Regina mother, poverty experts say Saskatchewan's social safety net is falling behind

Everything seems to be getting more expensive. Food, gas and housing prices are on the rise while paycheques are slow to keep pace.

The CBC News series Priced Out explains why you're paying more at the register and how Canadians are coping with the high cost of everything.

Miranda Hanis can barely afford the Regina basement apartment she lives in. The pandemic has only made matters worse. 

"The last year and a half has been really rough and uncertain. It's been very hard to make plans for the future," Hanis said.

She said the Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) cheque she gets every month is the only thing keeping a roof over her head. She receives $860 a month from SIS, but it's not enough to live on.

"My finances have been pretty tight between me and my son, and I don't know where I would live if I wasn't living with my son. And he works part time. The finances are pretty tight between him and I," she said.

With the cost of just about everything rising, Hanis said she's had to turn to food banks for help. 

"I could buy meat a little bit before, but now it's just like, I look at it and I go, 'Whoa.' If it's not discounted, it's not going to happen. It's winter, produce is really hard to buy. It's tough." 

Hanis got laid off a few years ago and hasn't been able to secure a new job since. The day after she lost her job, the price of her low-income housing went up. 

"There went most of my savings, most of my money. It happened in two days. And I've never been able to bounce back since."

Hanis's case isn't isolated. A recent report from the University of Regina shows nearly 20 per cent of the province's population lives in poverty, with child poverty rates sitting at 26 per cent.

"Saskatchewan and Manitoba are two of the provinces in Canada who have the highest poverty level in the country. The benefits level is absolutely inadequate," said Miguel Sanchez, an associate professor in the faculty of social work at the University of Regina. 

Sanchez said Saskatchewan has some of the worst depth of poverty rates in the country. 

"Depth of poverty is the amount of money that a family who lives below the poverty line requires to reach the poverty level," he said.