Don’t biame poor
for their poverty

TERRACE — Poor people don’t
cause poverty but they are often
blamed for it, says an anti-
poverty advocate,

Dealing with that blame is one
of the biggest challenges facing
the poor, adds Pam Fleming who
works for Vancouver-based End
Legislated Poverty.

This’ makes it important for
poor people to organize and work
together, said Fleming who was.
in Terrace recently to give a
workshop. |

What's needed is an increase in
the minimum wage to at least
$9.05 an hour to bring the work-
ing-poor up to what is considered
necessary for a reasonable stan-
dard-of living and increasing wel-

fare rates, she said,

“There’s been an increase in
poverty, directly affecting women
and children, while the corpora-
tions make the profits,’ said
Fleming,

“Poverly is time consuming,
You walk instead of drive. All of

. your time is spent just getting

food, shelter and clothing. It
doesn’t leave a lot of resources to
do anything else,’’ she said.

And while the middle class may
feel it is doing fine, added Flem-
ing, she pointed out that the aver-
age Canadian worker pays 35 per
cent of the tax load while corpo-
tations contribute 12 per cent.

“There’s a small group of
people not paying their fair share.
We need a balanced and fair taxa-
tion program,”’ said Fleming.

“Personal responsibility is
focused on low income people,

Abuse
tackled

TERRACE — The Kitsumkalum
band here is benefitting from an

’ infusion of money for alcohol and

drug and family violence pto-
grams.
It’s ‘included i in . $623, 000 given

by: the provincial government for -

programs concentrating, on north-

* westmatives, ~ .,,.2 reo! ee
‘«This is new money. Ws to we .o

ws the: money: into the regions ‘and

__ here,

specifically for the

* abétiginal community. in - the

northwest, ”” said Louise Kilby of

‘4: the Smithers Dze ] K’ant Fricnd-

- ship Centre which is administer-

ing the programs.

Kitsumkalum band is getting

$58,030 for. drug and alcohol
_ work and $4,000 for family
violence work.

“Just over half of the $623, 000 is
going toward dmg and alcohol
programs and the rest to family
violence.

All told, 60 projects are getting
money in the northwest,

Pam Fleming

but nobody has asked why thc
rich — the people of privilege ——
why they don’t pay taxes,” she
continued.

Fleming fecls the number of
working poor will increase be-
cause of the free trade deal with
the United States and with the
prospect of a similar deal involv-
ing Mexico. ©

Dealing with the poor can’t be

done by bureaucrats but can be
helped by educating and finding
allies, she says.

Fleming's philosophy is based
on the idea that every person
deserves the right to food, shelter,
clothing and health care.

And although she does not ob-
ject to charily efforts such as soup
kitchens and food banks, she feels
they mask the symptoms.

‘People resent having to stand
in the lineups and rely on the
whims of charity. There should
be adequate incomes so people
can choose their own food,’ said
Fleming.

Fleming’s group, End Legis- -

lated Poverty, pushed for the
creation of school lunch programs
such as the one now covering
Clarence Michiel and ELT. Ken-
ney schools.

But even the amount of
bureaucracy involved in setting
up the programs and running
them can work against the people
they are intended to help, she
said,

“Only low income people are
the experts on poverty. They have
to be involved in the implementa-
tion of any programs,’’ said
Fleming.

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