Do you believe that poverty is the most critical issue facing Hamilton today? If so, please outline your solutions. If not, please explain your reasons.

Ward 09
Candidate	Brief Response	Full Response
Fiorentino, Nancy	Yes	Poverty is one of the many (and I stress many) critical issues facing Hamilton today. The lack of employment certainly does not assist in alleviating poverty in Hamilton. Although money is a key factor in reducing poverty, it is not the only factor. Housing issues and language barriers for instance are two of the many variables that are indirectly affecting poverty in Hamilton. No amount of money pumped into the system will assist if the core issues are not addressed. Its time to address those issues and make Hamilton a better place to live, work, and play for all those who want to call it home.
McMullen, Geraldine	Yes	Yes. In order for our community to continue its legacy of proud history and achievement we need to address poverty more actively. One way we can do this is to work with our community partners to ensure that our residents are receiving a living wage so that each and every one of us can meet out basic needs, including shelter, clothing and nutrition. This leads to another area in dire need of addressing, affordable housing. Advocating for more funding is required in order to improve the provision of affordable housing. This can only be achieved if we are persistent in lobbying the provincial government to make the changes necessary to address poverty. Poverty is not just a local issue, all levels of government need to be engaged to eliminate poverty. We must collaborate together to achieve this.

Ward 09
Clark, Brad
Mowatt, Andrew