Ainslie Cruickshank, The Tyee
The organization First Call is drawing attention to figures released today that they say show British Columbia has the worst child poverty rate in Canada for the eighth year in a row.
According to Statistics Canada data on incomes the province’s child poverty rate rose to 12 per cent in 2009, coming in higher than all other provincial and territorial rates as well as the national average of 9.5 per cent.
B.C.’s overall poverty rate also rose to 12 per cent and was the highest among the provinces for the eleventh year in row. The number of poor people living in B.C. rose from 494,000 in 2008 to 528,000 in 2009. Of the 2009 stats, 100,000 were children.
Adrienne Montani, First Call’s provincial coordinator for B.C. says “low wages and inadequate work” are to blame for B.C.’s poverty record. First Call is a non-partisan coalition of B.C. organizations and individuals that works to promote children’s rights and improve the well-being of BC’s children and youth….