THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF NELSON

REQUEST TO APPEAR AS A DELEGATION

DATE:
March 16, 2015 Committee of the Whole
TOPIC:
Presentation Nelson at its Best (15 minutes)
PROPOSAL:
Nelsons first poverty reduction strategy
PROPOSED BY: Staff
_____________________________________________________________________
ANALYSIS SUMMARY:
Lex Baas and Helen Lutz have requested an opportunity to co-present Nelson at its
Best a project to develop Nelsons first poverty reduction strategy. Photo images
from Ryan Oakleys Humans of Nelson BC will be displayed during the presentation.
BENEFITS OR DISADVANTAGES AND NEGATIVE IMPACTS:
The presentation is for Council and the publics information.
LEGISLATIVE IMPACTS, PRECEDENTS, POLICIES:
It is within Council mandate and authority to hear the presentation.
COSTS AND BUDGET IMPACT - REVENUE GENERATION:
There are no costs associated with hearing the presentation.
IMPACT ON SUSTAINABILITY OBJECTIVES AND STAFF RESOURCES:
There are no costs associated with hearing the presentation.
COMMUNICATION:

Hearing the presentation educates Council and the public about the poverty in Nelson
OPTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES:
1.
Receive the audience and thank the presenter
2.
Refer to staff with further direction
ATTACHMENTS:
Presentation
RECOMMENDATION:
That Council hears from Lex Baas and Helen Lutz and thanks them for attending.
AUTHOR:

REVIEWED BY:

_______________________________
DEPUTY CORPORATE OFFICER

______________________________
CITY MANAGER

N ELSON AT ITS B EST

P OVERTY

IN

N ELSON - F ACT S HEET

M A R C H 2015

THE NELSON AT ITS BEST PROJECT aims to help residents, businesses and community leaders
develop a long-term strategy to reduce poverty and make our community the best place it can be.

W HAT DOES POVERTY FEEL LIKE ?

Poverty forces residents of Nelson to make hard choices between rent and food, medicine and
transportation, childcare and employment opportunities; between moving towards a self-sufficient
future versus just getting through the day. i Being poor means feeling isolated and excluded,
because there are fewer opportunities to participate in community life. It means feeling stressed
due to worry, fear and the discomfort of substandard housing. Poverty erodes peoples spirits, and
leads to greater risk of developing physical and mental illness.ii

D ID YOU KNOW ?
In Nelson, in 2013

Over 20,000 people visited food banks in a one-year period; 20% of them were children.

Our Daily Bread served 14,534 meals; 20% of clients were seniors.

1 in 5 Nelson households lived below the Low Income Measure Threshold.

People on Income Assistance received just $610 / month to cover all costs of living.

1 in 3 households paid 30% or more of their income on shelter costs. This means that nearly
half of Nelson renters and 21% of homeowners were in danger of homelessness.iii

W HO IS MOST LIKELY TO BE POOR IN NELSON ?

Some groups in Nelson are facing a higher risk of living in poverty and experiencing social exclusion:

At-risk children, youth and young adults
People with disabilities
Low-income (working poor) families
Persons with mental health and addictions
issue
Seniors on fixed income

W HAT WOULD NELSON AT ITS BEST LOOK LIKE ?

Better health, so less money is needed for personal health-care. The main factor affecting the health of
Canadians is their income.iv
Safe and affordable housing which is related to better health, including less alcohol and drug use, less
mental illness, fewer infectious and chronic diseases, and fewer unplanned pregnancies.v
No people going hungry. Not having enough nutritious food is associated with poor or fair health,
distress and depression, and chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. vi
Healthy children. Children born into poverty are more likely to have low birth weight, slower
development, problems with behaviour and poorer health as adults, including higher risk for
cardiovascular disease and stroke, type II diabetes and mental health issues.vii,viii,ix x
Fewer people experience stress and mental health problems. xi
Stronger local businesses as people have more money to support them.
A more productive workforce, as better health is associated with reduced employee turnover,
improved competitiveness and greater profits. xii
Less crime, so less money is needed for criminal justice issues.
Educated residents who have greater options for better and more stable employment and an enhanced
sense of control over their lives.xiii, xiv, xv
A stronger and more resilient community as all residents would have equal opportunities to share their
ideas, skills, passions, energy and experiences with each other.

W HY WOULD POVERTY REDUCTION BENEFIT NELSON ?

Poverty affects all of us. We may not be impoverished ourselves, but this does not mean that our
community as a whole is not suffering as a result. There is wide agreement that poverty reduction
results in:
Less social tension, reduced crime and a more caring, egalitarian community
Safer, healthier, and more empowered communities
Increased economic activity and an expanded tax base

We imagine a community where all sectors work together to reduce poverty for all of our sakes.
We imagine a community where all residents can actively and productively participate as citizens,
neighbors and volunteers. We imagine a community that grows health and strongtogether.

W E I M A G IN E N E L S O N
P R O J E C T C O N T A C T S :

Rona Park, Chair, Nelson at its Best Steering Committee

250.352.3504 rpark@nelsoncommunityservices.ca

A T IT S

BEST

Helen Lutz, Co-Coordinator

250.354.7509 hsl1968@gmail.com

References

i

Nelson at its Best Steering Committee, 2015.

ii Mikkonen J, Raphael D. (2010). Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts. Toronto: York

University School of Health Policy and Management. Cited March 3, 2015 from:
http://www.thecanadianfacts.org/
iii
Sixth Annual Report Card on Homelessness, Nelson Committee on Homelessness, 2014.
iv
Mikkonen J, Raphael D. (2010). Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts. Toronto: York
University School of Health Policy and Management. Cited November 18, 2014 from:
http://www.thecanadianfacts.org/
v
Guirguis-Younger M, McNeil R, Hwang SW, Homelessness and Health in Canada, University of Ottawa
Press (Ottawa:ON) 2014
vi
Mikkonen J, Raphael D. (2010). Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts. Toronto: York
University School of Health Policy and Management. Cited November 18, 2014 from:
http://www.thecanadianfacts.org/
vii
National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of health. Evidence Review: The Influence of Socio-
economic Status and Ethno-racial Status on the Health of Young, NCCDH (Antigonish:NS), October
2008. Cited November 18, 2014 from:
http://nccdh.ca/images/uploads/comments/NCCDH_EvRev_Apr17121_1.pdf
viii
Paul-Sen Gupta R, de Wit ML, McKeown D. The impact of poverty on the current and future health
status of children. Paediatr Child Health2007;12(8)667-72
ix
Irwin LG, Siddiqi A, Hertzman C, 2007. Early Child Development: A Powerful Equalizer, Final Report
for the World Health Organizations Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. Cited
November 18, 2014 from:
http://www.who.int/social_determinants/resources/ecd_kn_report_07_2007.pdf
x
Raphael D. Review: Poverty in childhood and adverse health outcomes in adulthood. Maturitas
2011;69(1):22-26
xi
Mikkonen J, Raphael D. (2010). Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts. Toronto: York
University School of Health Policy and Management. Cited November 18, 2014 from:
http://www.thecanadianfacts.org/
xii
Conference Board of Canada, Healthy People, Healthy Performance, Healthy Profits: The Case for
Business Action on the Socio-Economic Determinants of Health, December 2008, [online] cited
November 18, 2014 from
http://sso.conferenceboard.ca/Libraries/NETWORK_PUBLIC/dec2008_report_healthypeople.sflb
xiii
Acheson D. Independent inquiry into inequalities in health [Online]. 1998. [online] Cited November
18, 2014 from:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/265503/ih.pdf
xiv
Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development. From education to work: a difficult
transition for young adults with low levels of education. Ottawa: The Canadian Policy Research
Networks; 2005. Cited November 18, 2014 from: http://www.cprn.org/documents/37063_en.pdf
xv
Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development. (2013), Education at a Glance 2013:
OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing. Cited November 18, 2014 from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-
2013-en