The B.C. child and youth advocacy group First Call has released its 2016 child-poverty report. Two dominant facts stand out. Our province’s child-poverty rate continues to exceed the national average. And inadequate support by the B.C. government is a leading cause.
Across our province, 163,260 kids live in poverty — almost one in five. Half these youngsters reside in Metro Vancouver. Among single-parent families, the child poverty rate is 50.3 per cent.
Two of the three urban areas with the highest child-poverty rates are Duncan (31 per cent) and Port Alberni (30 per cent). And aboriginal children are significantly over-represented, as are the children of recent immigrants.
(Here and below, the poverty rates are based on Statistics Canada’s low-income measure, which ranks a family’s ability to pay for such basic needs as housing and food.)
The lack of affordable child care plays a major role, forcing single parents to work part-time when they need full-time employment to support their families.
In addition, the inexorable rise in university fees, well in excess of inflation, has priced post-secondary education far beyond such youngsters, and of those who make it, many struggle with basic nutrition. Nearly 40 per cent of students at the University of Northern British Columbia skip meals or visit food banks to afford their tuition.
And here is a troubling fact. The gap in B.C. between poorest and richest is the highest in Canada.
The average income of the top 10 per cent in our province is 13 times higher than the lowest 10 per cent. New Brunswick, by comparison, has a ratio of nine to one.
And the main reason is that the poorest families in B.C. have incomes far below the national average — $21,400 compared to $24,200. Which raises the issue of government support.
Transfer payments to families — grants and tax benefits — vary across the country. But ours are close to the bottom of the pack.
Quebec manages to reduce its child-poverty rate 46 per cent using generous support programs. Ontario cuts its poverty rate 37 per cent in this way.
But B.C.’s support measures bring down our poverty rate only 27 per cent — well below most provinces. If we matched Quebec, 42,000 children would be lifted out of poverty.
In fairness, these figures do not include the new B.C. early-childhood tax benefit, which was introduced last year. But the size of the benefit — $55 a month for each child under six — is modest enough that it will not greatly affect our standing in the national rankings.
As well, the early cutoff compares poorly with other jurisdictions. Most provinces and territories offer child benefits that last to age 18.
So what should be done? First Call recommends doubling the new childhood tax benefit and extending it to age 18. That appears reasonable.
The group also wants the minimum wage raised to $15 per hour, a move supported by the provincial NDP party. That is more contentious. Some research suggests job losses associated with this wage level would cancel out the benefit.
But the real elephant in the room is the high cost of accommodation. No wonder half of all families classed as poor live in Metro Vancouver, when house prices there are the highest in Canada.
This is the issue that most demands attention. We need a concerted effort by all three levels of government to build an adequate supply of affordable housing.
Until that is done, the misery of child poverty in B.C. will never end.
We hope each of the parties will address this challenge in next year’s provincial election.
