Addressing social inequality needs community approach: Lee

Finding ways to improve the economic and social mobility of citizens will benefit the entire city, says Charlottetown Mayor Clifford Lee.

“For too many of our citizens life is a daily struggle to make ends meet,” said Lee.

“Housing, food and income security issues can affect young and old alike.”

Lee acknowledged the important contribution that non-profit groups and faith based organizations are helping to bridge the gaps for vulnerable citizens.

Lee also recognized the important role that the provincial and federal government have to play through responsibility for housing and their tax collection power to fund programs and services.

“No one person or level of government has the power to fix these challenges alone. We need to work together as a community to come up with solutions that work,” said Lee.

Some of the ways Lee thinks the city can contribute to social progress are to:

Develop tax incentives to encourage more affordable housing unit development in upper floors of downtown commercial buildings;

Continuing support for public transit services;

Complete upgrades to water and sewer systems to protect water quality and improve environmental health;

Explore the possibility of using city parks and property to increase community agriculture;

Sustain the city’s parks and recreation infrastructure to encourage healthy lifestyles;

Champion the benefits of increased private sector investment in Charlottetown to create more employment opportunities;

Lobby the federal government to reverse changes to Employment Insurance that negatively impact seasonal workers and the working poor;

“Improving housing, food and income security not only is the right thing to do from a social standpoint but it’s also the right thing to do from an economic standpoint,” said Lee.

“Putting a roof over more heads, feeding more of the hungry, and putting more money in the pockets of citizens will benefit our economy and our community.’’