Snowmageddon 2020 will go down as one of the most significant weather events in recent memory here in Newfoundland and Labrador. And while we have heard many uplifting stories of neighbour helping neighbour, selfless acts of kindness between total strangers and the resilience of Newfoundlanders in weathering the storm, there is another storm that came blowing through that I’m not sure we were necessarily expecting or prepared for.
That, of course, is the financial storm which swept through the lives of so many seniors, low-wage earners and other vulnerable people in our community. A storm fuelled by poverty, vulnerability and the inability by many to survive even a few days without access to social programs, food banks and other critical services; a storm which highlighted the fact that there are many working poor in our community who are simply unable to cope with even a day’s loss of pay, let alone a whole week.
Thankfully, many employers who have the financial means stepped up to the plate to cover those lost wages, and for that I thank them. For some other small employers, who need assistance themselves just to keep their doors open after a week without revenues, while they aren’t in a position to cover wages, many of them have offered extra shifts or allowed their employees to utilize their vacation time to make up the difference.
Unfortunately, there are also a number of employers who either can’t or simply won’t look after their employees in this situation and the results have been, in many cases, absolutely devastating. I would appeal to those, particularly larger employers who have the ability to pay, to please reconsider your decision. Employees are not just expenses on a financial statement, they are people with families; people who have contributed to success that your company enjoys. Please do the right thing.
I would also appeal to our premier and federal minister to light a fire under someone’s keister in Ottawa and get some much-needed assistance to those who require it. The need out there is both real and immediate, and so must be the response. We cannot leave families in peril, and we cannot allow children, seniors and other vulnerable citizens to go hungry.
And while it is imperative that we effectively deal with this immediate crisis, once that task is complete, government needs to take the province’s poverty reduction strategy off the shelf, dust it off, do a thorough review of its contents and update it accordingly. The requirement to do so is obviously there.
Even prior to this storm, food banks were reporting record increases in usage, bankruptcies were way up and there was a steady lineup at credit counselling and other related service providers throughout the region. That’s not to mention the ongoing scene at the malls every winter of seniors flocking to the benches and the food courts to stay warm because they can’t afford to heat their homes.
So, when you think about it, what is occurring now is really nothing new.
This storm and its associated fallout has only highlighted what government should already have known: that there are many people living amongst us who are hurting, who are making choices to survive every day that many of us are uncomfortable thinking about, who are sick with worry and losing sleep at night wondering how they will be able to take care of their families.
As a province, we must do better. I fully realize that we have significant fiscal challenges and cannot afford to spend more money that we simply don’t have. However, what we can do is consider an adjustment to our priorities. After all, a society is judged by how it takes care of its most vulnerable citizens.
Paul Lane, Independent MHA,
Mount Pearl-Southlands
