Human Resources committee  No, we've not done that.

Human Resources committee  I believe so. We've just completed this study, but we feel that this fact is sickening enough. There clearly is a financial cost but the societal and moral costs are very high.

Human Resources committee  We carried out a study which showed that in Ontario individuals on social assistance are 10 times more likely to try to commit suicide than people who are employed.

Human Resources committee  I certainly wouldn't disagree with anything either Grace-Edward or Cathy has said. What I would add is that Canadian tax policy over the last 20 years has consistently moved in a direction of reducing the tax burden on the top 20% of the population and decreasing the quality of life of the bottom 20% of the population.

Human Resources committee  If you speak slowly, I can understand.

Human Resources committee  Studies have shown that investments in the area of education and child care are reimbursed at least seven times over the life of a child. Poverty in Ontario amounts to $7 billion per year spent on health care costs and leads to half a billion dollars being spent on the criminal justice system.

Human Resources committee  I think one of the enormous frustrations that, certainly, I have is that when government looks at poverty in both the immediate and the long term, there doesn't seem to be the kind of recognition that an upfront investment in poverty reduction through child care, increased support for people on low incomes, training programs, increased security through an enhanced employment insurance program—all of those things—has an immediate payback in terms of reducing costs around health, the criminal justice system, and those kinds of things.

Human Resources committee  Thank you very much. Good afternoon. I'm honoured to have the opportunity to present to you today on behalf of Social Planning Toronto, formerly known as the Community Social Planning Council of Toronto. We are an independent non-profit organization that has worked for over 50 years to improve the quality of life for all Toronto residents through research, community education and mobilization, and advocacy, with a particular focus on reducing inequality and poverty.