Why Cities? Why Poverty?

Series: Vibrant Communities Seminar Series

Speakers: Paul Born, Brock Carlton

Location: via conference call (FREE)

Date: Thursday, January 27, 2011, 11:55am, Eastern

About the Seminar:

The first call in the Canada's Cities Reducing Poverty series will feature Brock Carlton, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Federation of Municipalities (FCM). Mr. Carlton will discuss Mending Canada's Frayed Social Safety Net: The role of municipal governments - a recent report exploring poverty, income inequality and the concept of social infrastructure. There is a growing need for municipal social services, made even more urgent by the recent recession and the federal and provincial retreat from traditional social supports, which has shifted the burden to municipal governments. The report introduces the concept of social infrastructure, the support system provided by municipal governments and made up of direct social services, such as affordable housing, emergency shelters and subsidized childcare, as well as public services like transit, recreation and libraries. Social infrastructure is particularly important to vulnerable people on limited incomes, especially during a recession. The report finds that while the need for these services has increased, investments have not kept up.