Wednesday, September 16, 2015
City of London
Mayor establishes Advisory Panel on Poverty
London, Ontario, September 16, 2015: Today, Mayor Matt Brown will bring a small group of community leaders together to create the Mayor’s Advisory Panel on Poverty, to develop action-oriented recommendations to address issues related to poverty in London.
“We know that poverty is a challenge in London. We also know that many individuals and organizations across the city are doing important work to address the root causes of poverty, focusing on wide-ranging issues from homeless prevention, to employment supports, to food insecurity and more,” said Mayor Matt Brown. “We know poverty persists in London. We need to build a strong community for all Londoners. This is about city building – as much as the London Plan, Shift and Back to the River are, this is about building a better city for everyone.”
The objectives of the Panel include:
- Developing a shared understanding of how to address poverty more effectively in London
- Mapping efforts currently underway to address poverty in London
- Identifying gaps and areas requiring significant action
- Engaging local stakeholders in dialogue on gaps and approaches to address poverty
- Developing a set of recommendations to better coordinate our collective efforts to address issues related to poverty more effectively throughout London and the areas requiring significant action.
The Panel members are community leaders with expertise in, and commitment to, addressing poverty in London:
- Helene Berman, Professor and Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, Co-Director, Centre for Research on Health Equity and Social Inclusion
- Maureen Cassidy, Deputy Mayor, City of London
- Andrew Lockie, Chief Executive Officer, United Way London & Middlesex
- Christopher Mackie, Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer, Middlesex-London Health Unit
- Abe Oudshoorn, Assistant Professor, Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University; Chair, London Homeless Coalition
- Glen Pearson, Co-Director, London Food Bank; Board Member, London Poverty Research Centre
“The Panel will meet, at a minimum, six to seven times from September to March to complete its objectives. This is an ambitious timeline, but it is a significant opportunity for community leaders to come together to create meaningful change in London,” said Mayor Brown.
Civic Administration will support the work of the Panel with logistics, research and materials required by the Panel throughout the course of its work.
Media contact:
Shobhita Sharma
Press Secretary- Mayor’s Office
519-854-7141
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