Cornwall Ontario — Over the past few months the Ontario government has been holding consultations across the Province regarding its Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Unfortunately, none of these sessions were planned for our riding community, the closest one being in Ottawa. This is why the Social Development Council of Cornwall and Area, the House of Lazarus, and the Eastern Ontario Health Unit are hosting our own community consultation in S, D & G with Special guest Jim McDonnell MPP for the riding of Stormont-Dundas and South Glengarry. This initiative will give the residents of our riding an opportunity to have their say in helping to shape public policy. After all, to be truly effective, any Poverty Reduction Strategy must reflect the diverse challenges faced by people and families in every corner of the province.

This forum is open to all and will be held at the South Nation Conservation Authority on Tuesday, January 21 st. from 10:00am to 12:00pm. We will be following the same formula used by government at all the other Poverty Consultations across the province of Ontario in order to confirm that the information gained here in our community is comparable to that from across the province.

More background information about Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy can be found in the attached document.

We look forward to meeting a number of community agencies, businesses, local churches, social clubs and individuals who can provide their own insight into how the province can best achieve the goal we all want: to break the poverty cycle.

If you are interested in attending, please confirm your attendance by emailing The Social Development Council of Cornwall and Area at [email protected] or call 613-930-0211