Finch Ontairo — The Social Development Council of Cornwall and Area’s Poverty Working Group in cooperation with Linking Hands, a project of the House of Lazarus are excited to announce an all-candidates’ debate on the topic of Poverty Reduction in Ontario on the evening of June 5, 2014 from 6-8pm at South Nation Conservation Authority at 38 Victoria St. in Finch, Ontario.

The debate will focus on the candidate’s points of view about the growing issue of poverty in our province and locally in our area and explore the programs and solutions they intend to implement and those they intend to maintain should they be given the opportunity. The Social Development Council’s Poverty Working Group and Linking Hands believe all community members have the right to know our potential leaders position on an important issue like poverty reduction which is key to building sustainable resilient communities. It is our hope that this debate will bridge the information gap between our leaders, agencies, and community members.

The debate will ask the candidates to answer several questions about the state of poverty in our province and our community and how they intend to improve these situations. All community members are invited and encouraged to attend this event; there is no prior registration required. There will be an opportunity for audience members to ask the candidates questions.

If you would like to ask those questions, we would like you to e-mail us with your question ahead of time. Information from this debate will be collected in many forms and posted on various social media sites for those who cannot attend. With the provincial election taking place on June 12, we intend for this debate to be a resource to help inform voters in our community.