Ella Does Squamish

More on poverty in Canada -

Alberta a welfare skinflint in a miserly country
Social assistance income far below poverty line in all
provinces, report says

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=62a1a420-728f-479d-a251-074cb42d7389&k=97507&p=1

Norma Greenaway, Ottawa Citizen; CanWest News Service
Thursday, August 24, 2006

OTTAWA - Oil-rich Alberta may be rolling in dough, but the cash is not finding its way into the pockets of welfare recipients
whose meagre incomes come nowhere near the poverty line, says a major national report on welfare incomes being released today.

Alberta is not, however, the only skinflint province, according to the report by the National Council on Welfare, which documents
what it describes as a "dismal" pattern of welfare relief across Canada for the 1.7 million people, including 500,000 children, living on
social assistance.

"Most Canadians would find it impossible to cope with the substantial income losses that welfare households have experienced," it
said.

The report said welfare incomes continued to decline in 2005, and none cameremotely close to the poverty lines, average incomes or
median incomes in any part of the country.

Some income losses were staggering, the report said, with one third of welfare households losing $3,000 or more — when adjusted
for inflation –from the incomes received during peak years. Most welfare incomes peaked in 1994 or earlier, it said.

The report suggested governments and the Canadian public have "turned their backs" on the poorest of the poor.

"Welfare incomes were never high, but the declines that have occurred demonstrate that governments are not interested in
providing help to people who need it the most," it said.

In a written statement, council chairman John Murphy called the situation "shameful and morally unsustainable in a rich country."

The council, a federal body charged with advising the government on issues of concern to low-income Canadians, said the findings
demonstrate anew the need to pursue a comprehensive anti-poverty strategy. The report has been delivered to Human Resources Minister Diane Finley.

It said that despite significant increases in such federal support as the National Child Benefit, cuts or freezes in the already
inadequate levels of provincial and territorial support have further eroded welfare incomes.

Welfare incomes for single employable people were by far the lowest in 2005 in all provinces. "Not one reached 50 per cent of the
poverty line," it said.

Alberta stood out on several fronts. Among other things, the report said, the income in real dollars of a single person on welfare in
Alberta has decreased by $4,800, or almost 50 per cent, since 1986, and that lone parents in Canada’s richest province received just $12,326 a year in 2005 — a figure which amounts to only 48 per cent of the poverty line, or thelow-income cutoff as defined by Statistics Canada for the province.

Alberta also shared with New Brunswick the dubious distinction of having the lowest incomes in 2005 in two of the four household
types studied.  In New Brunswick, a single person got $3,427 a year, and a couple with two children received $17,567. This compares to the highest rate of $8,198 for singles in Newfoundland and Labrador, and $21,218 paid by Prince Edward Island to couples with two children.

In Alberta, the welfare income of a single person with a disability was $7,851, compared with the high of $12,057 in Ontario. A
lone parent with one child received $12,326 in Alberta — substantially lower than the $16,181 worth of benefits received in Newfoundland and Labrador.

By contrast, Prince Edward Island paid the most generous benefits to couples with two children, Ontario’s payment of $12,057 a
year to persons with disabilities was No. 1 in that category, and Newfoundland and Labrador was the most generous to singles, as well as lone parents with one child.

Still, the report says Ontario has little to brag about, despite being most generous on the disability front.

"In Ontario, welfare incomes as a percentage of the poverty line have fallen a staggering 17 to 25 percentage points for all four
household types since the early 1990s," it said.

© The Edmonton Journal 2006








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This is from the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) listserve …

Report calls for a national effort to defeat poverty

http://www.ncwcnbes.net/

Canada needs a national anti-poverty plan to ensure a successful future for our country, the National Council of Welfare (NCW) said in a report published today.

The report, Poverty Profile, 2002 and 2003, shows that in spite of progress made inthe fight against poverty among seniors, poverty rates for children and working-age adults are about the same as they were almost a quarter century ago. Income
inequality is growing and many groups of Canadians continue to have unacceptably high poverty rates. For those in need today, however, Canada’s social safety net offers less protection against poverty than ever before.

Governments cannot walk away from social policy, states Council Chairperson John Murphy of Canning, Nova Scotia.  About 16 percent of Canadians, or 4.9 million people, lived in poverty in 2003. Many jobs pay too little to let people pull themselves and their families out of poverty. This report shows that full-time, fullyear employment is not always enough to make ends meet.

The report calls for a long-term plan with clear goals to  prevent and reduce poverty and inequality. The plan needs to explore innovative solutions and include a process that involves Canadians living in poverty. It should respect the social and
economic rights that Canadians have under international agreements, including the right to an adequate standard of living. To be effective, it must have indicators and targets so that governments and leaders can be held accountable.

Two provinces in Canada are leading the way. Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador have their own poverty reduction strategies. Other countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Nordic states, have made considerable progress in addressing poverty.

Poverty not only results in individual misery, it also does not make good economic sense, says Murphy.  People living in poverty are more likely to experience poor health and well-being. This in turn limits Canada’s economic performance. Preventing and reducing poverty is essential if we are to have a strong and prosperous country.

Welfare is the main source of income for a surprisingly small percentage of people living in poverty. For example, only 28 percent of
poor single-parent mothers relied primarily on welfare in 2003.  The number of working-age single people who survive on incomes of less
than half the poverty line more than tripled between 1989 and 2003, jumping from 163,000 to 552,000.

Average earnings for full-time, full year workers living in poverty were extremely low in 2003 $9,522 for single people and
$16,333 for families. The average depth of poverty for poor families ranges from $3,300 for single senior women to $9,900 for two-parent families.

Poverty Profile is a regular publication of the Council that is based on survey data from Statistics Canada. It includes detailed information about poverty rates and numbers, depth of poverty, duration of poverty, common sources of income for poor
people, income inequality in Canada and poverty and the paid labour market. The full report, as well as a number of fact sheets, is
available at www.ncwcnbes.net.

The National Council of Welfare is a citizens advisory group to the Minister ofHuman Resources and Social Development on matters of
concern to low-income people in Canada.
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__________________
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
National Council of Welfare
112 Kent Street, 9th Floor
Place de Ville, Tower B
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0J9
Telephone: (613) 957-2961
Fax: (613) 957-0680