18% of Children in BC Still Living in Poverty

A recent report in to BC’s child poverty levels in 2019 show little change when compared to previous years.

Child and youth advocacy coalition, First Call, published their annual report, which actually looks at 2019 data, yesterday.

According to the report’s findings, roughly 18 percent of children in BC are living in poverty, echoing the “nearly 1 in 5” headlines from each of the previous three years.

That places BC slightly above the Canadian average of 17.7 percent, and means more than 150 thousand children are living below the poverty line in BC.

49 percent of children raised in single-parent households province-wide live in poverty, with the richest bracket making more than 50 times as much as the lowest.

22 recommendations were put forward in the report, including ensuring workers make at least minimum wage, improving the sick leave system, raising benefits for children with disabilities, and more.

You can view the full report by following this link.