The province’s failing grade for poverty reduction can be turned around with the right efforts through the provincial budget.

That’s according to Josh Smee, the Executive Director of Food first NL, who was responding to the province getting a D minus in Food Banks Canada’s poverty report cards.

Smee is optimistic for the province getting a better grade when the same report is released next year, but it depends on policy initiatives from government.

He says the report points to the province’s 2006 poverty reduction plan, and how that was ahead of the country at the time.

That said, however, there has not been a replacement for that document, though one is in the works in terms of the social wellbeing plan.

If that plan is good, according to Smee, the grade will improve. As well, there are initiatives from the Health Accord.

He says that document makes some powerful points, but it is not enough to talk about them, there needs to be action. Smee wants to see items in the budget to reflect that.