The proposal might just work in Mississauga, said Meghan Nicholls, spokeswoman for the Mississauga Food Bank. The food bank has seen a 20 per cent increase in demand since the recession.
“It’s one of those issues you can’t ignore anymore,” Ms. Nicholls said. “If this proposal (for creating priority neighbourhoods enables various groups to deliver services where they are most needed, then it could work.”
From a food bank’s perspective, Ms. Nicholls said that would mean delivering food to areas where it’s needed. She acknowledged accessibility is an issue in Mississauga where public transportation is limited compared to the vast network in Toronto.
“Sometimes just getting to a food bank can be a problem in Mississauga if you don’t have a car,” she said.
As for Ms. Campbell and her five-year-old son, she’s not sure if the priority neighbourhoods plan will work, but she is willing to keep an open mind.
“You can call this neighbourhood whatever you want – priority neighbourhood, a ghetto … it doesn’t really matter,” she said. “What we really need is the buildings to be cleared of bed bug infestations [and] more affordable daycares so that people can actually go to work and earn.”
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PRO AND CON
Toronto’s priority neighbourhood program
Proponent: Scarborough Centre Councillor Glenn de Baeremaeker says Toronto’s program has been a “huge success” in the two priority neighbourhoods in his ward. “The kind of services in a suburb like Scarborough aren’t as developed as in the downtown wards,” he said. “Yes, there is an image or stereotype about Scarborough, but the reality is priority neighbourhoods have done a lot in helping people find jobs, access to daycare and engaging youth.”
Critic: Scarborough-Agincourt Councillor Mike Del Grande said he hasn’t seen much change in the Steeles-L’Amoreaux priority neighbourhood in his ward. “We’ve got more daycares now, but I think a flaw with this program is there’s no measurement of progress.” As budget chief, Mr. Del Grande will be looking at cuts to many of the city’s programs, which include the Priority Neighbourhoods project. Currently, council is waiting for staff reports on the progress of the project.
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FACTS AND FIGURES
The numbers
According to Statistics Canada, the groups most vulnerable to poverty are also among the fastest-growing in Peel Region's burgeoning population: recent immigrants, visible minorities, single parents, young families with children and seniors. Of these groups, seniors show the highest incidence of low income at 40 per cent, followed by single-parent families at 35 per cent. (Statscan defines low-income as income levels at which families spend 20 per cent more than average of their before-tax income on food, shelter and clothing).
Between 2001 and 2006, the percentage of Peel children aged 0 to 5 in low-income families grew from 14 per cent to 19.8 per cent, higher than the provincial rate.
According to the Mississauga Summit, unemployment rates in Mississauga during the recession soared from 6.6 per cent to 10.8 per cent – a figure higher than the GTA, Ontario and the country.
