Thanks so much for sharing the information!

I have to give the health units credit, they were given this tool and
really did amazing things with it and for all the right reasons.

But....

Right now in Canada there is a debate about the definition of poverty.  The
anti-poverty movement is struggling to hold on to the 'Low-income cut offs'
and Human Resources Development Canada is working hard to develop a "market
basket approach" to measuring poverty.  For more information about this
debate visit:

http://home.istar.ca/~ers2/poverty/poverty.htm

Historically Canada has not set its welfare rates at an absolute poverty
level and because of this we have very little intergenerational welfare use
and have very high mobility out of welfare.  As we set benefit and asset
rates lower we make it harder for people to leave welfare.  And harder for
people who turn to social assistance to participate in their communities.

When I see that the figures produced by this market basket tool end up
generating half the amounts that stats Canada reports average families
spend on food I get very concerned at the direction they point at for
families that turn to welfare.  When I see these figures referred to as an
amount that people can eat "healthy food" at and not a figure that below
which people are at risk of nutritional deficiencies I again get very
concerned.  I guess it is a language and value thing.

I keep thinking "The road to Hell....."

So, can anyone help me out? I am totally impressed with how far health
units have managed to take this tool but very concerned that the figures
might be used to teach budgeting, set welfare rates locally, change what we
believe about how we support people.

Thoughts?

S

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From:   JFox[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]


Re: food basket survey
I don't have the details at my fingertips where I am right now but I can
tell you that we worked with the local housing authority and social
services
department to establish an amount for rent and utilities that represented
the local picture.
Other partners in this process were the local food banks, a food security
task group that we have locally, and we used community food advisor
volunteers, among others (such as peoplke involved withour local heart
health coalition)  to assist with the surveying after providing them with
the necessary training.  We are currently writing up the latests survey to
include more specific details about how income was calculated than how we
had described it before.

We too did a media release which generated a lot of interest and several
follow-up articles in the newspaper.

I can have the nutritionist on our staff get in touch with you for more
specifics if you like - e-mail me directly at [log in to unmask]
Joyce Fox