Poverty a sign society is failing
The Daily Courier (Kelowna)
Dec 23 2009
Opinion By: Kevin Ade

According to the advocacy group First Call, 156,000 children in B.C. were classified as poor in 2007.

B.C. also has the lowest minimum wage in the country. There is no excuse for a society such as ours to fail in providing good nutrition for mothers and their offspring during a child's developmental years….

Women's services are cut back, medical services are cut back, child care is beyond the capacity of most of us (a national child care program was being designed and funded by the Liberals, but Harper scrapped that), legal aid is unattainable, environmental considerations ignored and parks workers laid off, the homeless are swept out of sight and the poor pushed aside -- and all this to pay for the Olympics which will not reduce the rent, lower the price of bread or keep the house warm….

Poverty is one of the first symptoms of a failing economy and failing society. It means we are screwing up. And it is a cruel, anti-civilized and wholly preventable condition.