Poverty Awareness in York Region

SPNO members and anti-poverty colleagues across Ontario


The Social Planning Network of Ontario (SPNO) asks that you hold the date of Thursday, May 5 for an all-day meeting in Toronto (venue to be determined) to discuss how to make poverty eradication an issue in the upcoming provincial election in Ontario in October of this year.

SPNO is conducting a series of community events across the province to present the Poverty Free Ontario initiative (summary attached) and to discuss what must be done now and in the term of the next provincial government to eliminate poverty in Ontario by 2020.

Marvyn Novick and Peter Clutterbuck bring this discussion to community groups on behalf of the SPNO. The first two sessions were held in Oakville on March 8, sponsored by Poverty Free Halton and Community Development Halton and in Cambridge on March 18 sponsored by the Social Planning Council of Cambridge and North Dumfries.

The current Poverty Free Ontario community meeting schedule is attached. SPNO is open to receiving invitations from additional communities in the time slots available for April-May-June.

SPNO would like, however, to invite several leaders from communities across the province (including people with the lived experience of poverty) and provincial leaders from other sectors (e.g. health, education, faith, labour, civic, etc.) to our all-day meeting on Thursday, May 5 to discuss:

Perspectives on a poverty eradication policy agenda for Ontario;

Strategies for making poverty eradication a provincial election issue this year; and

Cross-community and cross-sectoral action in the upcoming provincial election campaign

The full agenda for the day on May 5 is now in preparation and will be sent to you soon. We wish, however, to get a sense of the interest in participating in this day. Please so indicate your community’s or sector’s interest by responding to Peter Clutterbuck at pclutterbuck@spno.ca and further details will be provided.

Peter C.
Social Planning Network of Ontario

Tel. (416) 653-7947 Cell (416) 738-3228
FAX (416) 653-4532