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By Dylana Kneeshaw

PROVINCIAL POVERTY REDUCTION

Poverty Reduction Minister says latest Stats Canada data points to progress with B.C strategy

Mar 1, 2020 | 4:34 PM

VICTORIA — BC’s Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction says the latest data from Statistics Canada is promising, but more needs to be done.

Statistics Canada recently released its latest report, the Canadian Income Survey 2018, and it outlined a few areas of declining poverty rates in B.C. According to the report, ‘about 3.2 million Canadians, or 8.7% of the population, lived below Canada’s Official Poverty Line in 2018, down from 9.5% in 2017’.

The first annual report on B.C.’s poverty reduction strategy will be released in October 2020, however Minister Shane Simpson says the Stats Canada data proves that the strategy is working.

“We still have more work to do but the strategy we put in place in 2018 – the first full year that we’re able to see some results coming from that has been very positive,” he says, “So we saw a reduction in overall poverty in British Columbia, from 481,000 to 421,000 people. That’s a 60,000 person reduction in 2018. About 12 and a half per cent. Even more exciting, child poverty went down by 29.6 per cent in one year. And seniors saw a decline in poverty of 16.7 per cent.”

The plan aims to reduce overall poverty in B.C. by 25 per cent, and child poverty by 50 per cent by 2024.

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For Kamloops, Simpson says the kind of trends seen in the local area are very similar to communities within the same population margins.

“It’s an urban community, the struggles are there. I often talk to people within the Kamloops community and we talk about homelessness. I’ve often talked to the folks at A Way Home, Katherine (McParland), about youth homeless,” he notes, “We have significant numbers, inordinately high numbers of people struggling with poverty (who) are Indigenous. Very true in Kamloops as well.”

Notably, Simpson says local groups can make a large difference in keeping governments informed around what is actually happening within communities.

“A Way Home Kamloops is a very, very important organization in the discussion of youth homelessness. We’re excited to be able to support them in the work that they’re doing, and the job they’re doing with bringing young people together around these issues that are critical,” he explains, “So it is an all of community and government initiative to be successful, and I’m excited that we’re making progress. I think it’s because all of those players are stepping up.”

The report also shed light on some areas that need improvement, and Simpson says a specific demographic that needs additional support is single men.

“Adult single males – where there has been some increase in numbers. And it’s an area where we obviously have to focus some attention because we’re not seeing trends there that are necessarily similar to youth and overall trends, and to children, and to seniors.”

As far as what the provincial government is working on to improve poverty overall, Simpson notes that the new BC Child Opportunity Benefit will come into effect by October this year. The plan is projected to provide aid to about 290,000 families. Alongside this, he says the elimination of MSP premiums, and increases to the minimum wage are helping low-income people in B.C, and families. However, Simpson stresses that doesn’t mean the Ministry’s work is done.

“I have no illusions that we necessarily got it all right on day one, so it’s a plan that stays nimble so we can adapt.”

Simpson says the strategy is flexible in that the Ministry can adjust certain aspects to fit areas of need when they’re identified. According to Simpson, a large part of that is done through working with other ministries such as Mental Health and Addictions.

“The numbers kind of roughly work this way – about 40 per cent of the people living in poverty receive support from my Ministry, they’re on income or disability assistance. About 40 per cent of people in poverty are working poor, they have a paycheque coming in but it doesn’t pay the bills, and about 20 per cent is a combination of youth and seniors,” he explains, “So we target to different places to deal with different issues.”

To access the Canadian Income Survey, 2018 report, click here.