IQALUIT - Donate to the food bank, reduce waste, have community freezers and offer greater access to financial services are some of the initiatives individuals, the community and the territory could do to combat poverty, stated participants at the Nunavut Roundtable for Poverty Reduction.

Kris Mullaly, left, and Christine Lamothe brainstorm ideas to reduce poverty at the Nunavut Roundtable for Poverty Reduction in Iqaluit late last month. About 80 people participated. - Jeanne Gagnon/NNSL photo

The three-hour discussion in Iqaluit last month offered the approximately 80 participants the chance to brainstorm ideas to reduce poverty in the lead-up to the creation of the Nunavut Poverty Reduction Action plan.

The participants first noted Iqaluit's assets, which they stated include the thrift shop, food bank, people, land, the youth and families. Sitting at 10 tables of about eight people, the participants then imagined the community poverty-free, envisioning such things as a bus/transit system, more indoor public spaces, a recycling depot, more street vendors, a clean town, a long-term plan for resource development and affordable housing for all.

Individuals can volunteer, make more food donations and reduce waste, for instance, to combat poverty, stated the participants. They added the community could, to note a few, offer practical skills workshops, offer micro-credit for sealift and offer more recreation. As for Nunavut, it could offer financial literacy training, offer greater access to financial services and offer social assistance programs with incentives, for instance, noted the participants.

Carolina Palacios said affordable housing for all and access to nutritious foods are some of the ideas she brought forward.

"I think poverty is an issue in Nunavut," she said, explaining why she attended the workshop. "We need to address it because Nunavut has an economical potential and to get to that, poverty has to be resolved." She added poverty is a complex issue.

"I am sure from everyone's contributions around the territory, I am sure there are going to be very good initiatives out of that," she said.

Paula McRae decided to attend because poverty reduction is an important initiative that warrants support. Describing Iqaluit in a decade, she said: "We would no longer see houses that are all boarded up ... we wouldn't see garbage on the streets and that we would see people engaged in employment -- people are going to work, people are taking self-responsibility."

And Kris Mullaly said resource management, increased graduation rates among youth, decreased crime, and greener technology were some of the initiatives he brought forward.

The Nunavut Anti-Poverty Secretariat will hold regional meetings in Cambridge Bay from May 10 to 12, Pond Inlet from May 17 to 19 and Iqaluit from May 25 to 27. A two-day poverty reduction summit is slated for Nov. 28 to 30 in Iqaluit. A meeting was also scheduled for Rankin Inlet from May 4 to 6

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