YPAC Meeting Report|1

YPAC Anti-Poverty Report

Meeting of September 18th, 2017Compiled by: Morgan Carl, YPAC General Admin

Table of Contents:

Meeting Overview: Pg. 2

Who Attended: Pg. 3 – 4

Discussion Points and Stats: Pg. 4 – 10

The Action Plan Outline: Pg. 11 – 12

Next Steps for YPAC: Pg. 12 – 13

Resources: Pg. 13

Upcoming Community Events: Pg. 13 – 14

Meeting Overview

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The YPAC anti-poverty follow up meeting took place on September 18th, 2017, at

Sadelir House in downtown Peterborough, ON.

The meeting saw many new, and returning attendees.

Members first discussed upcoming community projects, and personal work, before

moving on to continue forming the YPAC basic income education campaign.

Financial literacy, housing, and community outreach were also discussed.

Why have this meeting?

o The event was meant as a follow up of the anti-poverty forum from August

28th, run with the hope of structuring the proposed plans, and uncovering

clear cut methodology for moving forward with them.

The meeting agenda was organised as follows:

o 1. Attendees arrive: make introductions, with description of personal

projects, group affiliations, motivations for attending, etc.

o 2. Overview of the meeting agenda, review of previous material and plans

from the 28th of August.

o 3. Brief discussion of upcoming community events, listing of dates to be

aware of.

o 4. Discussion of the UBI education and letter writing campaign:

o 5. * Discussion of composting program policy.

NOTE: This was omitted from discussions, as it was agreed to be

handled first via research outside the meeting.

o 6. Financial literacy education discussion.

o 7. Closing remarks, deciding on dates of future meetings/updates, group

photos, etc.

Who Attended?

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The second meeting saw good turnout and speciality coverage from a productive

attendance. Multiple students, and group representatives showed up to contribute,

including individuals involved with:

The John Howard Society

o Community mediation resources, employment program assistance, and other

assistance programs

Peterborough’s Basic Income Network

o Network of activists and organisations establishing awareness, and a push

for sustainable basic income policy

The Nourish Project/Peterborough Food Action Network

o Addresses food insecurity in Peterborough, sustainable farming, food and

resource equity, etc.

The City of Peterborough/Peterborough Social Services

o Handles municipal laws, Social Services being responsible for distribution of

their programs’ services on the municipal level

The Ontario Libertarian Party

o Provincial level political party

The Peterborough Community Wellbeing Plan

o Upstart program with the Peterborough Social Services, researching and

providing framework for future municipal level policy changes.

Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board

o Public school board, responsible for 14 secondary schools, 74 elementary

schools, and 4 adult learning centers

The Landlord and Tenant Board

o Working with housing, housing rights, landlord and tenant property issues

Kawartha Food Share

o Food bank, warehouse, and distribution center

Trent University, Kenner CVI’s International Baccalaureate Program, and the

Thomas A. Stewart Theatre Arts Program

o Local Peterborough high schools, and university

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Discussion Points

Basic Income/Anti-Poverty Education and Letter Writing Campaigns

Proposed Idea:

Basic Income Education Campaign:

o Education campaign for public school/university students, and interested

private citizens in the community.

o Goal of educating key demographics on the research behind basic income,

motivations for the policy, statistics on poverty, food insecurity, housing, and

more. This could be done through a series of presentations, workshops,

promotional materials, seminars, etc. within the schools, or out in the

community.

o This would be done in the hopes of transitioning into a more informed basic

income letter writing campaign down the road.

Basic Income Letter Writing Campaign:

o Mass letter writing campaign to the offices of public officials/politicians, on

the municipal, provincial, and federal levels.

o These letters (hopefully bolstered via the education campaign) would

contain the thoughts of YPAC members, and other students/community

members involved; be they in support of the policy, dissenting on the policy,

suggested legislative changes to existing bills, etc.

o Goal is to affect political change via public influence on public officials.

o Can similarly be achieved with a combination of letter writing, and emails.

Financial Literacy Education Work:

o Financial literacy education is an integral part of developing financial skills,

which are sorely lacking amongst our graduating student population.

Many of our members, and public-school students, note their

ignorance on things like mortgage work, taxes, banking, finance,

budgeting, and more.

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Skills like these, and more, are critical in reducing poverty in our

community, and producing a future generation better equipped to

handle personal monetary functions.

o YPAC must do research into what steps are being taken by the current school

systems and ministry of education, in order to offset the skill deficit, and

introduce financial literacy oriented education within future curriculums.

o Workshops can likewise be done by YPAC and our cooperative groups, to

compensate for the missing material. These can be done within or alongside

the anti-poverty workshops elaborated on within this report plan.

Stats:

As of July 2017, Peterborough has the highest unemployment rate of any city in

Canada, at 9.6%.

P.R.O.O.F. research states 1 in 6 Canadians under age 18 are affected by food

insecurity.

Peterborough’s food insecurity rate is amongst the highest of cities in Canada, at

16.5%.

Currently, the two richest Canadians possess as much wealth as the poorest 33% of

Canadians.

Recent reports state over half of Ontarians are $200 dollars or less from insolvency

at the end of each month.

The average single room apartment in Peterborough costs $691/month, or

$8,292/a.

A study amongst sample KPR schools found at least 32 students were critically

homeless.

Policy Points:

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Basic income as a policy idea has existed in some form for centuries, but is just now

coming into the spotlight of mainstream politics.

o In recent decades, it has been tested in various forms in municipalities across

Manitoba, Finland, Alaska and parts of the southern USA, and now Ontario, to

name a few. Serious pilot project outlines are also being examined in Prince

Edward Island, and Scotland.

The motivation behind basic income is for the program to act as an economic floor,

safety net, or supplemental financial top up, to lift the poorest out of poverty; and to

help pay for essentials, like food and housing.

This can be done in various forms: a distribution of crown corporation revenue

(effectively making all recipients shareholders in that crown corporation), a

universal government cheque granted to all citizens (useful in preventing related

stigma/welfare demonization), an income tested supplement to act as a top up for

the working poor, a Milton Friedman-esque replacement for all other social

programs, or an opt-in/opt-out supplemental program scaled to income and use of

other disability/social programs (similar to the current Ontario pilot project).

Basic income has been shown to drawn multi-partisan support across most of the

political spectrum.

Addressing misconceptions:

Food Insecurity:

o Food insecurity is often thought of as a lack of food, when it is much more

accurately a lack of income, limiting the ability of citizens to afford food.

o Must increase understanding of the difference between marginal, and critical

food insecurity.

o Most percentage rates on food insecurity across Canada do not

include/examine first nations reserves, military personnel, and other small

groups in the scope of study.

Economic Influences on Domestic Violence:

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o It is often over-simplified that domestic violence problems stem almost

entirely from mental health complications, and/or anger issues. However,

community research and experience in conflict aid/resolution, has found

domestic violence originates from a large variety of problems, often piled

together. This relates to a correlation found between the rise and fall of

household financial insecurity rates, and the rates of domestic violence.

Safety Nets in Conjunction with Financial Literacy Skills:

o While teaching our community financial skills, how to handle money

responsibly, and to account for personal expenses, would undoubtedly make

a difference in the domestic lives of our citizens, it is important to note that

their having these skills, is not the be-all-end-all solution to poverty. Self

determination with finance is an important tool, but it must coincide with the

presence of a strong socioeconomic safety net, in order to function effectively

in the war against poverty.

The Simplicity of Basic Income Policy (or lack thereof):

o There have been vast numbers of different proposed basic income policies in

the past, (some examples given above). Many of these are distinctly different,

and would have their respective pluses and minuses. It is fundamental that

any support for a basic income bill, comes from a place of understanding with

respect to the specifics of the legislation.

Discussion Points:

Decision was reached to have the basic income education campaign precede the

letter writing campaign, as it will hopefully produce a more passionate, aware, and

mobilised demographic for the letter writing campaign.

o Delaying the letter writing also allots time for planning, fundraising, and

gathering resources.

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Benefits of Basic Income:

o Social programs where people see an increased income, result in an

increased median income in the respective area.

o UBI would help the poorest among us pay for necessities, such as food,

housing, clothing, utilities.

o Previous welfare/pension/income supplement programs, have proven

effective in significantly reducing poverty rates. The introduction of the

Canadian Pension Plan, under Lester B. Pearson’s government, for example,

dropped senior poverty rates by over 25%.

o Some speculated that an influx of money allows people the freedom to leave

unhappy relationships, which they previously depended on for financial

reasons.

o An increase in cashflow to lower earning demographics, would net save the

government money in the long run, (despite the high initial cost).

This is due to the relief of poverty related strains on the social service

systems, like healthcare, and emergency response services. The

decrease in need for these services, due to a decline in the poverty

rate will eventually turn into government savings.

Additionally, low earning tax brackets, are also the highest spending,

and often recirculate new funds into the economy through spending

on essentials; which then generates sales tax revenue, and acts as a

macro economic stimulant. (Particularly if spent at local businesses).

o Poverty driven crime rates drop when less financial insecurity afflicts the

people.

Drawbacks/Apprehensions of Basic Income:

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o How can we guarantee that people will be better off under a UBI policy? Is

there a risk of endangering people’s income, via risky scaling or repealing of

existing social programs, benefits, or welfare programs in favour of this?

This concern was specifically addressed to the Ontario pilot program,

and the provisions where 50% of one’s income is subtracted from the

income supplement, and the programs relationship with

unemployment insurance, Ontario works, and others.

What is the optimal model for this policy? Is the version being tested

in the 2017 Ontario Pilot Program the best method for reducing

poverty through this kind of legislation?

o Whereas some speculated the freedom to leave unhappy relationships due to

the income boost was a positive, others countered that the divorce rate spike

potentially resulting from a UBI policy, was a negative which would impact

families.

(The divorce rate spike was first seen under test runs in the USA, but

the ‘spike’ figure was later contested/debunked).

o Would this be seen as another welfare program to be demonised? If so, how

can we reduce stigma surrounding poverty, and reduce demonization of

welfare programs?

o Some Libertarian members of the discussion saw concern about the number

of government workers and funds that would need diversion to this program.

Would basic income increase or decrease the size of government? Would it

increase or decrease the number of civil servants? Is it possible to implement

this policy and shrink the size of government?

Points of Procedure for the UBI/Anti-Poverty Campaign:

o *see section on action plan*

Concerns of the UBI/Anti-Poverty Campaign:

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o Some of our member students, and group representatives, felt apprehension

at the notion of an explicit basic income oriented presentation within the

schools. The sense of unease occurred since such a clear policy oriented

presentation, would be akin to direct political lobbying on behalf of such an

idea.

o Further analysis drew light to the precedent such ‘lobbying’ would set, if it

was even allowed to proceed because of the heavy political angle. This angle

would also be a probable road block for clearing our related work with

school and community administration, who want to shy away from anything

obviously political, or resembling partisanship/partisan favouritism.

An intersectional principle of the local mediation program arose here:

let people reach the solution themselves, based on the information

you’ve given them, or guided them to.

For several of the above points of contention, it’s likely a better idea to turn the

work from an explicit project to promote a basic income government policy, into a

generalised anti-poverty information campaign.

Financial Literacy:

o Bridges Out of Poverty, and the City’s Social Services, have had remarkable

success in their previous financial literacy work, and their income tax

workshops/events.

o Their most recent income tax events for those on various forms of

government assistance, saw paperwork completed for vast swathes of

people, using only three volunteer accountants.

The Action Plan Outline

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1. Approaching KPRDSB, Trent University, and Fleming College, about a poverty

survey/opinion poll amongst their students.

a. Must be cleared through ethics board of KPR, research contacts and process

for getting the idea through.

b. Present the idea to school teachers, university/college staff, and board

members, to persuade them into either distributing a physical set of polling

questions/surveys in their classes, or to institute the survey in their school in

some form. Perhaps also engage the staff with the polls to increase diversity

of opinion and research?

i. These would be similar to previous school climate surveys done by

the board. The polling could also (potentially) be done in cooperation

with the Community Wellbeing Plan, as they continue planning for

their project.

c. Based on the response to the surveys, (assuming they’re permitted to

proceed), a solid case can be made for further action in the schools, due to

either interest, need for education, request, and more.

2. Following, we must contact the teachers, board members, and others once more, to

present the anti-poverty ideas we have for the students of the schools.

a. These might include workshops/lunchtime seminars for interested students,

an emergency resources awareness presentation for the school, educational

materials to be shared in classroom discussions, promotional/educational

resources that can be shared, etc.

b. All of these materials and educational presentations would contain qualities

linked to anti-poverty work, financial literacy skills, local significant

statistics, potential histories of actions taken on the subjects, with what

did/didn’t work. The goal is to educate students on the causes, effects, and

correlations of poverty, financial insecurity, food insecurity, lack of

resources.

c. These workshops or presentations can be promoted by the YPAC student

body, or potentially in cooperation with involved groups.

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i. Common resources for promotion in schools include student councils,

social justice clubs, debate groups, philosophy and economic classes,

or civics and career courses.

d. Financial literacy resources and presentation should be cross-checked with

school staff, as to ensure there isn’t unnecessary overlap with existing

materials being covered by the institutions. This will require some capacity

of research.

3. Proceed with promotion of these resources.

4. After substantial coverage of the community with the education campaign, the letter

writing campaign for the UBI policy can proceed, with letters written to our

government offices, by and on behalf of an informed, and interested population.

a. These might be in support of, in dissent of, or full of suggested alterations.

Next Steps for Organising YPAC

Finding capable students to complete the administrative group for future work.

Proceeding with the action plan.

o Also examining further steps for research, (especially regarding the compost

policy).

Locating most financially viable meeting locations.

Examining fundraising options and methods for handling YPAC related funds.

o This would involve the logistical capacity of keeping all fundraising

organised, official, and aboveboard, to maintain legality, avoid any potential

problems, and to guarantee the safety and trust of our

members/participants/sponsors, and their contributions.

o It requires putting together future fundraising strategies and events.

o Funds would pay for things like meeting spaces, website maintenance,

promotional material for our campaigns, etc. However, any additional funds

should go towards sponsoring community events, and non-profits in the city.

Promoting events and campaigns, sharing resources and information.

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Reconvening for another YPAC meeting to give updates on our work, and plan for

subsequent action.

o This date will likely be October 18th, 2017. Location and time TBD.

Useful and Accessible Resources

The City of Peterborough, along with the group Bridges Out of Poverty, are rolling

out semi-regular income tax clinics: the next one is coming up October 26th.

PFAN (Peterborough Food Action Network), meets every third Thursday of each

month from 12-1:30 pm.

Amnesty Peterborough meets the second Monday of each month at about 7:00 pm,

at Sadelir House in Peterborough, ON.

Upcoming Community Events

Team 55 Suicide Awareness Event - Friday, September 22nd

Peterborough Pride Parade - Saturday, September 23rd

WUSC Student Refugee Program Event – Sunday, September 24th

Peace Vigil with Amnesty and Peterborough Peace Council – Monday, September

25th

Chalk Out Hate (event against white supremacy and hate groups) – Friday,

September 29th

Peterborough Youth Empowerment Volunteering Event – Friday, September 29th

White Supremacy Rally – Saturday, September 30th

Nogojiwanong Day – Saturday, September 30th

NDP Riding Association, First Round of Voting Event – Sunday, October 1st

Peterborough Workers Action Centre, Decent Work Film Screening and Panel

Discussion – Wednesday, October 4th

International Decent Work Day Event, at Trent University – Saturday, October 7th

Peterborough Public Health Meeting on Food Insecurity – Monday, October 16th

YPAC Anti-Poverty Follow Up – Wednesday, October 18th

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Income Tax Clinic with City of Peterborough, and Bridges Out of Poverty – Thursday,

October 26th