Government Seeks Public Input on Poverty Strategy

The province is inviting the public to share ideas on how to best tackle poverty in Nova Scotia.

People are encouraged to fill out a questionnaire on what types of actions can be taken to reduce poverty.

The public consultations will help government develop a long-term poverty-reduction strategy for Nova Scotia. The initiative is being co-led by the departments of Community Services and Environment and Labour, in co-operation with a poverty-reduction strategy working group. The group, made up of organizations with diverse interests, will make recommendations on strategy content and implementation.

There are three ways the public can share comments.

• Fill out a short questionnaire at http://gov.ns.ca/coms/poverty .

• Fill out the questionnaire at any provincial government building, Department of Community Services office or Access Nova Scotia location.

• Request a questionnaire or share thoughts by calling, toll-free, 1-888-825-2111.

In November, the first phase of consultations was held with representatives from a diverse range of provincial organizations interested in the fight against poverty. The questionnaire is phase two of the consultations.

The public's comments will be added to information gathered from consultations across government on a variety of issues that affect poverty.

The deadline to respond is March 31.