Human Resources committee  Sure. I'll just qualify this that this is a personal opinion. I believe that you would have to dismantle all the other systems to make this work, to cash out. As far as what the cost would be, we would have to see all those other bureaucracies dismantled because that's where th

Human Resources committee  I don't know the exact cost for sure but I sit on a committee that is advocating for this so I can certainly get you the information. Short term, you're going to see an increased cost by bringing in a basic minimum income but I think long term you're going to see results that w

Human Resources committee  The information is out there for sure and I can send you what I have. I don't have the exact numbers on me but I do have some.

Human Resources committee  We sure do. We have different neighbourhoods down in what we call our River Flats area that have extensive poverty. Often the programs are done in the schools. We talked about our community service workers program, where the municipality actually funds community service workers

Human Resources committee  Yes.

Human Resources committee  I think we're very lucky in Medicine Hat. We have a very strong housing society that we work through. Essentially, we allow our community to decide that through the housing society. There isn't a lot of conflict about where the money goes. When it comes to Medicine Hat, it goes t

Human Resources committee  Thirteen per cent.

Human Resources committee  It's 291.

Human Resources committee  In terms of the housing strategy integrating with the poverty reduction strategy, I think it's a natural fit. I think that, automatically, when you're writing poverty reduction, housing has to be a piece of it—meeting those basic needs. I think that when you look at our poverty r

Human Resources committee  I think what has been important is that we have committees to decide that. We have a social development advisory committee, which is made up of community members who receive FCSS applications as well as MSI applications from not-for-profit groups, and those people make those deci

Human Resources committee  I think the piece that's really important for municipalities to understand is that politicians need to realize that, overall, we are there to support, listen, and provide funding, but at the end of the day the community really has the answers. I guess my advice to municipal, pro

Human Resources committee  In order to end poverty in our communities, all levels of government need to do their part. We know that we are part of the solution and we want to work together. We would like to leave you with what we feel is important for you to consider while creating your plan. Number one

Human Resources committee  I know we talked about the fact that poverty is not just about income, but part of it is about income, so I believe it would be important to set policy around income support and basic minimum income to ensure that the basic needs of families are met. In our community, we have go

Human Resources committee  You've heard from all of the experts. I would like to now tell you that I'm also a mom, and I'd like to share a story about that. As a mom of four children, I was blessed enough to adopt three of them from the foster care system. They are natural siblings and have given me the m

Human Resources committee  We also know that there were aspects that were absolutely critical to the success of the plan. We know it required significant systems planning and mapping, a centralized point of intake, timing within the community for it to be able to create and maintain its own plans, and of c