Edmonton city council approves strategy to end poverty in a generation

City council Tuesday approved an ambitiousstrategy to reach thegoal of eliminating poverty in one generation.

The strategy calls for advocating for a living wagewhile seekingchanges tohelp those in poverty avoid criminal activity. There's a total of28 priorities, with some related to racism, reconciliation, transit andliteracy.

Council voted unanimously in favour of the strategy, and askedMayor Don Ivesontolobby the provinceforsupport as well.

While the goal is toeliminatepoverty in a generation, roughly20 to 25 years, the task force behind the strategywillpush aheadwith a plan for the first decade.

"Nowthe next stage of work begins in completing our road map that will guide our actions over the next 10 years," said Bishop Jane Alexander, co-chair of theEndPovertyEdmontontask force.

In the meantime, Iveson said the city has already taken the task force's recommendations to heart.

"We've made some changes to transit based on things we've already learned through the poverty task force," he said.

He pointed to the free transit passes the city distributes for at-risk youth, and the low income transit pass initiative which will move forward next year if provincial funds are available.

"Preliminary feedback from the province is that they're interested in working with us on it," Iveson said.

He said the city is also studying the potential for a community development corporation to build housing and small retail spaces that aren't profitable enough for the private sector.

He called it "a recipe for some really innovative redevelopment and reinvestment in some of our tougher neighbourhoods."

The final roadmap for achieving the city's poverty elimination goals will go before council in the spring of 2016.