Shawn L. Bird

I’m thinking of poverty today.  I see these great masses of people with no education with very specific skill sets who find themselves in incredible financial difficulty.  Some are creative- they garden, they craft, they volunteer, and so their quality of life leaves them quite content despite a lack of funds.  They learn what is a want and what is a need, and they’re able to make comfortable lives for themselves.

There are also those who are constantly confused about their poverty.  The cause and effects are lost on them.  Perhaps it is no fault of their own, but money falls through their banks due to foolish decisions, unscrupulous advice, or plain bad luck.  I’ve learned that there is a line that makes it very difficult for a family to dig itself out of poverty- like if they’ve fallen behind in ICBC payments, for example, the insurance is cut off, and the poor person can no longer be on a monthly payment plan.  Without that option, many can never afford to put their vehicle on the road, and then how do they get to a job or the less expensive groceries when transit systems are poor or non-existent?   It becomes a downward spiral.

It seems to me that people without addictions who are holding jobs should not be forced into poverty in Canada.  If their health is an issue (either mental or physical) there should be supports in place to help them remain secure.  What kind of programs or systems need to be in place to support  families to get the skills training or the financial training or micro-credit to help them get ahead?  Do you have any ideas?