Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Pandemic delays city poverty report

City council has given its committee looking at ways to reduce poverty in the city another year to complete its work. On Monday, city council voted to extend the term of the Select Committee on Poverty Reduction to June 30, 2021.
City hall

City council has given its committee looking at ways to reduce poverty in the city another year to complete its work.

On Monday, city council voted to extend the term of the Select Committee on Poverty Reduction to June 30, 2021. The committee was struck in October 2019 and was initially intended to provide its final report to city council by June of this year.

Coun. Murry Krause, who chairs the committee, said the COVID-19 pandemic derailed the committee's meetings in March, and they weren't able to start meeting again until July.

"Every effort has been made to catch up that work. You'll see draft recommendations coming back (to council) very soon," Krause said. "This extension will allow us to come back with better recommendations."

Once city council has a chance to review the draft report, there will be a public consultation phase, Krause said. The input from the public will be incorporated into the committee's final recommendations to council.

The committee includes Krause, Coun. Cori Ramsay and members from a number of local service agencies and the provincial government. Krause said all of the committee members are passionate about the issue, and agreed to extend their terms to finish the report.

Ramsay said all the members are "very eager" to complete the work.

"I'm very excited for these recommendations to come forward to council," she said.