Poverty a higher risk for minority immigrants

from the Windsor Star

Grace Macaluso
The Windsor Star

Immigrants of colour face a higher risk of living in poverty than their white counterparts, say organizers of an anti-poverty campaign.

Ontario's growing number of visible minorities face a disproportionate, ongoing and increasing risk of being poor, Avvy Go, spokeswomen for the Colour of Poverty Campaign, said Monday.

"If you're a person of colour living in Toronto, you are two to three times more likely to live in poverty," Go told members of The Star's editorial board.

Go quoted statistics from a Toronto study showing that unlike previous generations of immigrants -- primarily those from western European countries -- more recent newcomers of colour are not catching up economically to Canadian-born residents.

While there are no similar statistics for Windsor, Sungee John, board member of Windsor Women Working With Immigrant Women, said the Toronto experience applies to newcomers to this city, which is one of the most culturally diverse communities in Canada.

"We know that the new reality for immigrants, especially immigrants coming in with professional qualifications, is not the rosy picture that was here 10, 15 years ago," said John. "It's much more of a struggle in Windsor; with the economic outlook not improving it's even more difficult for immigrants in this community."

Go noted that 80 per cent of new immigrants hail from Africa, India and China. "Yet, recent immigrants from Europe are still doing better."

As part of a province-wide tour, members of the Colour of Poverty campaign held a work shop at the University of Windsor. Participants were asked to come up with strategies aimed at raising public awareness as well as strategies for government action.

Shelley Gilbert, spokeswomen for Legal Assistance of Windsor, said the ailing economy is making it even tougher for newcomers.

"What we're seeing now is that people are becoming more desperate, as a result of layoffs in our community, as a result of systemic issues -- lack of affordable housing in our community and cutbacks in social assistance," said Gilbert. "As a result people are becoming more in need than they ever were."

Go called the recent pledges by the Ontario government to raise the minimum wage to $10.25 over the next three years and expand government-paid dental care to more working poor families as "good first steps."

"With the Throne Speech there seems to be some commitment from the provincial government to look at this issue."

Facts:

. Visible minorities -- other than aboriginals -- make up more than 13 per cent of Canada's population and 20 per cent of Ontario's. This will rise to 20 per cent of Canada's population and to 29 per cent of Ontario's by 2017.

. Visible minority children constitute 67 per cent of all children in low income households.

. 32 per cent of visible minority children and 47 per cent of children in recent immigrant families in Ontario live in poverty.

. Between 1980 and 2000 in Toronto, while the poverty rate for the white population fell by 28 per cent, the poverty among visible minority families rose by 361 per cent.