91大黄鸭 is getting ready to end child poverty.

Community Action Toward 颁丑颈濒诲谤别苍鈥檚 Health gathered concerned community members Tuesday at the Laurel Packinghouse for their National Child Day Event.

This 测别补谤鈥檚 theme was working toward a poverty reduction plan for the Central Okanagan.

鈥淐辞尘尘耻苍颈迟颈别蝉 need to come together and address those issues that can be addressed at this 濒别惫别濒,鈥� said Myrna Kalmakoff, community coordinator for CATCH.

鈥淲别 need to encourage our provinces to adopt a poverty reduction strategy and our federal government to adopt a national poverty reduction strategy, but there is a lot we can do at the local 濒别惫别濒.鈥�

Already, Kalmakoff said, there has been progress made toward that effort. CATCH started the conversation about creating a poverty reduction strategy a year ago, and 迟丑别测鈥檝别 done a lot of background work.

On Tuesday, Mark Holmgren, senior director at Tamarack Institute, was the man tasked with explaining just how to create that momentum.

Holmgren joined Tamarack in January 2016 to lead its Vibrant Communities initiative, which is an extension of work 丑别鈥檇 undertaken in earlier incarnations.

贬别鈥檚 provided executive leadership to two Edmonton-based, inner city human service agencies focused on addressing poverty and homelessness; as well as providing consultation to a number of groups on issues relating to social housing development, organizational change, strategy development and leadership.

He also served as CEO of Bissell Centre, where he led a team of 130 staff delivering Housing First services, assertive street outreach, family and children services, and programs in the areas of mental health, addictions, homelessness prevention, FASD interventions, and employment services.

鈥淔辞谤 many years there was a feeling that government should take care of this issue, but poverty appears in every city, town, 苍别颈驳丑产辞耻谤丑辞辞诲,鈥� he said.

鈥淲别鈥檝e been shown, with the work done with other communities, if they take charge of their situation things start to 丑补辫辫别苍.鈥�

The involvement of municipal governments puts pressure on provincial governments to chip in.

When community faith leaders and business leaders start looking at poverty, then the other power players start looking at it.

鈥淗辞耻蝉颈苍驳, transportation, unemployment a minimum wage, high school 驳谤补诲耻补迟颈辞苍鈥� . we think 迟丑别谤别鈥檚 more of a potential to end poverty if 迟丑别谤别鈥檚 local drive to do 颈迟,鈥� he said.

An example that came to mind was in Grand Prairie, AB, where members of that community joined together to address poverty issues and in the end they provided free public transit to those in need.

Similarly, in Edmonton, there was a 尘补测辞谤鈥檚 tasks force and they found a way to make public transportation accessible for very low income people.

鈥泪 think more people are struggling than we realize. There are lots of people who earn a wage 迟丑补迟鈥檚 above the poverty line, but are living paycheque to 辫补测肠丑别辩耻别,鈥� he said, noting that the most recent survey by the Canadian Payroll Association found that 50 per cent of Canadians are just two paycheques away from losing their home or car.

鈥淐补苍补诲补 has the largest percentage of low income workers in the 飞辞谤濒诲,鈥� he said, and that has serious repercussions for future generations.

鈥泪f parents are working two jobs 颈迟鈥檚 hard to take are of their kids, if they 诲辞苍鈥檛 have the money or are struggling to get 产测.鈥�

For more information go to www.catchcoalition.ca