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Where We've Been

Listening to Ontarians

Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy is rooted in the province’s communities – the places where people live, work and play, the places where some of them live in poverty, and the places where solutions to poverty can be found.

We put a call out to Ontarians to have their voices heard on what steps we should take to reduce poverty in Ontario. Ontarians responded in an overwhelming way through our website, participation in 14 roundtable sessions across the province, letters, meetings and phone conversations. Community organizations answered the call, holding many of their own consultations across the province. Dozens of Members of Provincial Parliament from all parties held town hall meetings in their communities. We heard from thousands of people – frontline service providers, community members, and, most importantly, people who are living in poverty.

The feedback from this engagement was as extensive as it was useful. Every meeting, every discussion and every idea expressed was valuable. This strategy reflects what we heard.

The engagement of low-income Ontarians proved valuable for reasons far beyond the ideas generated. Many people living in poverty told us that this was the first time they had ever been asked for their advice or heard by government. The launch of the strategy marks the next step in our ongoing conversation with Ontarians about poverty reduction. We have set ambitious goals and ongoing conversation is the best way to know what is working and what is not. By continuing to engage Ontarians, we will also continue to invite people living in poverty to participate in our shared effort to reduce poverty in Ontario.

Learning from Other Jurisdictions

This strategy is a made-in-Ontario plan, but one informed by successful approaches from around the world. Provinces such as Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, other jurisdictions, including New York City, and countries such as the United Kingdom and Ireland have all implemented strategies that aim to make a decisive impact on poverty. In creating this strategy, Ontario consulted, studied and learned from them all.

Moving Forward

Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy represents the very best thinking that exists on how to reduce poverty. There are no quick fixes and no miracle cures. Its success will be incremental but it will be measurable, and over time it will be dramatic. If we can break the cycle of poverty, we will reduce the number of children living in poverty who grow up to be adults living in poverty, and everyone in Ontario will benefit.

The Poverty Reduction Strategy is a comprehensive plan, combining significant short-, medium- and long-term investments and innovative new programs and initiatives. It establishes a clear goal – where the province does its part, in partnership with the federal government – to reduce child poverty by 25 per cent over 5 years while improving the quality of life for all children living in poverty. It focuses on the way government supports low income Ontarians, with an eye to improving the services that are offered to people living in poverty. And it commits to measuring and reviewing the progress that is being made. Ontario is setting itself on a road to become a leading jurisdiction in the fight against poverty.