Attend this Conference in Edmonton: When Cities Lead

Text: From http://events.tamarackcommunity.ca/cities-summit2016?utm_campaign=2016_MayorsSummit&utm_content=26490275&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
Source: Tamarack Institute

Citizens and their Mayors in both big and small cities are making poverty reduction a priority and just about every progressive city council in Canada is working on or is planning some form of a poverty reduction strategy.

According to the National Post, Medicine Hat just became the first city in Canada to end homelessness. Big city mayors like Don Iveson in Edmonton and John Tory in Toronto have just launched major strategies, and mayors Walter Sendzik in St. Catharines and Matt Brown in London have announced new advisory panels on poverty reduction. These are just a few examples of recent successes led by mayors.

Cities* Reducing Poverty: When Mayors Lead will bring together mayors, provincial and territorial representatives, poverty reduction roundtable members, and interested individuals across the country in an effort to:

  • Raise awareness about the issue of urban poverty;
  • Present solutions and examples from cities that are addressing urban poverty effectively; and
  • Develop recommendations for provinces and the federal government to help cities tackle poverty.

Join us April 5-7 in Edmonton as we leverage our collective efforts and build the movement to reduce poverty across Canada.

* We use the word cities mainly to differentiate local poverty reduction efforts from provincial and federal initiatives and strategies. Please note that the event will feature communities of all sizes and we have intentionally invited smaller and rural municipalities to attend in addition to big cities.

Cities Leading in Poverty Reduction

At the National Poverty Reduction Summit in 2015, Mayor Don Iveson shared his thoughts on the role of cities in poverty reduction in his keynote address.

This is a unique time in the history of Canada. Across the country every provincial and territorial government has or is considering a poverty reduction strategy. At the community level, for the first time in history, most cities (communities) are enacting poverty reduction strategies focused on reducing the number of Canadians experiencing poverty. On top of that, we have a new and energized federal government.

We know the economic and social costs that poverty has on people and on the cities in which they live. This is a time of real hope as cities, provinces and the federal government are joining together to support one another with the goal of significantly reducing poverty in Canada.