TO Prosperity: Toronto Poverty Reduction Strategy
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31<br />
QUALITY JOBS & LIVABLE INCOMES<br />
A good job is the best path out of poverty.<br />
It provides the income and stability<br />
required to meet current needs and build<br />
a prosperous future. As Canada’s major<br />
economic engine, <strong>Toronto</strong> attracts skilled<br />
workers from everywhere in the country<br />
and the world.<br />
However, over the past 20 years, job<br />
quality in <strong>Toronto</strong> has increasingly<br />
declined, with full-time, well-paid jobs<br />
replaced by jobs with lower wages and<br />
few, if any, benefits. The disappearance<br />
of ‘mid-level’ jobs has made it harder to<br />
move up from entry level jobs.<br />
The earnings of many residents do not<br />
keep up with the cost of living. In <strong>Toronto</strong>,<br />
the minimum wage does not cover basic<br />
necessities — it is far from being a living<br />
wage. For those unable to find work,<br />
income supports such as Employment<br />
Insurance and social assistance have<br />
been dramatically reduced, and many<br />
residents who need them are now<br />
ineligible.<br />
<strong>Toronto</strong> cannot achieve its vision of being<br />
an equitable and inclusive city while so<br />
many residents are unable to find quality<br />
jobs. Moving forward, <strong>Toronto</strong> needs good<br />
jobs and adequate income supports.<br />
How can a city be prosperous without quality<br />
jobs and livable incomes?
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