CBOT - Monday, May 27, 2024 - 06:00 a.m. (ET) - Segment #3

well governments are supporting people who live with hunger or food insecurity. And according to this year's assessment, when it comes to alleviating poverty across canada, almost all provinces and territories are falling short. We reached food bank's director of research richard laturn to learn more. >> Good morning. >> Hallie: as a country, where do we stand when it comes to tackling poverty? >> Well, as far as the poverty report cards are showing, most of the country in regards to poverty reduction is on the edge of failure because we're seeing poverty and food insecurity climb across the country. We're going to need sustained government collective action in order to reverse this trend. >> Hallie: what are the factors that go into calculating these grades? >> So a few things we're looking at. We're looking at the results from statistics canada most recent income survey, official poverty rates along with levels of food insecurity. We're looking at the results of a national survey we conducted and commissioned, asking people, how are you doing? Are you feeling worse off than last year? Are you struggling more financially? Are you paying more than 30% of your income on housing and so forth? And also we look at what legislative commitments have been made over the last year at the federal and provincial levels to address the issue. So those factors all together help formulate a grade. >> Hallie: as the situation improved or deteriorated between last year and this year? >> It certainly deteriorated by the poverty situation and what's showing in the official results. We're seeing higher grades of poverty both at the national and provincial levels. We're seeing much higher rates of food insecurity which is very concerning, again both at the national and provincial level, especially at the provincial level. And the legislative commitments have been modest at best. So there's some important longer-term commitments that have been made. So governments are starting to acknowledge the issue. However, we need some more immediate, urgent action to address the crisis that we're seeing on the ground. >> Hallie: richard, I'm wondering as the director of research for food banks canada, do you hear from executive directors of food banks across the country, what are they hearing about the pressures that are weighing on most canadians? >> Oh, well, they're definitely hearing and seeing it for themselves. In many cases and you probably heard this in ottawa as well, it's become unsustainable what they're seeing. Many are concerned with the longer-term sustainability of the degree and the extent of need and how it's exploded, particularly over the last year. It's not showing any signs of going down. So this is part of the undercurrent of this poverty report card is based on what we're hearing and seeing on the ground in terms of the food bank usage. That's why the grades are what they are. We're saying it's great that you've made these longer-term commitments at the federal and the provincial levels, but we need action now otherwise it won't improve. >> Hallie: I talked about all provinces and territories falling short. Let's talk first about ontario. What is the situation here? >> Well, ontario is similar to the rest of the country where we're looking at a d minus score, in particular because many people are feeling worse off than they were last year. Affordable housing is a big issue across the country, but in ontario people are saying they're spend -- 46% are spending more than 30% of their income on housing which is a very big number when you consider 30% is the threshold for affordability. And you're seeing 25% of residents who are food insecure. So that's basically what you're seeing in ontario, some drastic increases in poverty and food insecurity. >> Hallie: what about quebec? >> Well, quebec is -- they've been ahead in many cases simply because they've enacted one of the first poverty reduction strategies in the country, so they got a c. However, their food insecurity rates are much lower than the rest of the country. Looking at 16% based on the most recent results compared to 23% for the national and neighbouring provinces at 25% or higher. Their poverty levels are still much lower relatively speaking compared to the rest of the country. However, they got the decrease in grade because of the limited commitments that will help address the urgency of the action. They're also seeing on the ground in quebec. >> Hallie: which provinces and territories did better and why? >> Well, P.E.I. and nova scotia increased their grades in particular and in both of those cases it has to do with the

legislative commitments they made. P.E.I. in particular had a pretty comprehensive poverty-reduction strategy. Everything from affordable housing construction to increasing social assistance rates which is really important to minimum wage increases. What they've acknowledged in P.E.I. is there is not a silver bullet, you need a multitude of strategies because there are many contributing factors to poverty and P.E.I. is leading the country in that regard. >> Hallie: what about nova scotia, what did they do that gave it a better grade? >> They made important announcements in regards to affordable housing construction. They made also some key commitments. Just on paper in regards to saying we need to improve the situation, we need to -- yeah, have a more comprehensive strategy. What we're looking for from nova scotia is actually an actual formal poverty-reduction strategy, but that's the key thing they've done in nova scotia is they've been taking some concrete action and commitments around affordable housing. >> Hallie: richard, good to talk to you this morning. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Hallie: that was richard maturn executive director of food banks canada. Mostly cloudy and 17°. Winds from the east 20 km/h. Cloudy today with showers and a risk of a thunderstorm and quite a bit of rain, 30 to 40 millimetres with a high of 23°. Doug hempstead joining us now to tell us about the roads. >> Doug: the champlain bridge is open. I'm not sure what that was about. Quiet on the main routes, westbound and eastbound 417 and no problems coming in from or through orléans. You shouldn't counter any closures related to the race weekend. That was all cleaned up. There may be some cones and barricades on the trucks. All the routes are open. Not seeing any new construction or lingering construction. They were out doing work around carling and maitland and those exits, but they were taking that away at 4:30 this morning. I'm back with more after david's newscast. >> Hallie: thanks, doug. It is 6:30. [ ] >> David: this is cbc news. [ ] >> David: good morning. It's mostly cloudy and 17°. I'm david gerow and here is the latest from the cbc ottawa newsroom. A new police oversight panel is being launched here in ottawa, the goal to address long-standing concerns about how ottawa police have used force. Reports have shown systemic inequities in the past. The co-chair of the equity council hopes the new panel will improve the police force's relationship with the community. >> We want police to be able to see the humanity in people and we want people to see the humanity in police behind the uniform as well. >> David: applications to join that panel are now open.

>>> Nearly three years after a train on ottawa's L.R.T. line derailed, builders still can't agree on a path forward. Debate raged whether the problem lies with the cars or the rails. As elyse skura reports, until recently agreed a newly designed wheel assembly was the fix. >> Elyse: when the fix was announced, city staff really sold it from the chair rene amilcar to the mayor and others. When the maker of the train spoke to councillors last fall, they pitched an easier and cheaper option. The nuts attaching the axle to the wheel were coming loose so it's going to pin them in place. A new report says alstom feels it needs to replace it. The commission chair glen gower will wait to hear more on friday, but regardless of what's decided, he and O.C. transpo want riders to know one thing. >> The system is operating safely. >> Elyse: elyse skura, cbc news, ottawa. >> David: a new plan for a proposed redevelopment in willlittle italy has a neighbourhood group breathing a sigh of release. Guy quenneville has the latest. >> Guy: the area was home to plouffe park for decades. There will be a new rec centre and new housing and a new french school. But the school would have gone on top of plouffe park. The dalhousie community association put its back up and the city went back to the drawing board. Now it is proposing to put the school between plouffe park and other locations. The community association is glad plouffe park is saved, but the plan isn't ideal. >> We want green space in an area deficiency. >> Guy: ariel troster the local councillor says after months of tweaking, this is the best plan and any concerns can be addressed in the design stage. >> What people don't realize is there is an entire graded lot that just has residential and there will be green space there. >> Guy: one parent told cbc she is eager for the plan to move forward so construction can get going too. Guy quenneville, cbc news, ottawa. >> David: O.P.P. say a 37-year-old was found in a ditch yesterday morning south of smith's falls. He was pronounced dead at the scene. This was one of three fatal crashes on roads. On saturday morning a cyclist was killed in a crash with a transport truck in pembroke and earlier one was injured in a rollover.

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