Poverty Awareness in York Region

PACC, Poverty Action For Change Coalition (of York Region) has chosen World Poverty Day to announce the bookstore release of their controversial book, Voices From The Edge; Living In Poverty (in York Region) now available at Richmond Hill’s (8705) Yonge St. Indigo location. Subsequent releases will be held at other York Region Indigo and Chapter’s Book Stores. The book tells stories of impoverished York residents in their own words of how they and their families have been forced to exist, and is designed to not only educate the public to their plight (due to little media coverage) but to also embarrass politicians into action. The group (PACC) has recently been promised an audience with Belinda Stronach and is now focusing on contacting regional politicians.

Spokesperson and book co-author Tom Pearson will be on hand on Saturday April 29 at Indigo Richmond Hill from 1 to 4 PM, signing books and recruiting new members for PACC. Recent events such as a budget offering only a 3% increase to those most in need on ODSP (Ontario’s disabilities support program) and attention paid to hunger striker Sara Anderson from Peterborough, has drawn some attention to the plight of the hundreds of thousands affected in Ontario.

Says Mr. Pearson; “ There are now over 50,000 people in York Region alone using the food-banks for survival. 20,000 of these are our children. Whereas food-banks were once the exception they have now become a necessity, and many more still are too embarrassed to ask for a handout and simply go without. Something is terribly wrong when such a rich region/society forces its most vulnerable to beg.”