Kitchener-Waterloo By-election All-Candidates Meeting

Aug 20 2012

All candidates in the September 6, 2012 Kitchener-Waterloo by-election are invited to meet with constituents to discuss issues that affect people and how the government of Ontario can invest in public services to ensure prosperity benefits everyone.

Tuesday August 28, 2012
7:00 pm-9:30 pm
First United Church, corner of William St. and King St. Waterloo

The Social Planning Council of Kitchener-Waterloo and partners in the Poverty Free Kitchener-Waterloo Action Group are joining with other community groups and labour unions to form a Common Front on issues that affect people. We care about the growing economic inequality we see in our community. We want all political parties to defend the best interests of everyone.

This meeting will feature a participatory format. The first part of the meeting invites candidates to join community in roundtable discussions about the issues, followed by individual presentations by each candidate on the issues raised, after which there will be time for questions. Discussion areas:

  • Employment
  • Income Supports
  • Housing and Homelessness
  • Education
  • Community supports: Child Care, Health,
  • Settlement, Social and Physical Infrastructure.
  • Fairness for: low incomes earners, those with disabilities or poor health, newcomers, visible minorities, First Nations, women, youth, those at retirement age, the unemployed and displaced workers.

Ontario has the highest poverty rate in over 30 years and the fastest growing poverty rate in the country. The gap between lowest and highest income earners has grown rapidly since the 1980s. In 2006 average annual income for all families in Waterloo Region was almost $100,000 more than the average for low income earning families, 22% greater than the difference in 1996. Although Kitchener-Waterloo is seen to have a thriving technology sector we have lost many jobs in this and other sectors through closings and cutbacks.

For more information, contact the Community Information Centre of Waterloo Region: 519-579-3800 or mail enquiries@waterlooregion.org

AttachmentSize
AllCandidatesAug2012.pdf58.4 KB