From: THE BANCROFT TIMES, February 3, 2000, Page 1

Warden Panabaker Says Jobs Are Priority

by Luke Hendry

The new warden of Hastings County says a joint report by a Quinte group and two Ontario agencies emphasizes the need for better employment in the area, especially in North Hastings. "We need to look more closely at improving our economy," David Panabaker told The Times last week. "We need to find ways to increase employment in this county, particularly in the northern end, and have wages well above minimum."

Last December, the Community Development Council of Quinte, working in co-operation with the Ontario Social Development Council and the Social Planning Network of Ontario, released the Quality of Life Index report. David Panabaker said the QLI figures show something he and members of the Hastings/Quinte Social Services Committee (HQSSC) had already recognized - that child poverty and employment are distinct problems in the county. "From the point of view of the county and the committee, we need better-paying jobs, and to get senior levels of government to pay attention to child poverty," he said. The QLI study looked at economic, health, and social indicators in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties between 1990 and 1998. Though some key indicators showed decreases between 1997 and 1998, there were overall increases in categories such as the number of social assistance beneficiaries, admissions to the care of the Children's Aid Society, and bankruptcies. "It wasn't a surprise," said Eric Fry, the county's social services director. He noted some of the study's figures were based upon the county's own welfare statistics, and while there has been "a substantial drop" in the number of county residents on welfare in the past five years, the news may not be entirely good. "It doesn't necessarily mean that these people are substantially better off," said Fry.

He said not all federal benefits, such as those from the National Children's Benefits Plan, reach people on social assistance. "That money doesn't reach the poorest of the poor," Fry said. Panabaker added simply getting people off welfare is not a complete solution. "Some of them are still at the bottom of the pile," he said, citing a HQSSC finding that the average wage for Hastings County residents leaving the welfare system in the past four months was about $8.34.

Child Poverty Problem

On November 24, 1989, the federal government pledged to end child poverty by this year. Then, in the mid-1990s, Campaign 2000 started. The non-profit effort was launched to hold the government to its promise. Last October, Campaign 2000 members asked Hastings County council to support its work by making note of the 10th anniversary of the government's promise, a request which council endorsed. And late last year, Ontario Premier Mike Harris was quoted by the media as saying the Campaign 2000 report on child poverty was "hogwash." His statement was attacked in a December 8, 1999 release by Roni Summers Wickens, executive director of the CDC of Quinte. Her statement, entitled "Hogwash or Whitewash?" accompanied the CDC's release of the QLI results. Summers Wickens said the QLI results were a clear indication that - despite media reports of an economic boom in Ontario - many Hastings and Prince Edward residents do not enjoy a high standard of living. She called the premier's response "extremely upsetting" and said the QLI figures mirrored the report by Campaign 2000. County officials agreed. "Campaign 2000 is something we need to take seriously," said Fry.

Future Investment

In referring to the QLI study, Panabaker said stopping child poverty is an investment, noting that if the problems continues, "Down the road we'll be in trouble." To fight it and other problems, he explained, more jobs and better wages are required. However, the warden admitted, there are no easy answers, and more study and discussion are needed before solutions can be found. He said it's unclear whether the employment and poverty issues are due mostly to a poor economy, or by the lower cost of living compared to other parts of the province - a factor that causes some to move into the area in the hopes of stretching their dollars further. Panabaker suggested ways to improved the county's economy could lie in the expansion of the tourism and forestry-based businesses already in operation. Big industry isn't necessarily the way to go, he explained, but industries, such as those that don't involved high transportation cost of raw materials and finished productions, could benefits the area.