According to the First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Society, child poverty in British Columbia decreased in 2020 due to the provincial and federal government benefits provided in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The poverty rate for children in 2020 was 13.3%, down from 18% in 2019. However, the report also found that poverty rates were dramatically higher among certain groups, including those living on First Nation reserves, those who recently immigrated, those belonging to certain racialized groups and those living in lone-parent households. The median income for lone-parent families was $54,600, and the report found that 80% of these families were led by women.
Regional districts on B.C.’s outer coast and parts of Vancouver Island had the highest rates of child poverty. The report also noted that income inequality in the province was growing, as the richest 10% of families with children had nearly as much income as the poorest 50% combined.
The report makes 25 recommendations to provincial, federal and local governments in areas that include wages, income and disability supports, and targeted initiatives for groups overrepresented in the poverty data. B.C. Social Development and Poverty Reduction Minister Sheila Malcolmson says the NDP government will soon launch public consultation to revisit its poverty reduction strategy.
The advocacy group warns that the progress made in 2020 may be wiped out by increasing costs in 2023. While government benefits have proven to be effective in decreasing child poverty rates, more needs to be done to ensure that all children in British Columbia have the resources needed to live a healthy and prosperous life.