26 July 2013
To develop a renewed Poverty Reduction Strategy, we continue to need your advice, guidance and expertise.
Public and online consultations for a renewed strategy will begin the week of August 6th. There will also be opportunities for people to provide additional input by organizing their own consultations in their communities and submitting their individual ideas. Check back here to have your say through an online feedback form and a toolkit to facilitate your own consultation.
Consultations will seek feedback on, but not be limited to, the following:
- Elements of the current strategy that have worked well or need improvement
- Refining execution of current policies, programs and initiatives
- Continued barriers to success
- New models of collaboration and partnership
- Areas of special priority and urgency
Until online consultations start on August 6, you can send your thoughts on the following two questions to povertystrategy@ontario.ca.
- Based on your experience and perspective, what areas and/or specific initiatives do you believe have worked well in the first five years of the Poverty Reduction Strategy? Please share specific examples of success that you think should be continued or expanded.
- What do you think are the top three priorities to overcome poverty?
If possible, please try to limit your responses to 500 words or less per question.
An Ambitious Target
In our first Poverty Reduction Strategy, we set an ambitious target of reducing child poverty by 25 per cent over 5 years.
We set ambitious targets with the belief that we cannot and should not limit ourselves by lowering our expectations on what we think we can achieve. Despite our progress and due to an uncertain economic climate, it is unlikely that the target will be met. The ambitious target gave us something to strive toward, raised the bar for success, and set the foundation for future work.
One of the key considerations in the new strategy will be the views of stakeholders and Ontarians about the value of such a bold, stretch target. Has it helped to spur progress? Should it be maintained or altered for the future? Let us know what you think at povertystrategy@ontario.ca.
Collaboration Makes It Happen
The provincial government is one of many key contributors to building solutions to this deeply interdependent challenge. Everyone plays a role in building a good, strong economy and in reducing poverty. One of the biggest lessons of the first five years is that many innovative models for collaboration and partnership exist that result in some of the most creative and effective ways to address poverty.
Share your views on the importance of collaborative models working together. Tell us about any specific examples from which you think everyone can learn at povertystrategy@ontario.ca.