News & Media

Town taking action to address themes arising from the Poverty Reduction Strategy

Ladysmith, December 1, 2022 - The Town of Ladysmith is taking action to implement the Poverty Reduction Strategy adopted by Council, focusing on solutions to address local food security as well as creating opportunities for cultural awareness in the community.

The Town was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Union of BC Municipalities in April 2022 following the completion of the Strategy, which involved widespread public engagement and participation from both the Ladysmith and Stz’uminus communities.

Ladysmith Council has directed that a Poverty Reduction Task Group facilitated by Social Planning Cowichan, and made up of key community partners, lead the implementation of this phase of the work.

“We are very pleased to be delivering on some of the actions that were identified in our Poverty Reduction Strategy. Raising awareness about hidden poverty in our community and educating about the stigma and discrimination that many in our community face through community dialogues will benefit everyone in our community,” said Mayor Aaron Stone.

Initiatives to focus on food security, cultural awareness

As part of the UBCM grant funding, projects over the coming months include supporting a harvesting/gleaning program to bring additional food to the Ladysmith Resources Centre Food Bank, supporting the delivery of food to Stz’uminus residents in need, and supporting nutritious afterschool snack programs in the community.

The project will  host cultural awareness workshops, two community film and dialogue nights highlighting solutions to poverty as well as a food security information fair early in 2023  Watch for more details on these events and initiatives in the coming weeks and months.

Many of the activities will be conducted through community partners, including the Ladysmith Resource Centre Association, Stz’uminus Health Centre and Ladysmith Secondary School.

The importance of implementing the Poverty Reduction Strategy is magnified by the recent findings that the Living Wage for the Cowichan Valley is $23.53, up just over 20% from a year prior.

Through the creation of the Strategy, it was learned that many people face an ongoing challenge to prioritize healthy food options in their budget due to the cost of groceries.

Similarly, poverty can cast a stigma and contributes to feelings of mental discomfort, stress and feelings of being judged.  Therefore, addressing stigma, discrimination and racism is critical to reducing poverty in all forms  in creating a more inclusive and welcoming community.

Creating the Plan

In 2020/2021, the Town, Social Planning Cowichan and the Poverty Reduction Working Group community partners, completed the Ladysmith/Stz'uminus CommUNITY Together to End Poverty Hw-Nuts'-ulwum (As One) Poverty Reduction Strategy with funds from UBCM and the provincial government. With this second UBCM grant, the Poverty Reduction Task Group will assist community partners to implement tangible, attainable actions identified in the Strategy.

The Poverty Reduction Strategy can be found on the Town of Ladysmith website.

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For more information:

Mike Gregory
Communications and Engagement Specialist
mgregory@ladysmith.ca
250.210.1740