Basic Income Guarantee (April 2016) 

A Basic Income Guarantee (BIG), also known as a Guaranteed Annual Income, is an unconditional cash transfer from government to individuals or families to provide a minimum annual income. The Basic Income Canada Network asserts that a BIG “ensures everyone has an income sufficient to meet basic needs and live with dignity, regardless of work status.

It is the position of the Guelph & Wellington Task Force for Poverty Elimination that poverty is an urgent human rights and social justice issue for local, provincial and federal governments. A Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) is required as part of a coherent strategy to effectively eliminate poverty.

Read the full position statement here: Basic Income Guarantee

Household Food Insecurity (September 2016)

As a symptom of poverty, household food insecurity impacted over 3.2 million individuals in Canada in 2014 (Tarasuk, V., Mitchell, A. & Dachner, N., 2016). The health issues and associated health care costs as a result of household food insecurity are well documented, along with the impact household food insecurity can have on experiences of stigma, shame, stress, and social exclusion. While community-based charitable food assistance programs, such as food banks, play a role in addressing hunger, they are unable to reduce or eliminate poverty.

It is the position of the Guelph & Wellington Task Force for Poverty Elimination that a multi-pronged income-based response is needed to address the root causes of household food insecurity, which are financial constraints and financial vulnerability.

Read the full position statement here: Household Food Insecurity