Child poverty rates down due to pandemic relief

Child poverty rates went down in our province during the pandemic.

But it would have went up without the CERB and government benefits.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says Nova Scotia’s rate fell by 24 percent in 2020, the largest single-year reduction on record.

Government benefits helped take over 26-thousand children out of poverty.

Digby had the highest rate of child poverty at 27 percent, followed by Annapolis and Cape Breton.

In a new report, the centre offers 17 recommendations for government to eliminate poverty.