Today (Monday) is International Day to Eradicate Poverty and a commemoration was held at city hall.
Doug Butler with the Elgin St. Thomas Coalition to End Poverty says at last count, more than 12,500 individuals in the region are living in poverty.
That number is greater than the combined population Aylmer, West Lorne, Port Stanley and Port Burwell.
The Elgin St. Thomas Coalition to End Poverty is comprised of citizens, agencies, businesses and government representatives to align with the work already undertaken in the community.
Their efforts include advocating on behalf of a living wage instead of a minimum wage, explains Butler.
Last year, the coalition’s living wage committee recognized Libro Credit Union St. Thomas and The Inn as living wage employers.
The vision of the coalition is to ensure no one in the community will live in poverty.
Butler explained the organization has a focus on three pillars.
Butler explained how the coalition operates.
The coalition stresses there is much residents can do including volunteering with local agencies and writing letters to MPPs asking for increased funding for ODSP and OW recipients.
To find out more about the Elgin St. Thomas Coalition to End Poverty visit https://povertycoalition.ca/
Written by Ian McCallum
