Study finds more kids living in poverty

from The London Free Press

By NOOR JAVED

The benefits of Ontario's strong economy are not reaching the growing number of poor children who are enduring a depth of poverty not seen in more than a decade, a non-partisan anti-poverty group said in its annual report card released yesterday.

The study by Ontario Campaign 2000 found one in six children in Ontario lives in poverty and that the poverty rate reached 17.4 per cent in 2004, up from 15.1 per cent in 2001.

The report also found a growing number of poor children are living in homes where one parent has a full-time job.

"The percentage of low-income children who are in working poor families has grown to 38 per cent," said Jacquie Maund, one of the authors of the study.

"That means two of every five low-income children are living in a family where they have a parent in the workforce full-time, full-year, but they're not able to earn sufficient income to lift their family out of the poverty line."

Gaps in social assistance, an increase in temporary and contract jobs and low minimum wage are all part of the problem, Maund said, adding it will be up to the Ontario government to take action when it tables its provincial budget March 22.

"We are looking to the upcoming spring budget to provide a first step to establish an Ontario poverty strategy," she said.