We heard presentations from two very different politicians ... invited to give strategic advice from their own experience that would inform our advocacy efforts to reduce poverty in Ontario.

... Many pediatricians with community practices tell us that finding the money to feed their children is the top problem faced by many parents they meet.

We see children whose parents struggle with poverty. We admit proportionately more children from high poverty neighbourhoods to hospital than from other neighbourhoods, and the children from poorer neighbourhoods stay in the hospital longer.

We know that childhood hunger - which of course is linked to poverty - has long-term impacts on physical and mental health.

New stats from Oxford's Social Planning Council on the issue of Food Security shows around 30% of those visiting organizations like the Salvation Army and Operation Sharing are under the age of 18.

Social Planning Coordinator Ashley Farrar says it's a major concern. "We know that children who grow up living in poverty, their brain develops differently. Not having access to healthy food, and needing to access emergency food providers, that is really concerning. Their brain is going to develop differently and that is going to last for their lifetime."

And then there is that third great sector that doesn't really have to worry about such things very much at all. The fabulously wealthy, the businesses they run and own, and the financial institutions through which they flourish - become increasingly disconnected from the daily lives of average Canadians and feel little connection to country anymore; their lives are spent more internationally than domestically, as is their wealth.

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