New report shows child-poverty rates remain high
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By DHARM MAKWANA
November 26, 2007

British Columbia's economic boom has failed to reach some of its children, according to a Statistics Canada report released today by a poverty watchdog.

In 2005, the province's child-poverty rate reached 20.9 per cent, the highest in Canada for the fourth consecutive year.

Adrienne Montani, co-ordinator for First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition, said the findings tell a story of the province's working poor, unable to meet the demands of raising children because of a low-wage economy propped up by B.C. Liberals.

To counter the crisis, Montani said government must treat the child poverty like the environment, by setting hard targets.

"Government needs to say, "This is unacceptable," and lower our child poverty rates by 25 per cent over the next five years and then hold themselves accountable to doing that," she said.

A rise in B.C.'s minimum wage and a strengthened child-care program are obvious solutions to helping the province's 30,000 children on welfare, according to Montani.

Adrian Dix, MLA for Vancouver-Kingsway agrees, blasting the Campbell government for ignoring pleas for a wage hike.

"Can anybody explain why the premier refuses to go from an $8 to a $10 minimum wage at this point, especially after he increased his own salary by 54 per cent?"