Good afternoon, everybody.
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the HUMA committee is continuing its study on poverty reduction.
We're very pleased to have our second round of witnesses here in Maple Ridge, B.C., hosted by the venerable MP Dan Ruimy.
I apologize for getting started a bit late. We will get started immediately and hear from all of our witnesses.
From the City of New Westminster, we have Lorrie Williams, councillor. From the Community Education on Environment and Development Centre Society, we have Christian Cowley, executive director, and Teesha Sharma, youth services director. From the Co-operative Housing Federation of British Columbia, we have Thom Armstrong, executive director. Finally, from the Multicultural Helping House Society, Marius Alparaque, program coordinator, pre-arrival and post-arrival programs. Welcome to all of you.
I will be giving each of you seven minutes to introduce yourselves and tell us why you're here. Once we're done that, we'll have questions, obviously, for everybody.
To start us off, from the City of New Westminster, we have Councillor Lorrie Williams. Welcome.