From November 24, 2009 First Call BC Press Release

BC CHILD POVERTY RATE STILL THE WORST IN CANADA

WHEN WILL THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT TAKE ACTION?

For six years in a row, British Columbia has had the highest child poverty rate in Canada tied only with Manitoba in 2007. Figures released today by First Call, the BC partner in Campaign 2000, show BC at a rate of 18.8 percent of children living in poverty in 2007. The Canadian average in that same year was 15 percent.

According to the 2009 Child Poverty Report Card, in 2007 BC had a total of 156,000 poor children, equivalent to the entire population of Nanaimo and Prince George combined. And this was in a year of a strong economy.