1. The Vibrant Communities of Canada Charter Signed – December 2016.
Presented by Alex de Wit
Executive Director of the Social Development Council of Cornwall and Area

2. On December 12th 2016, The City of Cornwall, signed the Vibrant Communities of Canada Charter.
Joining over 50 Communities across Canada

3. The Charter: WE ENVISION: WE BELIEVE: WE VALUE:
Opportunity is in front of us. Across Canada, cities and provinces are uniting to reduce poverty. These cities are knit together in a collaboration called Vibrant Communities Canada – Cities Reducing Poverty. This collaboration of cities rests on five core principles: poverty reduction over poverty alleviation; work comprehensively to address root causes of poverty; build on the existing assets in a community; bring people together from all sectors; and learn together to scale up change.
This collaboration is committed to significantly reducing the human, social and economic costs of poverty. Through a connected learning community of 100 communities, our shared goal is to align our poverty reduction strategies and build collaboration between cities, all provinces and the Federal government resulting in reduced poverty for one million Canadians.
WE ENVISION:
We envision all Canadians collectively committing to action that will significantly reduce and ultimately eliminate poverty in our communities.
We envision a Canada where everyone has access to adequate and affordable housing, income, nutrition, education, and opportunities to participate in community life.
WE BELIEVE:
Poverty can be significantly reduced in Canada.
Poverty is a complex condition involving many social, economic, systemic, physical causes.
Every Canadian benefits when poverty is reduced; therefore, everyone has a role to play in poverty reduction. Communities play a critical role in poverty reduction.
People with lived experience of poverty must play an active role in planning and decision making. The cost of poverty is not only personal; there are social and economic costs to Canada as a whole Reducing poverty is a shared responsibility requiring collective and concrete action.
WE VALUE:
Voice for Everyone:
Every person has the right to live in dignity, make their own decisions in life, and fully participate in society. Policies, systems and solutions must respect and include everyone in the community.
Multi-Sector Collaboration:
Sustainable poverty reduction is best addressed through collaboration across all sectors and includes people with lived experience of poverty to harness diverse perspectives and solutions.
Comprehensive Approach:
Poverty reduction is a long-term process focused on tackling root causes through a strengths based, multi-sector, collective impact approach to planning and change.
Collective Impact:
Information and evidence from available data, community consultations, research, and
effective practices from across Canada informs solutions and communicates impact.

4. The Charter: AS A NATIONAL NETWORK OF COMMUNITIES, WE COMMIT TO:
Working collaboratively within and across communities, regions, provinces and nationally to reduce poverty. Frang and understanding poverty from a comprehensive perspective.
Increasing awareness about the benefits of poverty reduction on the health and wellbeing of all Canadians. Moving towards aligned poverty reduction policies and strategies at the local, municipal, provincial, federal levels. Tracking common measures, outcomes and indicators to demonstrate our collective impact.
AS A LOCAL COMMUNTY MEMBER OF THIS ANTIONAL NETWORK, WE WILL WORK TOWARDS:
Mapping and leveraging the existing assets of our community. Establishing a multi-sector leadership poverty reduction roundtable. Producing a community wide theory of change for reducing poverty. Developing a community wide poverty reduction strategy.
Creating concrete strategies for implementing the poverty reduction strategy. Framing and understanding poverty from a comprehensive perspective.
Engaging the whole community in implementing innovative solutions and policy changes. Tracking poverty reduction outcomes to demonstrate impact.
Learning alongside and actively participating in the national learning community. Sharing community built knowledge and resources in the online learning community
ENDOSE THE VIBRATN COMMUNITIES CANADA – CITIES REDUCING POEVRTY CHARTER:
Supporting the Cities Reducing Poverty Charter demonstrates a commitment to significantly reducing poverty in Canada.
I, , endorse this Charter on behalf of, .
Signature: Date:
Please send a signed copy to so that we can keep the list of communities up to date!
Vibrant Communities Canada – Cities Reducing Poverty is sponsored and administered by Tamarack-An Institute for Community Engagement a registered charity in Canada.
This charter has been adopted by Tamarack’s Board of Directors in 2013.

5. Key Excerpts from the Charter
AS A SIGNITORY OF THE CHARTER THE CITY OF CORNWALL BELIEVES:
Poverty can be significantly reduced in Canada.
Poverty is a complex condition involving many social, economic, systemic, physical causes.
Every Canadian benefits when poverty is reduced; therefore, everyone has a role to play in poverty reduction. Communities play a critical role in poverty reduction.

6. Key Excerpts from the Charter (continued)
Comprehensive Approach:
Poverty reduction is a long-term process focused on tackling root causes through a strengths based, multi-sector, collective impact approach to planning and change.
Collective Impact:
Information and evidence from available data, community consultations, research, and effective practices from across Canada informs solutions and communicates impact.

7. AS A COMMUNITY SIGNED ON TO THE VIBRANT COMMUNITIES CHARTER, THE CITY OF CORNWALL HAS COMMIT TO WORK TOWARDS:
Mapping and leveraging the existing assets of our community.
Establishing a multi-sector leadership poverty reduction roundtable.
(such as the SDC’s Poverty Working Group)
Producing a community wide theory of change for reducing poverty.
Tracking poverty reduction outcomes to demonstrate impact. (such as unemployment rates, and non-confidential social service statistics)
Sharing community built knowledge and resources in the online learning community

8. AS A COMMUNITY SIGNED ON TO THE VIBRANT COMMUNITIES CHARTER, The CITY OF CORNWALL HAS COMMIT TO WORK TOWARDS: (continued)
Framing and understanding poverty from a comprehensive perspective.
Engaging the whole community in implementing innovative solutions and policy changes.
Developing a community wide poverty reduction strategy.
Creating concrete strategies for implementing the poverty reduction strategy.

9. How do we move forward?
The Social Development Council of Cornwall and Area has been working towards many of the action areas of the Charter but would require further assistance from City resources to complete these tasks.
Would like to request City involvement in Poverty Reduction Roundtable.
Need City(or Poverty Reduction Roundtable) to approve list of community assets to assist in tracking poverty reduction outcomes.
We would need City involvement to develop an official Poverty Reduction Strategy, with concrete strategies for implementation.

10. Questions?

11. References: