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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, October 16, 2015 | 14 Fighting poverty by asking what makes a community wealthy continued from p.11 Described as "anchors", these large companies and institutions have significant roles to play as community wealth builders, Murphy said. Because they are among the Region's biggest employers, and purchasers of goods and services, with significant assets and holdings, Murphy said they are also the ones with the ability to drive the economy and revitalize low-and middle-income neighbourhoods. "The economy and local economic development plays a key role in raising a community out of poverty," Murphy said. "We need to reach out to the people who have the economic power, who manage public funds, governments, colleges and universities, hospitals and for-profit enterprise and their assets," Murphy said. "These people are ready to hire and buy locally and invest in the economy." For the past 75 years the Atkinson Foundation has tackled poverty and its challenges through its philanthropic resources, but Murphy said about two years ago the organization decided to take a new direction to find solutions to the rising issue of wealth and income inequality. "The question of how to end poverty was leading us down a dead-end road," Murphy said. "Atkinson's biggest concern was that our expectations as a society had sunk dangerously low. "Our board stopped asking what made a community poor, to what made it wealthy," Murphy said. She said "ambition" and "ideas" would lead community stakeholders to find solutions to prosperity rather than being pre-occupied with figuring out how to remove obstacles to joblessness and training. "Pre-occupation with problems can make them worse and harder to solve... It can stop us from taking even the smallest steps forward," she said. "But ambition can alter the course of history. "Ask questions about problems and we spend energy. Ask questions about solutions and we gain energy." Murphy indicated other countries, including the U.S., make it mandatory for developers to include this "community wealth building" as part of a developer's bid process. She said Ontario's $130 billion commitment to public infrastructure over the next decade is also expected to include a similar clause. By sharing the benefits of economic growth more equitably, communities will become more prosperous and residents living in them will also benefit, Murphy said. "History tells us that no obstacle is insurmountable when a growing number of us want something bad enough," she said. "We can burn up a lot of fuel spinning our wheels on remedial measures instead of generating enough wealth for all of us and produce a legacy that produces dividends well into the future." Murphy revealed that even though Toronto is considered a wealthy city, it's projected that 60 per cent of its neighbourhoods will be low income by 2025. As a result, community wealth building is already a major topic of conversation and will be included in the Eglinton Cross-Town LRT, a 19-kilometre transit line that goes through five of the city's poorest neighborhoods. Murphy said a group known as the Toronto Community Benefits Network, which consists of local residents, labourers, community groups and foundations, has been in discussions and Metrolinx has agreed to a framework to include a legally-binding community wealth building contract as part of the LRT's construction. "There are many newcomers in those communities who have skills learned in other jurisdictions, but want access to professional, administration and technical jobs where they're now living," Murphy said. MVL LEASING LIMITED 905-849-6995 1064 SOUTH SERVICE RD. E, OAKVILLE LEASE ANY YEAR, MAKE, OR MODEL www.MVL.ca $ 2014 Ferrari 458 Spider $ 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia 339,900 15,300 Kms +HSt 224,900 21,161 Kms +HSt LEASING, FINANCING, SALES, SERVICE, FLEET, DETAILING, STORAGE NEW ARRIVALS GOING FAST! LADIES AND CHILDREN'S BOOTS MENS, LADIES AND CHILDREN'S BOOTS LADIES & CHILDREN'S RUBBER BOOTS SOREL DAY! FRI. OCT. 16, 2015 REP HERE 10am - 2pm. LIK E US ON FA CE BO OK AN D FO LL OW US ON IN STAG RA M FO R PR IZE DR AW S HUNTER SOCKS AVAILABLE! 2394 2394 FAIRVIEW FAIRVIEW STREET, STREET, BURLINGTON BURLINGTON · 905-632-9688 905-632-9688 w w w. f a c t o r y s h o e o u t l e t . c a HOURS: Monday-Friday 9am to 9pm, Saturday 9am to 6pm, Sunday 10am to 6pm FACTORY SHOE OUTLET EMILLE SHOES BURLINGTON FAMILY OWNED FOR 59 YEARS! 2015 #1 SHOE STORE #1 CHILDREN'S SHOE STORE Diamond Award