- Over 1 in 5 British Columbian children lives in poverty. That's 21.9%
or 181,000 children. That is about the same as the combined populations
of Nanaimo, Prince George and Cranbrook.
- The BC rate of child poverty is the highest in Canada, with the national
average coming in at 15.8 percent. BC has had the worst record for child
poverty 5 years in a row.
- Child poverty rates between 2005 and 2006 dropped at a national level,
but increased in BC.
- Figures show that aboriginal and recently immigrated children have a
poverty rate of 49%.
- The rate of poverty for BC children in two-parent families has grown
to 16.3% from a low of 5.4% in 1980.
- Government policies make a difference. Without government help, BC ranks
6th for child poverty among the provinces at 29%, whereas Newfoundland
and Labrador take the last spot at 38%. However after government transfers,
Newfoundland and Labrador’s rate drops to 16.2% and BC’s only
to 21.9%, which moves Newfoundland and Labrador into 6th place and bumps
BC into last.
- Government spending is positively correlated with child poverty and
does not have a negative effect on global competitiveness. For example,
Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Switzerland all spend more, have a lower
child poverty rate and are more competitive than Canada.
- Between 1989 and 2006, the richest 10% of the Canadian population saw
their income grow by 30% (or $47591 total). The bottom 10%, however, saw
their income drop by almost 8% (or $1309 total).
- A report released by the federal Standing Committee on Health says that
having low income was the “largest barrier to participation in both
unorganized and organized sports” and that this was “particularly
true for First Nations and Inuit children”; of the more than 500
First Nations schools, only half have a gym.
Sources: BC Campaign 2000 Child Poverty Report Card, 2008; UNICEF Child Poverty
in Rich Countries, 2005; Standing Committee on Health, 2007.
