Poor no more: Is poverty an issue in Ontario?

July 15, 2011 by Louise Livingstone

Poverty has always been part of Canada's social fabric but, as Shirley Follen, Board Member, Bridging the Gap for Kids, points out, "We are experiencing an exponential growth in the gap between those who have plenty and those who don't." In Poor No More the audience will be reminded that Canadians have accepted the dictum, "If you work hard, things will get better." But many hardworking Canadians have only seen things get worse. Corporate profits soared, but only the rich got richer. The recession took away more jobs and piled up more debt, leaving more people poor or insecure.

Poor No More offers solutions to Canada's working poor by taking three Canadians to other countries where people do not have to beg, where housing is affordable and university education is free. They ask themselves: if other countries can do this, why can't we? Hosted by TV and film star Mary Walsh, Poor No More offers an engaging look at Canadians stuck in low paying jobs with no security and no future. Mary heads to Ireland and Sweden to  see how these countries have tackled poverty while strengthening their economies. It offers hope to those who have to work two jobs a day and to those who cant find work. Poor No More is the first film to explain the roots of the economic crisis, its impact on Canadians, and what can be done about it. It is designed to build public support for a real reduction in poverty. Poor No More will attract a wide audience and help move this issue from the margins to the mainstream.

To this end, the locally based agencies hope this film will help to make poverty a major issue of the October provincial election. "When statistics show that one in six children live with families in poverty, what does it really mean to be poor?" asks Follen. "We need to make poverty an election issue"

Poor No More's Suzanne Babin (Producer) and Bert Deveaux (Director) create award-winning documentaries about social issues. Their work has been shown on CBC, TV Ontario, Life Network and on other broadcasters in Canada, the United States, and around the world. Both former CBC documentary producers, they founded their company, Deveaux Babin Productions, in 1984.

David Langille, professor at York University, is the Executive Producer of Poor No More  and founding Director of the Centre for Social Justice. He will host a panel discussion after the  7:00pm screening of the film at the Empire Theatre. Admission is "pay what you can" with a suggested $10. Citizens are invited to become part of the solution to poverty. Net proceeds will go to Bridging the Gap for Kids.

                                                 For more information, call 613 477 1264

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