What role can municipalities play in addressing poverty, homelessness, housing, health and community safety? And how can local decision-makers ask better questions about issues that rarely have simple answers?
On September 18, 2026, the Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force and United Way of Bruce Grey brought municipal candidates from across Grey and Bruce together for an online Poverty 101: Municipal Candidates Education Session.
The non-partisan session brought together 65 participants, including three presenters and three hosts, to explore poverty, housing, health, transportation, community safety and the role municipal governments can play in responding to complex community issues.
Understanding who can do what
One of the goals of the session was to move beyond simply identifying problems.
Candidates were encouraged to consider what services already exist, where gaps remain, which orders of government have responsibility, and where municipalities can act directly, work in partnership, or advocate for change. Our goal wasn’t to give candidates all the answers. We wanted to give them local information, connect them with people who work in these systems, and help them ask better questions.
That distinction matters. Poverty is not one issue and there is rarely one program, organization or level of government that can address it alone.
Three perspectives on complex community issues
Candidates heard from three presenters bringing different perspectives and experience:
- Jason Weppler, Program Manager with Grey Bruce Public Health and co-chair of the Grey Bruce Healthy Communities Partnership, discussed the social determinants of health.
- Kim Wingrove, former CAO of Grey County, explored how different levels of government work together and where responsibilities lie.
- Rob Martin, retired Chief of West Grey Police Services, discussed the connections between poverty, homelessness, mental health, substance use, policing and community safety.
The presentations were followed by a wide-ranging question-and-answer discussion.
Candidates brought practical questions to the table
The conversation quickly moved from understanding poverty to asking what municipalities can practically do.
Candidates raised questions about zoning and additional residential units, Housing First, rural transportation, food security, utility affordability, policing and prevention, alternative housing models, wages and housing costs, and how municipalities can determine whether programs are actually achieving their intended outcomes.
One particularly important discussion began with a seemingly straightforward question: How many people successfully move through social programs?
That led to another question: What do we mean by success?
For one person, success might mean returning for the next outreach appointment. For another, it could mean staying connected with services, achieving greater independence, moving into stable housing or reducing involvement with crisis systems.
Curiosity before conclusions
That conversation captured an important principle behind the Poverty Task Force’s approach to complex community issues:
“Complex issues require us to ask difficult questions. But they also require us to be clear about what we know, what we assume, and what we still need to learn — and to be willing to change our understanding when the evidence and the voices of people with lived experience tell us something different.”
— Jill Umbach, Coordinator, Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force
This thinking is also reflected in our election resource, Curiosity Before Conclusions: Asking Better Questions About Complex Community Issues.
When discussing poverty and other complex issues, we encourage decision-makers and community members to ask:
What is happening? What already exists? Where is the unmet need? Who has authority? What evidence is available? And what outcome are we trying to achieve?
Now we’re sharing the conversation with the community
The September 18 session was designed for municipal candidates, but the information and discussion are relevant to everyone interested in the future of our communities.
United Way of Bruce Grey and the Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force are therefore making the session publicly available so that residents, community organizations and others can access the same information provided to candidates. Presentation materials, the session report and additional resources have also been shared with municipal candidates across Grey and Bruce.
Watch the full Municipal Candidates Education Session video recording here:
As Grey Bruce heads toward the 2026 municipal elections, we hope these resources support informed conversations about poverty and strengthen our collective understanding of what municipalities can do, where partnerships are needed, and what questions we should continue asking.
Our Voice is Power. Together, we can build stronger, more equitable communities.
