Poverty is a major consideration of municipal and provincial policy agendas. Poverty reduction strategies are aimed at raising incomes, lowering the cost of living, and improving the quality of life. While there is broad agreement that action on poverty is needed, there is less agreement on what the targets of poverty reduction policies ought to be. An appropriate standard of living is not clear-cut and the right level of support is very much up for debate.
This think piece, From Surviving to Thriving: Understanding the needs of a healthy life, argues that we need to reconsider our targets for poverty reduction if we are to reap benefits for health and health equity.