You’re not alone if you’re struggling to make ends meet.
The Nova Scotia chapter of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has found one in four children under the age of 17 live in poverty in our province.
The research institute released its “2021 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Nova Scotia” on Wednesday.
Researchers say when you look at the data between 1989 and 2019, Nova Scotia has the third-highest provincial child poverty rate in Canada.
More than 41,000 kids live in families with incomes below the low-income measure poverty line in the province.
2021 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia has the highest rate in the Atlantic region.
The rankings have been consistent over the last several years.
“Between 1989 and 2019, child poverty rates decreased in every province and territory,” the report says. “However, Nova Scotia has performed the worst in reducing child poverty from 1989 levels.”
In 1989, the federal government promised to end child poverty in Canada by 2000.
Nova Scotia’s child poverty rate was 24.4 per cent at the time. In 2019, it was 24.3 per cent. That’s not even a one per cent difference over 30 years.
“Nova Scotia has some of the lowest social assistance rates in the country,” the report says. “Low-income lone-parent families with two children had a depth of poverty of $13,432 per year (only 66% of the poverty threshold)—meaning they are in deep poverty and would need an extra $1119/month to just bring them up to the poverty line.”
The report has found government supports makes a difference in helping people who are struggling to pay their bills, such as the Canada Child Benefit.
The data from 2019 shows the assistance helped to lift nearly 27,000 kids in Nova Scotia out of poverty.
Researchers are presenting the province with 17 recommendations they believe will help families.
They’re calling for a comprehensive poverty eradication plan, the establishment of a child and youth advocate office, and regular public reporting to the legislature on progress.
Another recommendation includes increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour in the next year.
