No support for “liveable income”

Aylmer Mayor Jack Couckuyt, at an Elgin council meeting Tuesday, April 14, couldn’t find a seconder for a motion calling on the Ontario government to declare a “food insecurity emergency” and for the federal and provincial governments to introduce a “Guaranteed Livable Basic Income” for those living in poverty.

County councillors had received a request for support for such a call from Chatham-Kent council.

Mayor Darren Canniff wrote that Chatham-Kent declared its own food insecurity emergency in its community due to growing concern about the affects rising food and other costs on the health and well-being of its residents.

Going without proper nutrition increased the risk of non-communicable and infectious diseases and premature deaths.

Chatham-Kent Public Health estimated that at least one in five households in that community was experiencing food-insecurity, Mayor Canniff continued.

Household income hasn’t kept pace with rising costs of food, housing and other basic needs, he stated.

For the full story, see the April 22 edition of The Aylmer Express.