Cornwall Ontario — Poverty is nothing new to Canada, the Province of Ontario or the City of Cornwall. Philippe Morin wrote an article in the Toronto Star in 2009, which stated that low-income households are one in four in certain parts of Cornwall.

We understand it is discouraging for those living in poverty; there are so many obstacles to overcome and they cannot be overcome quickly or easily. It takes time, planning and a lot of help. The efforts of the Social Development Council and numerous local organizations and resources, are planning and doing what we can to improve the situation for individuals living below the low income cut off.

Our desired state of community wellness is reflected in the following existing conditions:
•       Personal and public health
•       Satisfaction of basic material needs
•       Economic security and opportunity
•       Protection from violence, abuse, threat, and discrimination
•       Sense of identification and belonging with others (social inclusion)
•       Availability of choices and self-determination throughout one’s life path
•       Active participation and decision-making in the larger societal processes
•       Access to knowledge and personal skill development
•       Sustainable natural and physical environments

Community Voices SDG, organized by the Social Development Council, will hopefully bring assistance to some of those conditions, and  issues.

This will now be the second official Community Voices SDG activity. Community Voices SDG is planning on hosting a bilingual community forum to gather information to  help guide our work towards relieving poverty and building stronger communities in Cornwall and SDG.

Community Voices SDG will be hosting at the Army, Navy, Air Force Club of Cornwall, 14 Marlborough St. N. Cornwall, ON, from 5:00pm to 6:30pm on July 24, 2013. It will be a bilingual event and light refreshments will be provided.

Community Voices SDG is about you having your say about what living in poverty means to you. We will be asking community members to share their thoughts on issues surrounding poverty and related topics in our community. We are looking for community members who are concerned about poverty or who have lived experience with matters concerning food security, homelessness, social inclusion (sense of belonging), poverty and employability.

All are invited!

The goal of this forum is to collect data which will help guide our future efforts; Building stronger, resilient, sustainable communities.  Your voice is important to us.

There is still so much work left to do in our community and this is just the beginning. Join us in making a difference in your community.

If you wish to volunteer or would like more information please contact the Social Development Council at info@sdccornwall.ca or call us: 613-930-0211