I had the pleasure of being invited to the Mayor's Symposium on the elimination of poverty today at the Shaw.
Did you know:
Over 100,000 Edmontonians live in poverty, that is 1 out of 8 of us.
30% of those are children
The cost to Albertans is estimated between $7.1-9.5 BILLION each year.
The vast majority of those in poverty are new immigrants and Aboriginals, with both of these groups being the fastest growing portions of our population.
The symposium was following up on the 26 member Task Force's hard work over the last few months and will be creating a report by late summer which will then go to Council for support within the year. This will work to better address, fund and support the 5 key areas below.
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http://mastermaq.s3.amazonaws.com/pu...ingpoverty.jpg)
See Mack's blog
http://blog.mastermaq.ca/2014/03/18/...Maq's+Blog)
I would like to challenge all of you to get more involved, become more aware of the issues and see what you can do as an individual to eradicate poverty within a generation or less.