ENDING
POVERTY
STARTSLOCALLY
Municipal recommendations
for a Canadian poverty
reduction strategy
July 2017

fcm.caJuly 4, 2017
The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

ENDING POVERTY STARTS LOCALLY:
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A CANADIAN
POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY
Dear Minister:
Canadians want to build a country less encumbered by poverty, where each one of us canfind genuine opportunities to thrive. We hold this vision for ourselves, for our neighbours
and for Canadians from coast to coast to coast.
This vision is part of what it means to be Canadian, and achieving it is challenge sharedby every order of government. Aligning our efforts is vital, and so we welcome yourcommitment to move forward with a Canadian poverty reduction strategy.
Municipalities form the order of government closest to people’s lived experience ofpoverty. We are making the most of tools available to build local solutions. And we arepleased to present our broad recommendations—from the front lines—for your national
strategy.
Earlier this month, you engaged local leaders directly at FCM’s annual conference, on
poverty reduction and in particular on housing affordability. Today’s recommendations area follow-up—another checkpoint in FCM’s continuing conversation with your government.
We look forward to deepening our joint efforts to build a more equally prosperous Canada.
Sincerely,p"'

Jenny Gerbasi
Deputy Mayor, City of Winnipeg
FCM President

CONTENTS
Introduction............................................................... 4
Dimensions of poverty in Canada......................... 5Federal role in poverty reduction......................... 8
Municipal role in poverty reduction................... 10
FCM recommendations..........................................13
1.

Strengthen intergovernmental .
dialogue.........................................................13

2. Systematically incorporate a .
gender lens...................................................13
3. Prioritize social and affordable .
housing repair and construction............. 14
4. Distinctly support newcomers’ .
housing needs............................................. 14
5. Expand and renew the Homelessness
Partnering Strategy................................... 14
6. Ensure low-income households .
can access quality child care....................15
7. Explore basic-income-.
guarantee models........................................15
8. Distinctly support Indigenous .
peoples in municipalities...........................15
9. Boost access to quality public .
transit.............................................................16
10. Align with legislation for people .
living with disabilities.................................16
11. Evaluate investments supporting .
low-income seniors.....................................16
12. Boost access to essential .
telecommunications services...................16

4

ENDING POVERTY STARTS LOCALLYINTRODUCTION
From coast to coast to coast, municipal leaders are on front lines of poverty. Every day,
we see how poverty prevents individuals, families and communities from seizing their fullpotential. So on behalf of our 2,000 member municipalities—representing 90 per cent of
Canadians—the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) welcomes this opportunity
to contribute to the federal government’s upcoming Canadian Poverty Reduction
Strategy.
New commitments in Budgets 2016 and 2017 underline the federal commitment totackling poverty in our cities and communities. Low-income households will benefit fromthe new Canada Child Benefit, increases to the Guaranteed Income Supplement andOld Age Security, funding through a new National Housing Strategy, expanded transit
infrastructure and the commitment to develop a National Framework on Early Learning
and Child Care.
A Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy is an opportunity to build on these steps, on thechallenging road to a more inclusively prosperous and livable Canada.
Nation-building starts in communities, and that certainly applies here. Poverty manifests
differently across the country, and effective solutions vary locally as well. All actors—
the federal government, provinces, territories, municipalities, community groups andbusinesses—will need to work together to develop locally anchored solutions.
Among orders of government, municipalities are Canada’s eyes and ears on the ground.
They are catalysts for change, convening diverse actors and tailoring initiatives to local
realities. They are also driving action on cross-sectoral issues. For instance, energysaving grant and loan initiatives are lowering utility costs for renters—while increasing
asset values for housing providers/owners and reducing climate-changing emissions.
However, while the face of poverty is profoundly local, other orders of government control
investment and policy levers that are vital to an effective response. Federal, provincial andterritorial actions should complement, enable and help scale up innovative local efforts to
reduce poverty across the country.
That is the focus of FCM’s submission.
We have not set out to encompass all the intersecting issues that underlay poverty. Rather,from our frontline perspective, we are recommending the most essential federal action toprioritize through a Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy. These recommendations focus
on issues primarily within federal jurisdiction, while recognizing that all governments andactors must be aligned to achieve lasting results.
In short, we are all in this together, with distinct roles to play. And with clear and decisivefederal leadership, remarkable progress is possible, right across Canada.

ENDING POVERTY STARTS LOCALLYDIMENSIONS OF
POVERTY IN CANADA
Defining poverty
While the Government of Canada has
no official definition of poverty, there areseveral common indices, including the
Basic Needs poverty line, the Market
Basket Measure, the Human Poverty
Index and Statistics Canada’s Low
Income Cut-off (LICO).
Poverty is more complex than income
level, however. Economic, social andcultural realities deeply shape theexperiences of people living in poverty
in Canada. Some provinces andmunicipalities have adopted theirown definitions of poverty to moreconsistently evaluate local efforts toimprove the economic, social andcultural vitality of their communities.
The federal government should engage
all stakeholders in a process to establish
a common definition to frame theCanadian poverty reduction strategy.
Rather than exclusively tracking income,this definition should specificallyincorporate a social-inclusion lens.

1

2

3

4

5

6

Parliament of Canada (2013).
Income Inequality in Canada:
An Overview. Report of theStanding Committee on
Finance.
Government of Canada (2016).
A Background on Poverty in
Canada.
Statistics Canada (2014).
Canadian Income Survey.
Statistics Canada does not
publish annual data on income
rates for those living
on-reserve.
Statistics Canada (2010).
Women in Canada: A
Gender-based Statistical
Report.
Statistics Canada (2014).
Insights on Canadian Society:
Persons with Disabilities andEmployment.

Vulnerable populationgroupsOn any definition, poverty is both
pervasive and compounding acrossCanada. From 1976 to 2010, the top
20 per cent of Canadian income earners
saw their average market income rise by
28.9%, while the bottom 20 per cent saw
theirs fall by 22.5%.1
Between 3 and 4.5 million Canadians
live in poverty, representing between
8.8 and 13 per cent of Canadians.

5

Using international measures, in
2013, Canada’s ranked 20th out of
31 industrialized countries in termsof lowest overall poverty rate.2
Even on the most conservative measure(LICO: 8.8 per cent of Canadians living
in poverty), poverty disproportionately
impacts certain population groups, as
shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1:
Poverty by populationgroup (2014)3
Unattached individuals aged
45-64

30.2%

Lone-parent families(majority female-led)

23.7%

People with disabilities

22.5%

Recent immigrants

20.3%

Indigenous people living
off-reserve4

18.7%

Single seniors

11.3%

Children

8.5%

Poverty has a significant genderdimension. Women’s employment rate
is 57 per cent—compared to 65 per centfor men. Meanwhile, women working
full time earn 73.5 cents for every dollar
men make, ranking Canada’s gender
pay gap the eighth-largest among
Organization of Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD) countries.5
Canadians living with disabilities areat higher risk of living in poverty. The
employment rate for Canadians with asevere disability was 26 per cent in 2011,
compared to 68 per cent for those witha mild disability, and 79 per cent for the
non-disabled population.6

6

ENDING POVERTY STARTS LOCALLY

Indigenous people in Canada are at
special risk. More than 60 per cent livein municipalities, and while the data is
not always readily available or current,
it does reveal disproportionately highpoverty rates. In communities of all
sizes, the modern legacy of Canada’s
Indian Residential Schools continues toaffect the economic, social and cultural
well-being of First Nations, Inuit andMétis peoples. Acknowledging pastinjustices and moving forward in thespirit of reconciliation is part of poverty
reduction. Establishing new and respectful relationships between Indigenous
and non-Indigenous people in Canada
will result in stronger communities and amore equal society.
Underemployment and poverty arestrongly linked, in ways that topline
employment rates cannot capture.
A recent McMaster University study
showed that precarious employment has
increased by nearly 50 per cent over the
past two decades in the Greater Toronto
and Hamilton Region, at the expense offull-time, permanent work.7 Partly as aresult, between 1980 and 2005, average
earnings among the bottom 20 per centof income earners fell by 20%.8 Today,
approximately 746,000 Canadians live
in a poor household where the mainincome earner is in fact working.

Statistics Canada (2012).
Income in Canada, 2011.
CANSIM Table 202-0804; ascited in Citizens for Public
Justice (2013). Poverty Trends
Scorecard: Canada 2012.
8
Heisz, Andrew (2015). Trends in
Income Inequality in Canada
and Elsewhere. Institute for
Research on Public Policy.
9Gaetz, Gulliver and Richter(2014). The State ofHomelessness in Canada: 2014.
10
Employment and Social
Development Canada (2016).
Homelessness Partnering
Strategy: 2005-2014 –Highlights of the National
Shelter Study.
7

Beyond income in cities
and communities
Income levels paint only a partial pictureof poverty in Canada. Other factors
affecting the lives of Canadians living
in poverty include rising housing costs,
food insecurity and poor access to vital
services. Moreover, for those living inpoverty, the necessities that fall out ofreach first tend to vary by region and bycommunity size.

In large cities, households may faceexpensive housing and inadequate
access to quality, affordable childcare. In rural, remote and northern
communities, households may have
few transportation options beyond
privately-owned vehicles, impeding
access to employment or public services.
Affordable, high-speed Internet isunavailable in many communities, even
where people are expected to have it toaccess income supports or employment.
Some 12.5 per cent of Canadianhouseholds—representing 3.9 million
individuals—live in “core housingneed.” This means their housing isunaffordable to them, needs major
repairs, and/or has too few bedrooms
for the household’s composition—and
they cannot access other local housingthat resolves the need. That 12.5 percent figure is a cross-Canada average.
Housing challenges are far more severe
in some jurisdictions, for instance inNunavut, where 39 per cent of households are experiencing core housingneed.
As many as 235,000 Canadians are
expected to experience homelessness
this year, with 35,000 homeless on any
given night.9 In 2004, 80 per cent ofavailable emergency shelter beds wereused on an average night across Canada.
By 2015, that average occupancy hadrisen to 90 per cent—too often reachingfull capacity.10 And these statistics do not
capture “hidden homelessness” at the
local level. For example, in many northern and remote communities, growing
numbers of vulnerable people resort to“couch surfing” or sleeping in cars in
the absence of emergency shelters andother support services.

ENDING POVERTY STARTS LOCALLY

High-quality, affordable early childhood
education and care (ECEC) supports the
economic prosperity and social sustainability of communities. However, Canada
lags well behind its OECD counterparts—
on both the proportion of GDP spent on
public funding for ECEC and on enrolment of children in preschool education,
albeit with differences across the country,
notably in Quebec which has a universal
system with capped fees.
High-quality, affordable child careaddresses multiple dimensions ofpoverty—empowering parents toseek employment, and offering children
the strong foundation that is widely
understood to improve their lifelong
development. At present, there is a
patchwork of services across provinces
and territories. Low wages and insecure
working conditions are the norm for childcare workers, and there is no reliablefinancial foundation to build affordable
child care systems across the country.

Lower-quality, less reliable care limits
families’ options—especially single
parents—as they seek to reconcile
work and family responsibilities withoutcompromising their children’s early
development.
Between 2011 and 2012, 1.1 million
Canadian households experienced
food insecurity.This is defined as households who experienced at least some level of uncertainty over their access to foodin the past 12 months. Figure 2 shows theprevalence of food insecurity by selectcensus metropolitan areas in 2014.11
Meanwhile, food bank use in Canada has
increased by 27.8 per cent since 2008.12
Research suggests that individuals living
in low income have lower life expectancies, have higher rates of suicide, and are
more likely to suffer from heart diseases,
chronic conditions and mental healthissues.

Figure 2:
Households experiencing food insecurity (2014)13

Tarasuk, Mitchell, Dachner(2016). Household Food
Insecurity in Canada, 2014.
12
Food Banks Canada (2016).
Hunger Count: 2016.
13
Statistics Canada. Household
Food Insecurity: 2011-2012.
11

7

Halifax, Nova Scotia

15.1%

Moncton, New Brunswick

16.3%

Saguenay, Quebec

14.2%

Trois Rivières, Quebec

12.4%

Peterborough, Ontario

17.6%

Windsor, Ontario

15.2%

Regina, Saskatchewan

13.6%

8

ENDING POVERTY STARTS LOCALLYFEDERAL ROLE
IN POVERTY
REDUCTION
Poverty is a national phenomenon
experienced most acutely in thecommunities where Canadians live,
work and raise their families. Despite its
localized nature, the federal government
has a powerful role to play in poverty
reduction—by investing in critical areas
and bringing all orders of government
together to align efforts and maximize
impact.
This federal government has alreadymade new commitments to poverty
reduction that respond to FCM
recommendations. We especiallycommend the long-overdue commitment to develop a National Housing
Strategy (NHS). As its fiscal framework,
Budget 2017 commits $11.2 billion
over 11 years—including $2.1 billion to
expand and renew the Homelessness
Partnering Strategy. On top of this, thebudget commits $4-5 billion throughthe preservation of baseline fundingof expiring social housing operating
agreements.

CMHC (2011). Canadian
Housing Observer:
Characteristics of Households
in Core Housing Need. Figuresrounded to nearest fullpercentage.
12
Canadian Housing and Renewal
Association (2013). Affordable
Housing Challenges andInnovations in the North:
A CHRA Congress Session
Summary. Accessed at
http://chra-achru.ca/en/
research-papers#2015
13
As cited in Walker, Ryan (2008).
“Social Housing and the Roleof Aboriginal Organizations in
Canadian Cities” in IRPP
Choices, Vol. 14, no. 4, May
2008.
11

Budget 2017 also launched a $20.1
billion long-term, allocation-based
investment plan for public transit
expansions in cities across Canada.
In addition to cutting commute times
and GHG emissions, better transit helps
low-income Canadians access jobs,
services and daily essentials. Additionally, an expanded Enabling Accessibility
Fund will help municipalities and localorganizations improve local levels ofphysical accessibility and safety.

This budget’s welcome commitment tofund affordable child care spaces builds
on the Canada Child Benefit launcheda year prior. The recently announced
Federal/Provincial/Territorial Multilateral
Early Learning and Child Care
Framework may serve as pathway
towards an ECEC system which isaffordable, accessible and high-quality
for all families, but especially those whoare living in poverty.
Enhancements to Old Age Security and
the Guaranteed Income Supplement will
benefit low-income seniors. Renewed
funding for the former Urban Aboriginal
Strategy, now the Urban Programmingfor Indigenous Peoples initiative, will
support local Indigenous organizations
and service providers as they deliver
services to low-income Indigenous
individuals and families in our cities andcommunities.
These federal initiatives underscore thefederal government’s readiness to tackle
poverty, and to honour the guidance of
FCM and the local order of government.
These are first steps toward eliminating
poverty in Canada—on a longer roadthat now requires clear federal leadership through a national strategy.
Significantly, in addition to working
with FCM at a nation-wide level, local
governments regularly identify wherefederal action can deepen the impact of
local poverty reduction strategies. For
example:•Edmonton’s poverty reduction
strategy calls for a dialogue among
municipal, provincial and federal
governments to improve how
housing, food bank and child careservices are funded and delivered.
Something as simple as being
unable to produce proof ofresidence can block someone’s
access to federal services.

ENDING POVERTY STARTS LOCALLY•

Steele, Marion (2006). “A
Tax-Based Affordable Housing
Program for Canada” inCanadian Housing Magazine,
fall 2006 edition.
15
Housing Supply Working Group(2001). Affordable Rental
Housing Supply: The Dynamics
of the Market and Recommendations for Encouraging New
Supply.
14

Toronto recognizes that federal
investment is critical to addressing
local poverty through social andaffordable housing. With a$2.7 billion repair backlog due tochronic underfunding, Toronto
Community Housing (TCHC) expects
in 2017 to close 425 units that are
no longer safely habitable. More willclose without long-term investment
from other orders of government.
Through its commitment of morethan $1.3 billion over 10 years(2013-2022) for capital repairs to
TCHC and efforts to transform its
social housing system, the city is
showing why the National Housing
Strategy must prioritize repairs
for existing social housing whilebuilding new social and affordable
housing.Under Victoria’s new Social
Procurement Framework, vendors
strengthen their bids for city
contracts by connecting into federal
employment programs that support
youth, Indigenous peoples andpeople with disabilities.

9•

London, Ontario’s strategy outlines
roles for federal and provincial
governments in creating more
employment training programs—
using an equity lens to target
demographics facing special
barriers to employment, suchas persons living with disabilities
or mental illness.

•

Thunder Bay’s strategy emphasizes
federal investment in local public
transit—to improve people’s accessto necessities, as well as provincial
and federal services such as employment training, income supportand mental health and addiction
services.

Tackling poverty will require
sustained collaboration with allorders of government, Indigenousorganizations, Canadians with lived
experience of poverty, community
organizations and businesses. This istruly an historic opportunity to harness
the expertise of local, regional andnational actors to transform Canada’s
future.

10

ENDING POVERTY STARTS LOCALLYMUNICIPAL ROLE
IN POVERTY
REDUCTION
Beyond identifying key federal investments needed locally, local governments
are direct actors in poverty reduction.
Among orders of government, municipalities are most deeply and routinely
connected to their residents’ daily lives.
They want to ensure their residents canmeet their basic needs and contribute totheir community.
Across Canada, municipalities of all
sizes are developing and investing inpoverty reduction initiatives, plans andstrategies. They are also filling gaps leftby other support systems, and complementing essential federal, provincial andterritorial leadership on income support,
housing, mental health, education andskills training.
Some local poverty reduction plans
are long-standing, such as those from
13 municipalities that joined forcesmore than a decade ago with threeorganizations—Tamarack, the J.W.
McConnell Family Foundation and
Caledon Institute of Social Policy—

to work on place-based poverty
reduction. Some participating
municipalities reported a 10 per centreduction in poverty between 2002 and2012, impacting the lives of 202,931
low-income Canadians. An additional
50 municipalities have since joined thisnetwork.
Among more recent municipal
strategies, the most comprehensive
build lasting connections among local
actors. For example, Living SJ brings
the City of Saint John together withmore than 100 partners, including theUnited Way, the Community Foundation,
the Business Community Anti-Poverty
Initiative, and Vibrant Communities
SJ—to coordinate resources and goals
to reduce barriers to health, educationand employment in low-income areas.
Similarly, the Hamilton Roundtable for
Poverty Reduction, established in 2005,
was driven by community members andnon-governmental organizations, but
is actively supported by the City ofHamilton at both staff and politicallevels.
Local governments are also directly
identifying and implementing local
actions aimed at poverty reduction.

ENDING POVERTY STARTS LOCALLY

For instance, in April 2017, the Cityof Calgary introduced an innovative
sliding-scale fare structure for transit
passes. Monthly passes cost as little
as $5.05 for those earning less than
$12,474, rising with an individual’s
income up to the Low Income Cut Off—easing barriers for Calgarians seeking toparticipate more fully in their community.
Municipalities across Canada are
reducing barriers to participating incity-run programs that support healthyliving, learning and social inclusion.
Edmonton’s Leisure Access Programsupports low-income residents andnew refugees by offering, to those that
qualify, free annual memberships tocity recreation and attraction facilities.
Yellowknife’s Recreation for All program
offers low-income residents free accessto public transit, all drop-in recreational
activities, including family swims, skating
and special events. Kamloops’ Affordable Recreation for Community Healthprogram provides $300 in credit towardcity-run activities, pools or museum
memberships.

14

Tamarack Institute. VibrantCommunities: Cities Reducing
Poverty. Accessed at https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/
vibrantcommunities

11

While affordable housing is not an
explicit municipal responsibility outside
Ontario, local governments recognize
their central role in reducing poverty andstrengthening communities. This is why
so many are working to improve housing
options for those in need. Recent
examples include Ottawa’s $16 million
capital contribution toward 314 newaffordable supportive housing homes,
Saskatoon’s rental incentive grants, andVancouver’s $24 million land contribution
to a new 358 unit mixed-income affordable housing initiative.
Some 315,000 Canadian adults (aged15-64) with a mobility disability could
be working but are not—representing
lost earnings potential of $3.6 billion
per year. Communities of all sizes areoffering ranges of services to help
facilitate social inclusion for many of
their most vulnerable populations. For
example, the City of Montreal’s transportation authority guarantees accessible
transportation availability by contracting
to 14 taxi companies that in 2011provided 86 per cent of Montreal’s
specialized transit services.

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ENDING POVERTY STARTS LOCALLY

Municipalities are exploring social
procurement models for goods andservices, leveraging tax dollars and local
investments to achieve poverty reduction
goals. In Alberta’s Regional Municipalityof Wood Buffalo, a first Social Request
for Quotes—for snow clearing services—
rewarded vendors whose bids createdjobs for formerly-homeless community
members. The City of Toronto’s social
procurement program focuses on
attracting diverse suppliers for city
contracts, creating workforce
development opportunities forvulnerable groups, and assisting
Toronto-based public institutions todevelop social procurement initiatives.
The living wage movement is alsobuilding momentum. This is an
opportunity to support city employees
in a decent quality of life, but also tocreate ripple effects of fairly paid jobs
throughout communities. New
Westminster, British Columbia, became
Canada’s first living wage employer in
2011, setting this standard not just for
its own employees but for all firms thatit contracts or subcontracts. Today, morethan 60 Canadian municipalities havealready adopted or are in the process ofadopting living wage policies.14
Local governments can also take leadership in collecting and disseminating
valuable data. The City of Gatineau—in partnership with community organizations, Université du Québec en Outaouais
and the provincial health ministry—developed extensive portraits for
71 neighbourhoods with demographic,sociocultural, economic and health datafrom federal and provincial sources.
The city and other actors used these
portraits to inform evidence-based poli-cy decisions on poverty relatedactivities—such as prioritizing transit
route upgrades in low-income,transit-dependent neighbourhoods.
This micro-scale dissemination, driven
by municipalities and supported by
local stakeholders, lends legitimacy andaccuracy to local policy and program
decisions.
In Ontario, a new place-based pilot
project will test the effectiveness of abasic guaranteed income in reducing
poverty and improving health, housing
and employment. Study participants will
be ensured a minimum income, using a
tax credit model, at a level sufficient tomeet basic household costs. A single
person will receive up to $16,989 peryear—$24,027 for a couple—less 50 per
cent of any earned income. While thestudy is being led by the province, themunicipalities of Hamilton, Brantford
and Brant County, Thunder Bay andLindsay, Ontario where the pilots arebeing implemented will play animportant role.
Finally, from our position on the front
lines of poverty, municipalities play a
crucial role in guiding other orders ofgovernment—offering informed recommendations for transformational policy,
action and investment. They do this work
provincially through their provincialterritorial municipal associations.
Nationally, local governments engage
the federal government as the Federationof Municipalities, and this document
forms part of that continuing dialogue.

ENDING POVERTY STARTS LOCALLY13

FCM RECOMMENDATIONS
On behalf of our 2,000 member municipalities, representing 90 per cent of Canadians,
FCM submits the following broad recommendations for the upcoming Canadian Poverty
Reduction Strategy. These recommendations are intended to frame and support FCM’scontinuing dialogue with the federal government.

Recommendation #1:
Strengthen intergovernmental dialogue
All orders of government have a role to play in poverty alleviation and reduction.
Education, health and parts of social assistance are key levers held at the provincial/territorial level. Any effective federal strategy must support and align with these roles,
and with their complex intersections with municipal responsibilities and initiatives.
Formally engaging the municipal sector through FCM, alongside provincial/territorial
governments, is critical to achieving significant and lasting outcomes through anational strategy.

Recommendation #2:
Systematically incorporate a gender lensGender inequality is connected to persisting poverty in Canada—starting from the
population-level realities that women have less stable work, earn less income, assume
more caregiving responsibilities, and are more likely to head single-parent families.
Recognizing this, the federal government should continue its gender-based approach
to policy development, as highlighted in Budget 2017. This should specifically include
applying a gender lens in developing, implementing and measuring the poverty
reduction strategy.

Clark Somerville (FCM Past President), Jean-Yves Duclos (Minister of Families, Children and Social Development),
Jenny Gerbasi (FCM President)

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ENDING POVERTY STARTS LOCALLY

Recommendation #3:
Prioritize social and affordable housing repair andconstruction
Safe, affordable housing is the bedrock of livable communities, and chronic shortages
are deepening poverty in Canada. With new funding announced in Budget 2017, theupcoming National Housing Strategy has the potential to significantly improve housing
affordability for those in greatest need. To achieve this, the NHS must prioritize the repairof social housing, alongside the construction of new social and affordable housing—at funding levels reflective of the need. This is the heart of the comprehensive recommendations FCM put forward in October 2016 to tackle the housing crisis. Through FCM, local
leaders look forward to contributing to the design and implementation of an effective
NHS.

Recommendation #4:
Distinctly support newcomers’ housing needs
Newcomers to Canada are more likely to struggle to access housing that is affordable
and adequate to their family size. Government-assisted refugees, in particular, can facespecial challenges as the year-long period of financial assistance ends—including many of
the Syrian refugees who arrived in 2015-2016. Recognizing these realities, the Canadian
Poverty Reduction Strategy, and the related National Housing Strategy, should distinctly
address the housing needs of newcomers.

Recommendation #5:
Expand and renew the Homelessness Partnering Strategy
The Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) is a model of federal investment enabling
local innovation to address a complex issue. Budget 2017 both reinvests in HPS and kickstarts a process to renew it, including creating an advisory committee. FCM recommends
expanding the number of communities designated for funding to reflect growing homelessness, while also boosting allocations for eligible communities with the greatest need.
The renewed HPS should flexibly empower communities to fund initiatives that bestreflect local realities—including by eliminating rules requiring them to dedicate a certain
portion of funding to Housing First approaches.

ENDING POVERTY STARTS LOCALLY

15

Recommendation #6:
Ensure low-income households can access quality child care
It remains unclear how much of the funding announced in Budget 2017 will support
subsidized child care spaces for low and moderate-income families. FCM recommends
that investment and the forthcoming Early Learning and Child Care Framework (ELCF)
be designed to ensure Canadians living in poverty can access quality pre and post-natalcare, early learning and child care services, and parenting support. The ELCF should beflexible enough to connect with municipal priorities. Federal leadership and investment
should help ensure high standards across the country and foster new and expanded
services, across all provinces and territories, which are accessible in all neighbourhoods
and affordable for single parents and families in every income bracket.

Recommendation #7:
Explore basic-income-guarantee models
The federal government should undertake a rigorous process to determine the mosteffective ways to strengthen Canadians’ income security. FCM specifically recommends
investigating and developing options for how a basic income guarantee could be delivered in Canada. This robust research process should directly engage local and provincial/territorial governments. It should also clearly outline next steps on implementation oncethe outcomes of this comprehensive research and engagement process are determined.

Recommendation #8:
Distinctly support Indigenous peoples in municipalities
As the federal government renews its approach to supporting Indigenous people incities and communities through the Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples (UPIP)
initiative over the next five years, FCM recommends emphasizing support for low-income
Indigenous individuals and families in communities of all sizes. UPIP should provide
long-term, flexible funding to Indigenous organizations. Specifically, UPIP should support
the renovation and construction of community and cultural spaces; the reinstatementof urban Indigenous coalitions to strengthen service linkages among municipal governments; and culturally appropriate programs and services. UPIP should also seek to alignwith programs and services delivered by municipalities, as deemed appropriate by
funded Indigenous organizations.

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ENDING POVERTY STARTS LOCALLY

Recommendation #9:
Boost access to quality public transit
The accessibility and affordability of public transit is closely connected to poverty
reduction and social inclusion. The allocation-based transit investment plan announced in
Budget 2017 can drive the next generation of efficient transit across Canada. However, toensure transit expansions move forward, upcoming federal-provincial/territorial bilateralnegotiations on infrastructure will need to secure full and fair cost-sharing. Furthermore,cities can face special challenges in making transit affordable for their lowest-income
residents. Options to improve access should be considered through federal-municipal
dialogue.

Recommendation #10:
Align with legislation for people living with disabilities
We know that Canadians living with disabilities are at a significantly higher risk of living
in poverty. We also know that the federal government is preparing to develop accessibility legislation, including components that particularly impact services and supports for
low-income Canadians living with a disability. For maximum impact, the Canadian Poverty
Reduction Strategy should directly align with this legislation as it is developed.

Recommendation #11:
Evaluate investments supporting low-income seniors
Older Canadians are at higher risk of living in poverty, and seniors on fixed incomes areespecially vulnerable. The federal government has increased benefits for seniors through
Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement. These measures should be
evaluated to assess their effectiveness at reducing poverty, as a basis for consideringand developing further enhancements. Getting this right becomes more critical as our
population ages—with Statistics Canada forecasting that, by 2031, nearly one in four
Canadians will be over 65.

Recommendation #12:
Boost access to essential telecommunications services
Many Canadians in rural, northern and remote communities lack reliable, affordable
access to the high-speed Internet that is so essential to full participation in our modern
Canadian society and economy. Poor broadband access can be a direct barrier toaccessing local, regional or national services and supports to help individuals and families
overcome poverty. FCM recommends that current and future federal broadband investments be substantive and designed to ensure that high-speed internet is affordable tolow-income households in northern, rural and remote communities.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is thenational voice of local government.
Mayors and municipal leaders work with FCM
to promote their vision for moving the county
forward and their solutions to grow the economy,
create local jobs, and improve the quality of life
for all Canadians. With nearly 2,000 members
representing 90 per cent of Canada’s population,
FCM speaks on behalf of a strong and unitedmunicipal sector. That gives us unparalleledreach and the ability to connect with andconvene Canada’s local order of government —from municipal leaders to stakeholders andpolicy experts.

fcm.cafcm.ca