Food for thought

Capitalism being capitalism, poverty raises its ugly head with an alarming regularity. A group of well meaning advocates for the poor are proposing a new Ontario Housing Benefit to help the poor with housing costs (Toronto Star, Aug 26, 2011). On in five renters in the province spend more than half their income on housing, and for food bank users, that percentage is seventy-two. Renter's incomes fell by $6 396 between 1981 and 2006. More than 152 000 Ontario households are now waiting up to fifteen years for affordable housing. Successive governments have chopped subsidized housing programs or sold them off as liabilities. Astounding, when we have the materials to hand, and construction workers looking for employment. The proposed benefit would give $100 per month to 200,000 low-income tenants. The cost would be $240 million against poverty costs in health care, social assistance, and foregone tax revenue of $38 billion. Of course, government, constrained by short term goals and budgets will never go for the idea just as they had no intention in making good on an all- party promise in 2006 to reduce poverty by 25% in five years. It grew. John Ayers