs a lot of money.

Many students, she added, also have trouble finding accommodations while going to school, and the province shouldn't expect people who can't find a place to live, a doctor to treat them or someone to look after their children to move back to Labrador West after they leave.

Changing face of the community

Noreen Careen, executive director of the Women's Centre, explained the face of Lab. West has changed considerably over the last year, and it's no longer just people on income support facing poverty issues.

"With the cost of living the way it is, even someone working at the mine could be suffering," she said. "For the first time, we have people with nowhere to live. The greater population is being affected by these issues."

She added women are among the highest groups living in poverty - many work part-time and don't receive a pension or benefits - and at the very least she'd like to see the minimum wage raised and indexed to inflation.

She wondered how one of the most prosperous places in the province is facing such high poverty and said it's a sign government needs to do more to help the most vulnerable in society.

Everyone agreed the province needs to increase its efforts to spread the word about the programs and services available to people facing poverty, and though Mr. Skinner said, HRL&E has recently released a booklet outlining the programs it offers, he realizes not everyone is getting the message.

He said community groups should pass on the information as well and the booklet is available online under the poverty reduction link at www.hrle.gov.nl.ca.

At the end of the session, he thanked the group for passing on their comments and assured residents the province is committed to reducing poverty in all areas of the Newfoundland and Labrador.

"Government realizes there is poverty here," he said of Lab. West. "Poverty is in every face of every person in this room. It could be anyone of us, any day facing these issues."