Eliminating poverty one step at a time

By Nadine Armstrong

The Hants Journal

NovaNewsNow.com

Bill Knowlton has put on a lot of miles lately and still has a way to go. He's taking strides to help eliminate poverty by walking all the way to Province House.

En route from his home in Bridgetown, Knowlton made stops in towns and villages along the way to rally support for the cause. He plans to present Premier Rodney MacDonald with hundreds of signatures demanding real action in the fight against poverty. “I have 500 signed postcards already and I'm taking them to Province House one step at a time,” Knowlton said.

He landed in Windsor Friday, Oct. 24 to take a short break and meet with others who want to help. He told people that morning the plan was borne out of sheer frustration. “I'm tired of seeing seniors going without heat and parents who go without eating so their children can. Those are real situations that are happening everywhere. It's an ongoing, constant struggle.”

The programs already in place fall short and do little to improve the stigma attached to poverty, he said. “We volunteer a lot, but there is very little I can do personally to help. Poverty is a governmental problem; change has to come from a higher level.”

Knowlton admits he's no expert, but he has studied poverty issues to help those in need closer to home. “About a year ago I decided I wanted to do something for people less fortunate and realized the number of people already working on this issue every day is phenomenal.”

He said advocacy groups such as the Ani-Poverty Coalition of Nova Scotia have made many recommendations, all of which have been ignored. “The government did their own study and came to many of the same conclusions, but so far they haven't moved on them.”

Need a number in the budget

Although there are budgetary funds for anti-poverty initiatives, Knowlton said they are not attached to any specific targets. He wants to see the government act on the recommendations made by the Nova Scotia Poverty Reduction Strategy Coalition in its “Framework for a Poverty Reduction Strategy in Nova Scotia” report.

“The problem is government says there is a budget for anti-poverty initiatives, but poverty activists don't see where that money is being spent. The true activists need a number in the budget they can track.” He said that could be done by the government dedicating money for the 2009 budget specifically for poverty reduction.

So far representatives from the opposition parties will be there to greet his arrival in Halifax. To-date, however, no members of the Progressive Conservative party have committed.

“They told me they are all too busy,” he said. “I'll have walked 200 kms to meet our Premier face-to-face and he can't show. That just shows a disrespect to those people in poverty.”

Knowlton’s family, though, is firmly behind him. His wife Wendy and daughter Julie follow close behind him in an RV. Julie often gets out and walks alongside her dad, and said, “I think what he's doing is really good for people who need help.”

“It does take commitment from the whole family, but we are all passionate about the issue,” Wendy said.

In fact, Knowlton has had support all the way down the road. “I couldn't begin to count the number of people who honked or waved. It's just incredible,” he said. “They roll down their car windows to tell me thanks. It's wonderful - that’s what keeps me going.” Others show their appreciation by taking some steps with him and that’s when Knowlton hears the real stories.

“There was one man that I will never forget. He is terminally ill and has had to sell all of his belongings to cover medical costs, and now he can't even afford heat. There he is spending the last of his days wrapped up in blankets just to stay warm.”

And Knowlton knows that’s just the tip of the iceberg. “I thought I knew, I thought I was educated, but I haven't come close to learning just how bad things are.

“What were asking for is simple, really, and I think we are going to win.”