Independent MHA Paul Lane is calling on government to “dust off” its poverty reduction strategy and come up with ways to better help seniors and the working poor.

Lane says Snowmaggedon 2020 highlighted the real needs that are in the community, the fragility of low income earners and the inability of many to deal with the loss of a week’s income.

Lane says he is not adverse to calls to raise the minimum wage, but acknowledges that poses challenges especially to small business.

He believes government needs to review existing programs like child care subsidies, access to drug cards, child benefits, tax breaks and other programs to capture more lower income families – or increase benefit amounts.