EDITOR:
Monday, July 9, Minister Tina Mundy wrote about the many investments her government has made to support Islanders and the importance of not looking at any one investment in isolation. We all would agree that many initiatives are needed to improve our social programs and make life easier for low income Islanders but government has to start with insuring all Islanders are fed and sheltered. The government investment of $17 million in affordable housing over two years, that will take four years to create 1,000 units, means very little unless Ms. Mundy can tell us the breakdown of how that money is actually used. $17 million should buy a lot of housing.
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Ms. Mundy's examples of what the government has done are very vague and she fails to give actual examples of what those so called increased rates are, nor does she acknowledge that the increased rates are still below what is required to cover basic necessities. How is that helping Islanders to thrive?
As a volunteer who works with the Community Income Tax program I certainly did not see much tax relief for Islanders in the 2017 tax season and certainly not for the 30,000 Islanders quoted. What sticks out in my mind are the seniors who receive a federal non-taxable supplement allowance because they are low-income, having to pay provincial tax on their already low income.
Finally, what's wrong with all the poverty action reports that have been done over the last 10 years? They’ve been ignored.
Judy Barrett,
Charlottetown
