N.S. child poverty rates dropped sharply in 2020, ‘almost entirely’ due to pandemic relief
Global News
While child poverty rates in Nova Scotia declined by 24.3 per cent in 2020, a new report warns that it was largely due to temporary programs and more permanent measures are needed.
A new report indicates child poverty rates in Nova Scotia declined by 24.3 per cent in 2020, largely due to temporary COVID-19 relief programs that have since ended.
The report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, released Thursday, said 2020 saw the most significant single-year reduction in child poverty on record.
But it said the reduction was “almost entirely due to federal pandemic relief support and top-ups” — and warned the issue of child poverty will get worse without more permanent measures.
“We should celebrate the reduction in child poverty in 2020. However, by all accounts, poverty is worse today,” said the report.
“The pandemic benefits that made the difference were temporary. In addition, since 2021, people have had to deal with the steep increase in prices for essentials, including housing, food, and heating.”
According to the report, there were 31,370 children living in low-income families in Nova Scotia in 2020, representing 18.4 per cent, or more than one in six children.
2020 was the first year since 2000 that the child poverty rate in Nova Scotia dropped below 24 per cent.
The report noted that just over 569,000 Nova Scotians — more than two-thirds of those over the age of 15 — received COVID-19-related assistance that year, amounting to more than $2 billion.
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