Report shows AB’s child poverty rate almost the same as it was in 1989
Posted Nov 24, 2014 12:36 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A new report shows child poverty numbers in the province have barely shifted in 25 years.
The study from Public Interest Alberta finds 16.2 per cent of kids are living in poverty, compared to 16.4 per cent in 1989.
It suggests there are a lot of systemic issues at play impacting immigrants, women and Aboriginals.
The majority of low wage workers (those making $16 or less an hour) are women.
Cecilia Miguel from Women Together Ending Poverty argues the high cost of childcare and shelter contributes to the problem; you could have a full time job and still struggle.
“Average rent in Calgary is $1300/a month plus utilities. It means that the mother is only making (money) to pay the rent,” she said.
Public Interest Alberta Executive Director Bill Moore-Kilgannon suggests the government should be pushing for better living wage policies and more tax benefits to finally start to drive these numbers down.
Moore-Kilgannon explains those numbers have been underestimated in recent years, failing to count young people on Aboriginal reserves.
He says it’s deeply concerning, and there are a lot of social issues that need to be addressed.
“The dollars for on reserve education are nowhere near on par of what the average student in Alberta would get. You know, that’s just a very basic thing, you would think that they would be getting the same dollars to provide quality education on reserve, but that’s not what’s happening,” he said.
Public Interest Alberta says they want the federal government to start making good on their promises, and making reducing poverty a priority.
