Saskatchewan Elections: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty raises questions ahead of the vote

As the provincial election approaches, a group of lawyers in Regina hosted a press conference and question-and-answer period, which highlighted substantial gaps in the province’s poverty policies.

“It’s twofold. We wanted to commemorate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, but also given that this falls 11 days before the provincial elections, we thought it was important that in the course of these elections, issues of concern were raised” , he added. The ministry’s anti-poverty lawyer, Peter Gilmer, said: “And we think the candidates need to listen more and focus more on issues that concern people living in poverty.”

One panel consisted of several people who work at the grassroots to help those facing poverty and the struggles that often accompany poverty. Addiction is a growing problem in the province, which often goes hand in hand with homelessness.

The provincial government stopped providing safe drinking supplies and HIV self-test kits earlier this year. Emile Gariepy, the Newo-Yotina Friendship Center’s harm reduction manager and a primary care paramedic, spoke about the significant strain this change has caused among those dealing with addictions.

“It certainly affects our dollars that contribute … because when we have a problem, we might pay more taxes to solve the problem, but we don’t see the problem solved. We also see the health care system go down as well. , because there are too many people in the hospital for things we can prevent.” Gariepy said.

Safe drinking sites often carry a stigma of “enabling addiction,” Gariepy explained, which is not the case.

“When people are trying to get sober, it doesn’t happen overnight. That’s where we come in, you know, like at our Friendship Center, any harm reduction place, when someone ‘close to me and them’ I’m ready to get sober, that’s when my work really starts, that’s when I help them get into a detox center.

“While they’re in that rehab, we might talk about going into housing. And while they’re going through rehab, they might go into rehab. So now when they get out of rehab, we’re giving them something to go instead of going out on the street. The biggest problem is they go on the street after they get out of rehab,” Gariepy said.

The issue of affordable housing was brought up by the four panelists and End Poverty Regina representative Florence Stratton, who cited the fact that Saskatchewan currently does not have a cap on rent increases as a contributing factor.

“Because it keeps making people lose their homes. And there are already enough people on our streets. No one should be homeless. But your rent goes up by X percent, you’re on SIS or SAID (assistance programs ), or even a minimum wage. You won’t be able to pay the rent with gas, groceries like the house, all the way up.” Stratton said.

While the panelists drew attention to the gaps in the system, they also provided some tangible solutions that will directly affect those facing poverty.

“The real goal that we have identified would be to bring the SES to the poverty line and say, on par with the minimum wage. And that would be taking into account that, the Canadian disability benefits, which if combined say with the La Canadian Disability Benefit, if there are some improvements in both, that suddenly becomes a realistic goal.” Gilmer said.

Gilmer cited the steadily rising cost of living as a barrier for many struggling to make ends meet.

“The scary thing, to be honest with you, is that with this massive growth in homeless people that we’ve seen in recent years, we know that there are many more who are on the cusp, that there are so many people who We’re very close to falling through these cracks And so when we see a combination of massive rent increases, and low availability, in the rental market, because we had a house this, this crisis when, when, the unemployment rate went up to seven per cent here (in Regina) now we’re down to 1.4 per cent, Gilmer said.

Panelists expressed that spending related to the fight against poverty is a deterrent for many, especially those in power. However, Warm Welcome Coalition co-chair Russell Mitchell-Walker shared that investing in programs and services to help lift people out of poverty is more cost-effective than maintaining programs to keep those living in poverty afloat.

“First we need programs (that) allow them to be successful because there are supports for mental health needs, addiction needs all kinds of things that they might be dealing with. And that’s an essential and key component. And how we sense. at the press conference, doing things like this is much less expensive than what we are paying now to maintain poverty.” Mitchell-Walker said.

The issue of poverty and what can be done to combat the crisis is a contributing factor for many when it comes to voting. The panelists at this event hope that highlighting the gaps in current systems will attract the attention of those with their hats in the ring this election season.

“We have to face it. I mean, how can they go out there with a platform and not consider all the citizens of this country, this province, this city? We all matter. We all count. But it seems like since the from some people’s point of view, some people don’t count that much. We have to change that.” Stratton said.