Toronto continues to be the child poverty capital of Canada: it has the highest rate of low-income children among large urban centres according to the Toronto Child and Poverty Report Divided City: Life in Canada’s Child Poverty Capital. The report was co-released Nov. 14 by Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, Family Service Toronto (Ontario Campaign 2000), Social Planning Toronto, and Colour of Poverty-Colour of Change.

The report draws from new data to update the 2014 report, The Hidden Epidemic: A Report on Child and Family Poverty in Toronto and it describes the level (and unequal distribution) of poverty and its effect on children and families in Toronto.

Just as the Toronto City Council is considering cutting up to $600 million in spending on City-funded programs and services, the report reminds us that 27 per cent of Toronto children were living in low-income families in 2014, topping the list above Montreal (25 per cent), Winnipeg (24 per cent ) and all other urban areas with over 500,000 residents.

The report found huge neighbourhood disparities in child poverty levels, which reflect other inequities. For example, racialized families, new immigrant families, lone parent families and families with disabilities are up to three times more at risk of living in poverty. “When you cross Laird Avenue to go from Leaside to Thorncliffe, the rate of child poverty rate increases from 4 to 52 per centé said Jessica Mustachi of Family Service Toronto. “This divide shows how we can and must do more to provide quality services to support low-income residents.

The report also found that low-income children are struggling to succeed: children in schools in low-income neighbourhoods are less likely to be meeting provincial standards in Grade 3 math, reading and writing than children in higher-income schools.

Read Full Report and see Jessica on Global News at 5:30 pm on November 14.

Read Toronto Star article: Kids suffer most as Toronto clings to title of child poverty capital.

Campaign 2000 is endorsing the National Housing Day of Action on Nov. 18 – an initiative of The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO).

In 2015, an estimated 235,000 people experienced homelessness across Canada (with one in every seven shelter users being a child). Over 730,000 renter households spent more than 50% of their income on rent putting them at risk of homelessness. In its 2015 Annual Report Card, C2000 urged the government to develop a comprehensive national housing strategy reflective of the needs of local communities and First Nations in partnership with provinces, territories, municipalities, First Nations, the non-profit sector and the private sector.

The Canadian government has promised to fix the affordable housing crisis with Canada’s first ever National Housing Strategy to be announced on Nov. 22.

ACTO is organizing a Toronto march for the right to housing on Nov. 18, 12 p.m. at Queen’s Park to ensure our National Housing Strategy will guarantee everyone the right to safe, adequate, and affordable housing.

Find out more about the event and register now.

Campaign 2000 staff will visit Toronto schools during the week of Oct. 17, 2016 to engage students and teachers in discussions on child poverty and the need for a national poverty reduction strategy for Canada.

The visits coincide with this year’s “Chew on This!”  a national event led by the anti-poverty campaign Dignity for All to mark the UN’s International Day to Eradicate Poverty every Oct. 17.

The event is also designed to educate the public about widespread food bank usage in Canada and workable solutions to poverty that plagues many communities.

Campaign 2000 is co-ordinated by Family Service Toronto and is a national non-partisan coalition promoting support for the 1989 unanimous House of Commons resolution to end child poverty by the year 2000

As children and youth prepare for back to school, families with low income face the anxiety of affording new school supplies and clothing on top of ongoing struggles to put food on the table and provide other necessities.

Ontario Campaign 2000’s 2015 Report Card update, “Let’s Do This: Let’s End Child Poverty For Good - finds that one in five children under 18 and 15.4% of families with children live in poverty in Ontario. Despite recent policy changes and benefits many families with children are still struggling.

The report urges the Ontario government to implement concrete policy changes to assist families out of poverty. Eradicating child and family poverty is possible and the government must act to assist families in securing safe and affordable housing, obtaining good jobs access affordable high quality child care.

Canada’s low-income families will keep the full Canada Child Benefit (CCB). All provinces and territories responded to our collective call for no clawbacks! They will support full CCB for families receiving income assistance.

As a result of our hard work by all the Campaign 2000 partners and coalition members, we’re happy to announce that low-income families across the country will be able to keep the full CCB.

Download the newly updated Campaign 2000 Infographic

Read the recent CBC coverage on this issue:
Canada child benefit seen as fighting poverty – as long as provinces co-operate
New Canada Child Benefit program payments start today

Background:

Most families with children across Canada will receive their newly-redesigned and enhanced Canada Child Benefit (CCB) cheques in July.

The new CCB took effect July 1, 2016 and has been described as a “once-in-a-generation” social policy to reduce child poverty by Campaign 2000, a non-partisan coalition of 120 groups and individuals co-ordinated by Family Service Toronto. The bolstered, tax-free and progressively-delivered income transfer is projected to significantly reduce child and family poverty. The benefit’s design is very similar to proposals Campaign 2000 has put forward since 2012 and our network recognizes it as a historic step forward in the battle against child and family poverty in Canada.