Right now, as I type this, international trans-corporations are being taxed next to nothing by the government of Alberta to rape the Canadian wilderness in the pursuit of oil. The province of Alberta is the richest in the country, but the rest of Canada does not share in its wealth, nor is it used to help bolster those federal social programs that are in dire straights.
In the near future, Newfoundlanders may very well begin to reap the benefits of off shore resources. One wonders, given the economic disparity that they have been forced to endure since the collapse of the cod fishery, if they will follow suit.
I mention these things because, since 1989, the child poverty rate in this country has remained the same despite a 50% increase in the size of the economy. And that is simply disgusting.
In Canada, 11.7% of children live in poverty, and that figure is only based on after-tax income. Measured before income tax, the rate climbs to 16.8%. That, my friends, is one-in-six-children in this country.
British Columbia boasts the worst record. In 2005, some 15.2% children, before income tax, lived in poverty.
So what can be done? Well, the group Campaign 2000 has some ideas, though a lot of people are bound not to like them…
- Increasing federal work tax credits to $2,400 per year.
- Investing federal dollars in social housing.
- Raising the National Child Benefit Supplement to create a full child benefit for low income families of $5,100 per child per year.
No matter how you look at this issue, it’s a national disgrace. And as a nation we are responsible for addressing it.
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the richer get richer,the poorer get poorer,i find
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That is really sad.
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What is the annual incom of someone we consider poor ?
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It is disgusting, especially since we live in a developed country. I was talking about this issue to a friend the other day, as the topic of child aid in other countries came up. I’m all for helping children in underdeveloped countries, but how about taking care of the ones in our own back yard first.
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I read this article this morning as well and was just going to write about it but I popped over here first. National disgrace is right- one in six children? There is simply no excuse for this. Utterly heartbreaking and disgusting that this is the case.
I’m currently trying to help co-ordinate the Christmas charities for my office. I must say that I continue to be completely astounded by the number of people who are absolutely ingnorant with regards to this issue or blatantly turn a blind eye to it. I have insisted that we support local charities this year; as clearly there are MANY people in need right in our own backyards.
Time to start addressing the issues here, folks.
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i live in alberta, calgary for that matter which has seen an influx of “new money”, i work at a ywca, and just floors above from where i work is a womens shelter and every day i see women and children comeing in to get out of the cold just to get turned away at the door because there is no space, i often wonder to myself, with the people that i massage when they come in and complain about there fancy cars breaking down or the price of there water bills after the installed the new hot tub, or when they complain about the nanny they employ doesnt speak english well enough. are they blind to the problems that are going on right above there heads?
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Increasing the National Child Benefit Supplement will, in my opinion, do nothing to support families getting off of social assistance nad being able to ultimatley provide for thier children, they will instead see more motivation to simply have more kids. Political correctness aside, in a city like saskatoon the majority of children that are in poverty are there because thier parents are sitting on welfare because they can get more money for having children than they can by going to work. This isnt a comment on races, but on human nature.
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According to my Family Sociology Text….by Anne Marie Ambert:
in 2003, poverty lines were established for Canada’s major cities for a family of FOUR
Vancouver 27791
Toronto 27343
Ottawa 26503
Charlottetown 25434
Halifax 24607
Calgary 24180
St. Johns 24096
Fredericton 23940
Hamilton 23745
Edmonton 23571
Winnipeg 22750
Regina 22442
Montreal 22441
so if you are a married couple and you have two children and make this much money or less, then you are below the poverty line….
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Quoting Amie:
thank you
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- Raising the minimum wage Canada-wide to $10 per hour. > Given our dollar has a higher value, and our economy isn’t doing half bad, I don’t see why this wouldnt’ be attainable. (Then again, I’m no Economics Major, so..)
- Increasing federal work tax credits to $2,400 per year. > Again, easily done, just have to persuade the MP’s to maybe not take such fat raises now and then…
- Investing federal dollars in social housing. > Considering the Vancouver homeless stats to start, about 30% of people on the streets have no choice, because there aren’t enough resources. Why our Government leaves so many people ‘out in the cold’ is unknown, but I figure if it’s “out of sight, it’s out of mind” so to speak. Considering how much available land/unoccupied buildings are laying about in the GVRD… there should be more done to assist the homeless, also including better breaks for canadians that are working at or below the poverty line…
- Raising the National Child Benefit Supplement to create a full child benefit for low income families of $5,100 per child per year. > The current benefit amount is stunningly low, but hey, 20 years ago it wasn’t half bad.
Considering we pay our taxes, where exactly are our dollars going these days? I don’t think I *want* to know…
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Ok, I am going crazy… I have a room full of things to give away. Mainly baby items…. Also, I have toy items my son doesn’t play with anymore and I want to make them like new again donate them to a toy bank…
I went crazy googling for woman’s shelters in “my Coquitlam backyard” and can’t find any… They are very hard to find for privacy and security reasons….. Also, some of the places I googled are societies.. I need to find a woman’s shelter that someone escapes to in the night with her kid(s) with only pajama’s on. I have woman’s clothing and children’s clothing. I HAVE GOT TO GET THESE ITEMS TO A SHELTER, I get mad at myself everytime I see all this stuff just sitting there….
If anyone has any information, I would very much appreciate it.. I know someone gave me a link on the So this is Christmas thread but I’m in need of either an actual address where they accept the things (then take to their shelter themselves) or a phone number. My son is in preschool tomorrow and I will have 2 hours to myself, time to move this stuff out of here……..
Thank you so much,
Tanya Soderlund
I’m at soderlunds@shaw.ca
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2 adults in BC working full-time, minimum wage jobs will together earn $33,280 before taxes.
2 adults in New Brunswick working full-time, minimum wage jobs together will earn $30,160 before taxes.
(BC- $8/hr min; NB- $7.25/hr/min)
Raising the minimum wage just cuts down on jobs and drives prices up.
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Quoting Tanya:
You could always do a yard sale and donate the money to the society of your choice.
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I moved from Alberta in 2004 to Regina because the cost of living was becoming, for me, completely unaffordable. No, the Prairie Burn was not my first incentive. LOL
But the cost of living here, frankly, is no different from that of Vancouver or Calgary.
What’s worse is that if I can’t afford to put clothes on my own back, what does that say for the single mom that works for minimum wage next to me?
I like that the government uses big words to explain how they are going to tackle these issues and nothing ever gets done about them, funny too is that the conservative parties are being elected in almost every province throughout the board. But I guess they must be real, honest, hardworking folk who know how hard it is for people to survive in our new transnational corporate worlds. Our minimum wage of average in canada being $8.50/hr, how dare I speak out of turn. Why $8.50 an hour is quite reasonable. If I want to live in a cardboard box in a campground outside of the city. Sure, and while were at it lets tax the shit out of the minimum wage earners, while we hold Orders in Council to give tax breaks to those who could most afford it. But don’t forget, Orders in Council holds no public opinion and your elected representative in parliament don’t even get to vote on it.
Hey, did you hear, minimum wage earners can make more money this year, cause their extending christmas shopping hours.
Oh, and something they don’t tell you in the news. Minimum wage earners don’t usually even get the required 40 hours a week because then those trans corps can justify not having to pay out benefits. So not only do these people not make enough, they are not provided with enough working hours, or health/dental care. And then their kids reap those benefits.
What I find even more comical is that these employers or companies actually think they’re doing them a FAVOR. When in fact it’s the exact opposite. People then chastise the poor or homeless because they could have gotten an education or whatever.
Now I’m a fairly lucky person. I can work and go to school and get by. I’m not rolling in money, but I’m not chewing off my arm either. But for those who think that just by going to school, people will be able to fix their financial situation…think again.
Tuition and cost of living alone is inadequate, and then on top of it, after struggling with a family (kids don’t see their parents or miss out on their childhood because mom and dad simply have no time), finances, and life, they may be able to get some cushy government job or otherwise, but don’t forget that in this new age student loans and interest is going through the F***ing roof. It’s pretty easy to tell someone or think that someone should have the means of doing something, when in reality not everyone is born with a horseshoe up their @$$.
Can u tell I have sore spot?
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Quoting Sel:
I don’t have a yard (I’m in a townhouse). Also our strata rules are if you have a garage/yard sale you have to donate 30% to our clubhouse.. I would have happily done this if the proceeds had to be donated to a charity. Thank you though.
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Quoting Duane Storey:
Most people seem to assume that schooling automatically leads to higher paying jobs, but the reality is far different. Except for a few distinct degrees (a computer science degree and medicine come to mind), most degrees just won’t fetch you a high paying job these days. Many of my friends did arts degrees at UBC, and the majority of them had a hard time finding a job. My best friend Brennen did a four year degree in geography, and after graduating couldn’t find anything in his field that paid more than $10/hour. So, he now makes mattresses for a living in a factory out in Surrey, something he is actually pretty content on doing since it gets him home to his wife and daughter at a reasonable time every night, and he makes decent money.
I myself did eight years of university, to the tune of around $70,000 thanks to the rising cost of tuition, books, etc. $40,000 of that was done with student loans, and I still have around $25,000 of that to pay back. Thankfully I have a decent paying job and I’m not strapped by any means, but I know many students that come out of university with equivalent debt loads, only to be forced to pay those loans back with jobs that pay only slightly higher than minimum wage. When I went shopping for a car last year, I was fairly amazed that I could finance the entire thing at 2.9%, but the current interest rate on my student loan was around 9%. Screw the students I guess.
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I am no economy expert, however this one small thing continues to baffle me- when I left Alberta in April, I was making 50 cents above the minimum wage of $7.00/hour at The Body Shop.
Now I work at a bar here in Regina part time, and I am making $7.95 an hour, and will begin to make $8.25 an hour come Jan. 1.
Whether or not the minimum wage in Alberta is going up, I’m not sure.
The minimum wage in Alberta being less than Saskatchewan makes absolutely no sense to me.
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Quoting Tanya:
I’m not from BC, but we have a volunteer organization that hands out information like that.
I’m sure if you contact Community Volunteer Connections (Coquitlam) they will be able to tell you.
Here’s the link:
http://www.volunteerconnections.net/contactInfo.asp
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Thank’s Miranda!!!!!!
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youre welcome Sel
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the thing about raising the minimum wage, is it doesn’t really help small business’ if they have to pay even more to their employee’s. but most of the other ideas seemed good.
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Quoting Eric-Head:
I think that’s a horrible Thing to say….
In a Way it makes me think of Mother Teresa
and how she tended intimately to the sick
without judging them for any Behaviour
that might have played Part in their Illness….
The only Point that needs to be made
is that Children are starving….
and Something needs to be done about it….
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Quoting Eric-Head:
You know, I resent that comment. My mother worked two jobs, and also took a paper route to help my father support us. Now, in my case my father did and still has a huge drinking problem, but they worked their asses off for peanuts. When my mother did have to go to welfare it was because it was the house or the power.
Anyhow…
I can’t believe that the rates haven’t at all improved.
It’s actually rage inducing because this subject is so personal to me.
It’s really something else to be a young innocent mind that sometimes goes without the basic necessities of life, and I always wonder what any of our leaders would do if they had ever experienced poverty.
During my childhood I had lived in two different trailers that did not have electricity or running water, hotels, family friends’ couches, and subsidized housing.
Sometimes I don’t think our leaders really appreciate the gravity of a child having to quit drinking milk so that the baby can eat, or search under the couch cushions for a couple bucks for some potatoes. The effects of being teased for wearing thrift store garb to school and having an outfit rotation of two pairs of pants and three t shirts. Being the only kid who can’t afford to go on field trips, or join in on team sports, the kid who gets screamed at when they come home because the school wants a deposit for textbooks, or when you need 5 bucks for a poster board for a project. Having mental conditions go untreated because pills are too expensive, and have your first visit to the dentist when you’re 12. To be embarrassed when your friends see the inside of your fridge, and know that even if you graduate that there is no college fund, or even an expectation that you will go to college.
How about the kids who sleep in the back of a car, and go to school without clean clothes or a shower?
But by all means, ‘leaders’, give yourself another pay raise, and pat yourselves on the back for the wonderful and socially conscious progress you’ve made.
Also, I know this is totally off topic, but slightly related…
Another step in the gentrification process in East Van: They wanna get rid of dumpsters entirely. They want to go curbside with trash down there. Matt, seeing as you live like right there, what do you think about it?
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In Ontario, with the Ontario Works program (social assistance) a single person is currently expected to live on $548 per month. Broken down: Shelter max $342. Basic needs $206. These rates are the “increased rate” from last year. That total folks includes people living in Toronto and across the province. The waiting lists for social housing are incredibly long. I’m all for raising minimum wage to at least $10/hr. The goal of the Ontario Works program is to assist clients to overcome obstacles to finding long term sustainable employment. Addiction issues aside; In many economically depressed regions of Ontario, families simply can’t afford to make ends meet on minimum wage. Add health problems to the mix, and well…I’m sure you see what I mean. Children are living in poverty because their guardians/parents are living in poverty.
Just out of curiosity…anyone know the assistance amount for a single person per month in Alberta vs. BC…NFLD, NB??
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Quoting Minivan mom:
In BC.
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Sorry if anyone mentioned this already….Kids fresh out of university with HUGE debt loads.
One part of the debt load (besides tuition) comes from credit cards and the whole “buy now, pay later” mentality that is forced down our throats from the moment we qualify for a credit card. Welcome week at University includes Mastercard/Visa reps sucking kids into “FREE MONEY! WOO HOO!”
I strongly feel that parents and schools should teaching children in elementary/j. high school about RESPONSIBLE credit card use/borrowing.
Some of these kids don’t even have a bloody chance when they graduate. Up to their eyeballs in debt…no wonder they settle for the shitty low paying jobs. They have to make at least SOME money to pay off all the debt.
I’m not against credit cards by any means…I just feel we have to be smart about using them to avoid the spiral into poverty. I’ve seen debt spiral people into a world of shit (like having to live in their car with their kids).
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The Toronto Star had an interesting, thought-provoking article on this today. Fully 29% of families in Toronto live in poverty (includes two parent families with children 17 and under, I believe) and over half of one parent families…so 1 in 2, single-parent families live in poverty. Many factors contribute to this - Toronto is a magnet for new immigrants, unable to find employment equal to their education levels from other countries, and attracts those seeking employment from other distressed areas of the country.
Further to what you mentioned, santcruzstinkyd, is the credit situation. The article mentions the proliferation of payday loan establishments, and the concentration of these businesses in poor areas. How is one to get out of debt and begin to build equity when beholden to a debt load that is accumulating at an exponential rate? It is a crime, I believe, that these businesses are allowed to function. I know that we live in an essentially free-market (within reason) society, but really? Is this a service that we truly need? Or should the government begin to loan out these small amounts to individuals at a reasonable interest rate. Just asking….
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Becca steps raised a great point….many people working minimum wages jobs are being screwed by their employers. If they don’t work 40hrs /week, no benefits. So to the gentleman who commented about people getting more money on welfare by having more kids….I say this: Please don’t paint all with the same brush. Many of my clients are working at minimum wage jobs. They WANT to work. However, are better off receiving social assistance so the cost of their prescription medication is covered. Hugely important for people suffering with mental illness. Dental work for kids; covered. In Ontario we have something called an “earnings exemption” for Ontario Works clients. Once you’ve been receiving ongoing financial assistance for 3 months, the gov’t doesn’t deduct your income from employment dollar for dollar. You get to keep 50% of what you earn as incentive to keep working. Are the other provinces doing this?
Another observation: Many of my clients were not able to learn in traditional school settings by the methods utilized by teachers in the public education system. Teachers use visual/audio teaching methods. That doesn’t work too well if you’re a tactile learner. Many of my clients have learning disabilites. They grew up hating school, and feel “stupid”. They’re not stupid…just learn in a different way.
Do ya think the government could spare a little change….from lets see, ohhh maybe the SENATE??!! to help out in other much needed areas.
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Quoting MCalder:
Alberta has the worst Labor Laws in Canada. NDP generally supports labor.
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I live in Alberta. I’m surrounded by “good ol’ boys” who make a lot of money in what they consider honest work. The same good ol’ boys who view welfare programs utilized by people who “won’t pull themselves up by their bootstraps”.
And you will pardon me if I rant a bit, but the condition of the social programs in Canada, especially in Alberta, are my expertise.
I, by virtue of being orphaned at a young age, grew up in the social system. Alberta social programs are horrendous. Absolutely ridiculous. I was luckier than most in that I had a small inheritance to supplement support, but at one point I was to move out on my own. For various reasons, a group home was not viable, and at 15 years old I found myself apartment hunting while trying to adjust to 10th grade.
When I was rolled into the program, I was expecting 500 a month. To cover rent, groceries, and bills. It was a tight amount, but I had recently picked up a job serving at a convention centre so I could fill in the cracks and make up the extra funds I would need to survive month to month. When I got my first cheque, it was half that. Half.
And I was forced, with the full support of the Alberta government, to start skipping classes to make ends meet. It wasn’t done to get new clothes. This was done because, every month, I didn’t have enough money to cover rent. Let alone electricity. And I began to eat only at work, where they would take the cost of a staff meal off my paycheque. So I’d eat maybe three times a week. Working was the only way I got to eat.
The government agencies knew. They all knew. I was a star student. And I started failing classes. I had to skip three classes every day in order to make it to my workplace. A few teachers understood what was happening, and spoke out on my behalf to get me more leeway in regards to attendance, but those in charge could not be swayed. I failed to graduate. Do you understand how shaming that is? That was my entire focus. I could get out of this all if only I had a way to get into college. And the only way I could graduate was to live on the streets. I still can’t believe I ever had to make that decision.
I spoke out at conventions and policy meetings. I would speak to large groups of people trying to change the system. Trying to put a human face to the turmoil. I wasn’t a meth addict who got thrown out of their home. I wasn’t a teenage offender. I was an A-student. I volunteered my time to local charities (after getting thrown out of school for attendance issues). I was so many things that they assumed people who used the social programs weren’t. I would get a standing ovation off the stage after I gave my speeches, and then I would get the pat on the shoulder while being told that “these requests just aren’t fiscally feasible”. My life, my future, wasn’t good business.
Pardon me if I tell those who believe that to fuck off.
Now I’m not the only person who lived through it all. I worked next to single parents who were trying to give their children absolutely everything they could. I had it so much better than they did because my decisions only affected myself. They were making hard choices and decisions for their entire families. One of my siblings (I was separated from them by a province and absolutely no allowed contact) had to live in a tent, his social workers would meet him out there for his scheduled visits. One of them even joked to him that it saved the provincial government money. Hilarious stuff, right?
I’ve never wanted pity. I want justice. I want to be able to say that my government did not fail me, as a taxpayer, by providing any assistance needed to those living in poverty.
Lives depend on properly funded social programs. Programs that are able to meet the current economic climate. We do a great fucking disservice to our fellow humans to believe, or accept, anything less.
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What ever happened to child tax benefits or tax deductions for children being across the board. Now those who make just enough have their children exempted (prejudiced) from benefits. Those who have many kids they don’t look after collect benefits that don’t go to the children and those who have too much pay an accountant to make it look like they need the benefits. The benefit should be equal to all children and those who can save for education may have another option for a better future and for those who need it just to survive might have hope of student help. This all working when parents don’t use it for themselves.
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Thanks to Gordon Campbell’s “training wage” the poverty numbers in BC should continue to climb. That man’s got reservation for a real special hot spot in hell. @%# I hate that guy.
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I agree with raising the minimum wage to at least $10. Actually I thought that was what it was currently in Canada. Here in NY its a mere $7.15, up from $6 which is what it was a couple years ago, but still in one of the most expensive places to live in the country, it’s peanuts. Not even. It’s peanut shells. I really thought Canada would be on the ball with that type of thing. At least health care costs up there aren’t as crazy as here.
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Mendhi - It’s nice to see someone from the “system” (Alberta) as well posting about this.
I agree with you 100% on social assistance programs and the well being of young people in any province.
It’s disgusting what I’ve seen, what I’ve been through, and how the government chooses to justify it.
Thanks for speaking your story. It’s imperative that people realize just how far down the proverbial rabbit hole we are going. For many, social assistance programs stereotypes people as inadequate, lazy or otherwise, without delving to much into the lives of these people or whatever.
But you see Intervention or a “hero” on Oprah and apparently people who watch that crap, have some kind of revelation. Which I think is complete BS.
As I watched a flock of people run downtown in Regina last night to celebrate the Riders winning the Grey Cup I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if everyone gathered like that for Global Warming or against the war in Iraq or Iran. Instead all of our liberations happen during the playoffs. Cops couldn’t even handle the amount of people that came out. It proves that people will ally together. It’s just at what incentive.
So things can change. But it’s not good business, or it’s only interesting when aired as a primetime special.
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Personally I think that canceling the upcoming GST cut would be an excellent way to start.
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Just some thoughts that came to mind..
I am not an economics buff by any means, but if we were to increase minimum wage, would that not give our children and other Canadian citizens a chance to have a better start or do better for them selves in general? Would that not allow them more spending priveleges in the end making the economy better? At the very least, if for our own selfish reasons, how could it not make the government, Harper or anyone feel good at the end of the day knowing that a child is more likely to eat dinner and sleep under a roof?
mstraw: I agee with that. I think we should reinstate the old tax percentages.
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Becca, you know what the real tragedy is? That it isn’t just my story (or yours). Thousands of kids across the country are living out their own variations on it. They are going without food and they have to make tough decisions about their lives and the majority of them aren’t even in puberty yet.
But those kids aren’t in a large enough tax bracket (let alone old enough to vote) for it to really matter.
And I know exactly what you mean with the Oprah comment. “See how much they care? They are crying about it on daytime tv.” Fuck that. Tears aren’t currency. And ain’t that a shame.
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The fact that a large sum of elementary schools across Canada have to provide free breakfast and lunch to their students is absolutely devastating. As Matthew said, one in 6 children is living in poverty, going by that number, my guess is that 2/6 children would be going hungry were it not for these meal programs. You can say what you wish about the poor, and make as many assumptions about their situation as you want, but when it comes down to it, these children are not being fed properly, are not receiving adequate health and dental care, and are most likely living in areas or situations that could be hazardeous to their health and safety. Poverty IS a cycle and if we can’t help these families escape it, their children are most likely never going to escape its force.
It’s easy to say that raising the minimum wage will harm small businesses, but it must also be noted that if more people are making $10/hr more buying power is created and therefore, may actually help small business revenue. Changing tax credits is something I do not know much about, so I will not go there. Social housing is most definitely expensive, but in my opinion is money better spent than say the billions of dollars we are pouring out for a senseless war. Affordable housing is a must if we intend to break the cycle of poverty. Sure $35,000/year sounds like a lot of money, especially to some of us who are not yet responsible for a family, but it is not. Take Vancouver for example where it is nearly impossible to find a rental property for under $1200 a month, plus utilities, food, health insurance (if this is even remotely within budget), child care, transportation, tuition, student debt, taxes… the list goes on. Child care alone can cost over $1000 per month/ child. If a single mother making minimum wage has to pay $1000/month for her one child, that leaves her with a little over $200 to spend on housing, food, etc. So is it so wrong that she chooses social assistence over a job? I do understand that there are programs in place to assist with child care costs, but my point is that they are not doing enough.
Free child care, in my opinion would be one of the most beneficial actions the government could take. Both parents would be given the freedom to find a job, while knowing that their children are safe. In single parent households, the parent could actually pay bills and possibly even manage to save some money.
All in all, there are many steps needed before we can make a difference here, but they are steps that need to begin now. The fact that our child poverty rate has not changed since 1989 is unaccetpatble and absolutely disgusting.
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That is so sad, but it’s time to get mad!
I feel like there is a helpless attitude amongst people towards hearing news of that nature, but it can’t be that way if it’s ever going to change. The rich quite obviously continue to get richer, the poor poorer, and all the folks in between are too busy playing x-box, drinking beer, microwaving hot pockets, smoking pot, surfing the net for porn, examining and correcting the symmetry of their facial hair, and watching American Idol to give a shit!
Unless we start caring more about the people suffering around us than the amount of gigs in the new I-pods we are all fucked, we’ll eventually get fucked even further, and we’ll fucking deserve it!
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To be candid- I make a poverty wage, as defined. Were I to have a child, it too would be included in those stats. It’s only because I don’t have any dependents that I live reasonably.
Here in Hamilton, ON, 1 in 4 children live in households declared living in poverty.
The City invested $1 million on an art gallery sign that fell down after a week and was completely destroyed.
We’ll care when we care enough, fight when we’re losing enough, and regret when we can’t get back what we gave up through carelessness and the unwillingness to defend what’s rightfully ours as a democratic people.
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There is no reason why there should be ANY children leaving in poverty in Canada…its disgusting really
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Vancouver 27791 - Minimum wage should be $13.36 per hour
Toronto 27343 - $13.14
Ottawa 26503 - $12.74
Charlottetown 25434 - $12.22
Halifax 24607 - $11.83
Calgary 24180 - $11.62
St. Johns 24096 - $11.58
Fredericton 23940 - $11.50
Hamilton 23745 - $11.41
Edmonton 23571 - $11.33
Winnipeg 22750 - $10.93
Regina 22442 - $10.78
Montreal 22441 - $10.78
$10 minimum wage would not cut it anywhere to escape poverty.
there should be an implemented minimum wage across the country of at least $14 per hour.
the only organization that i know is pushing for this would be the communist party of canada, who advocates $15 an hour, indexed to inflation.
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brak109, nice breakdown…
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In the above comment, I meant to say “there is no reason why there should be ANY children living in poverty in Canada, not leaving in poverty…whoops
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To brak109 and others advocating a sharp increase in the minimum wage,
I do not think that increasing the minimum wage is the way to go:
-many of those who will bennefit are not poor (i.e. many high school students)
-such a move would result in slower job growth as employers would be less likely to add jobs
-inflation would rise thereby erroding purchasing power of those that we are trying help
Increasing federal work tax credits is a good idea, so is increasing the personal exemption limit and child bennefits.
Wise investments in programs such school meals, pre/post natel education etc.. are good ideas too.
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$10 minimum wage would not cut it anywhere to escape poverty.
there should be an implemented minimum wage across the country of at least $14 per hour.
the only organization that i know is pushing for this would be the communist party of canada, who advocates $15 an hour, indexed to inflation.
11 / 27 / 14:49
Just goes to show the economic common sense of communists.
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High school students aren’t poor? I don’t know about everyone else but I had to start working a minimum wage job at Burger King when I turned 14 to help my family out. Back then the minimum wage was something like $4.75 in NY. We got our school clothes in thrift shops. I couldn’t afford to go to college right away. I’m not complaining, at all, just saying that not all teenagers get to wear designer clothes and BMWs for their birthdays.
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You know the idea of not raising the minimum wage is completely ludicrous.
Thankfully, here in Regina the minimum wage was raised to $9.25 by the NDP Party for Mar/2009 to help support wage earners before the conservatives were elected into parliament in the Nov/2007 election.
I can see where some of you are coming from in regards to keeping minimum wage at its current levels, but the idea of keeping the wage at its current amount because some worker may be more advantageous than the other is just another example of the “little guy” getting beaten up whenever he tries to make a STEP up in the right direction.
The rate of inflation in our provinces is sky rocketing to exorbitant levels. Rent alone in Regina for the cost of a two bedroom apartment is on average $650 dollars a month.
So lets break this down, keeping in mind everything I’ve mentioned above:
Single Person:
Works on average 30 hrs/week at $7.95/hr: $238.50/week. (Give or take depending on whether said individual takes breaks or not).
$238.50/week, multiplied by four = $954.00/month
Don’t forget taxes = roughly $800.00/month (give or take a little)
$800 - RENT (650) = $150.00 remaining.
Average apartment units usually include all utilities other than phone, cable, internet, and power.
I’ll be generous and say power is $40/month…now the individual has $110 remaining…
Phone (If they don’t have a cell phone) - $30 = $80
Groceries (Can you live off of $80 worth of groceries for the month?) = $0
This doesn’t include clothing, health care, dental care, internet, cable, etc.
This is a single student. So where does that leave the single parent? Or the low income families with both parents working minimum wage?
Some people or young people have the advantage of rooming with someone leaving them with $325 extra dollars a month, which is still not that great, but for the low income parent(s) you can hardly justify rooming with someone else, or much less talk someone into it.
Sure, I think there are a lot of programs that should be implemented to help people in poverty, tax breaks is definitely one of them. But to blatantly ignore the fact that rents are through the roof, utilities are going up every year (and groceries), and that these people have no way of saving themselves presently is just plain obtuse. Until these programs are implemented, what do you suppose people should do in the meantime?
I think one of the biggest problems facing society currently is the inability to look into the present towards the future. Rather we seem to take doctrine from the past and look directly into the future, oftentimes only reaping benefit to the stronger. The stronger being wealthier.
On the issue of small business, interestingly enough, minimum wage isn’t what small business owners should be worried out…in fact, the biggest problem for small businesses is trans corps. that sell everything at discount prices, driving community businesses under. These businesses would thrive if it wasn’t for major box stores taking over all the land in every adjacent corner. That’s real issue, not employee wages.
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I live in Calgary. A United Way represetative recently spoke at an employer sponsored breakfast at my workplace. The representative mentioned that nearly 50% of homeless people in this city are gainfully employed. Soaring housing costs and a nearly extinct vacancy rate in this city has forced hardworking families to partake in social programs.
Alberta may be rolling in the oil money but we, the people, aren’t benefitting.
The Universal Child Tax Benefit is a joke. It is $100 per month, per child. I spend nearly $6000 a year in child care. For a struggling family, $100 a month won’t cut it. My husband and I have good paying jobs and don’t need this money. When it came out, I declined the benefit through Revenue Canada. When I phoned to do that, I was passed to 3 different customer service reps before someone could help me - it was completely foreign to them that I would refuse the money. Any family can decline the benefit. If enough affluent families refused the benefit and sent letters outlining their reasons, the government may come to realize that blanket policies that benefit all instead of those who truly need it, are not the solution.
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Hi Tibbychick,
I never said that high school students aren’t poor. Way to go on helping your family out.
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Hi Becca Steps,
Firstly, the minimum wage should continue to increase - at the rate of inflation.
Looking at it your way, I can see how you think that a big raise in min wage is needed.
In your monthly expenditure analysis, please consider however:
-A work week for non-students is 40h/week
-If you are taking the example of a student, then student loans should be included as income
-In your example, income taxes should be decrease to $0 with a slight increase in the basic deduction and other credits, you could actually get back money depending on provincial credits and gst credits
-You should not assume that a low-income earner will pay average rent. A nice, clean, safe room in a rooming house in Winnipeg costs about $300/month, including phone and all utilities
A single parent’s situation is a lot tougher. I do not have the stats, but I think that many single parents are not working therefore how will a wage increase help them?
Both parents working minimum wage should get help from the government.
I agree in our inability to plan for the future. Ruducing poverty requires investments to education that will take 10-20 years. Politicians are looking out 4-5 max.
I disagree with your views on trans corps and small business but that is another issue. Consider this though - if the minimum wage gets jacked up, this will hurt small retailers much more than large because labour makes up a larger percentage of their overall costs. Also, more consumers (the rich ones) will shop accross the border and online, damaging the canadian economy - and the poor.
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Mr. Federkevic
Hello to you too :)
If you notice I posted earlier on this issue.
I would like to sum it up this way.
I just recently became a student. And let me tell ya. My loans will be astronomical when I get out, but the financial freedom I have now is quite liberating. And yes, from the help of student loans.
Before I was a student, I worked for small businesses and corporations. In short, I’ve held several jobs, all paying minimum wage. And let me tell ya, it wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t fluffy.
I was not allocated 40 hrs/wk. Mainly due to the fact that corporations don’t want to have to pay out benefits. Starbucks, a mighty corporation, only allocated me 25hrs/week. However, Starbucks has a little more class and will provide benefits and stocks for part time employees, students or not, if you work at least 20 hrs/wk. In fact, as much as people put Starbucks down, it’s actually one of the better employers to work for these days. They pay over minimum wage and offer benefits.
A lot of other companies don’t. I happen to work for a very great person currently and thankfully she understands my schedule to work around it. Again, I’ll point out that these bosses are few and far between the many jobs I’ve held. Minimum Wage earners often work two jobs to make up the hours they are working and get no benefit package and get taxed to hell for trying to make ends meet.
In 2005 alone, I am still paying back $1200 for working over the tax bracket and yet I didn’t even break even that year. Hence, the decision at 25 to go back to school. I’ll have debt either way, might as well have debt that can be put to good use.
The issue of minimum wage is a very touchy issue for me. As I have been a wage slave for a decade.
I was signed over to the government as a teenager and have been working to survive ever since. Personally I’ve experienced government programs and funding and yada yada yada first hand. The fluffy words just don’t cut it for me, I’ve been on the other end of the stick and I wouldn’t wish that on anybody or try to justify that kind of suffering for the sake of Money, Jobs, and Economy.
And I’m not saying economy isn’t an issue. I’m just saying that when economy is thrown around as more important than any animal or individual…I personally, have a huge issue with that. Not that it will change any time soon I suppose.
Times are hard for dreamers.
-Amelie
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Mr. Federkevic
Hello to you too :)
If you notice I posted earlier on this issue.
I would like to sum it up this way.
In regards to the example of a student, I apologize. I was using myself as an example, forgetting that I’m currently a student. But that was my forecast before I enrolled at University this year.
I just recently became a student. And let me tell ya. My loans will be astronomical when I get out, but the financial freedom I have now is quite liberating. And yes, from the help of student loans.
Before I was a student, I worked for small businesses and corporations. In short, I’ve held several jobs, all paying minimum wage. And let me tell ya, it wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t fluffy.
I was not allocated 40 hrs/wk. Mainly due to the fact that corporations don’t want to have to pay out benefits. Starbucks, a mighty corporation, only allocated me 25hrs/week. However, Starbucks has a little more class and will provide benefits and stocks for part time employees, students or not, if you work at least 20 hrs/wk. In fact, as much as people put Starbucks down, it’s actually one of the better employers to work for these days. They pay over minimum wage and offer benefits.
A lot of other companies don’t. I happen to work for a very great person currently and thankfully she understands my schedule to work around it. Again, I’ll point out that these bosses are few and far between the many jobs I’ve held. Minimum Wage earners often work two jobs to make up the hours they are working and get no benefit package and get taxed to hell for trying to make ends meet.
In 2005 alone, I am still paying back $1200 for working over the tax bracket and yet I didn’t even break even that year. Hence, the decision at 25 to go back to school. I’ll have debt either way, might as well have debt that can be put to good use. I don’t know what you mean about money coming back…I’ve seen portions of it come back through GST credit. Four checks dispersed every three months for $60-$120 doesn’t really cut it. Sorry. And rooming houses can also be a disaster. I’ve been there too. Not saying that there aren’t any safe ones out there. But if someone ever does find good ones, they should write a book about where they are, it would help a lot of people. Also not everyone qualifies for cheap room and board through the gov’t. I’m not sure if you’ve ever been down that road before, but it’s not textbook and don’t mean to offend you by saying that. I just think that what your saying is stuff I’ve heard before from people who’ve never had to live that life.
I’m not trying to be negative, but it’s reality. Things are not what they seem. And what they tell you and what is happening are two different things. I’m doing fine now and I hope to do fine as long as I can, based on what I know now. A lot of people aren’t as lucky as I was to get out.
The issue of minimum wage is a very touchy issue for me. As I have been a wage slave for a decade.
I was signed over to the government as a teenager and have been working to survive ever since. Personally I’ve experienced government programs and funding and yada yada yada first hand. The fluffy words just don’t cut it for me, I’ve been on the other end of the stick and I wouldn’t wish that on anybody or try to justify that kind of suffering for the sake of Money, Jobs, and Economy.
And I’m not saying economy isn’t an issue. I’m just saying that when economy is thrown around as more important than any animal or individual…I personally, have a huge issue with that. Not that it will change any time soon I suppose.
Times are hard for dreamers.
-Amelie
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Sorry everyone, I tried to edit and I dunno what happened. My bad :(
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Quoting Dan Federkevic:
Ok sorry I took what you wrote out of context.
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Minimum wage, in NZ, is graduated according to age. It’s a very innovative system.
And I think that it would be a step in the right direction here to acknowledging that not everyone earning minimum wage is a student.
Actually, I like a lot of what NZ is doing to combat poverty within its borders. Their social programs (while still not absolutely ideal) are entirely more based in reality than anything we have here in Canada. It’s a very large reason my family is moving there.
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Hi Amelie,
I can understand your passion for the issue and it is normal that our objectivity be clouded by personal experiences.
We both want the same thing - less poor people - escpecially kids, and agree that one of the solutions is to put more money in the pockets of working people. We probably agree on other solutions that are needed.
The economy is people, it is jobs/unemployment, it is poverty/prosperity, suffering/happiness, if you want to address these issues you cannot ignore it.
Thanks for sharing and good luck.
Dan.
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Ironically this very topic was one of the first things we discussed in my program (early childhood education). Campaign 2000 has some scary stats. The fact that children still live in poverty, not just in Canada, breaks my heart.
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notepad,
It is heartbreaking, and thanks for reminding us what this thread was originally about. It is absolutely inexcusable and shameful for a society as prosperous as ours to allow so many children to live in poverty.
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I read about these child poverty findings in the newspaper recently. Yes its complete bullshit, given the country we live in. But much of it is our fault. Poverty has obviously not been an issue Canadians have demanded enough from our politicians. If Canadians want to help stop this outrage, i recommend they visit makepovertyhistory.ca & become active participants by contacting their local MP’s and all those in government representing them (such as Finance Minister Jim Flaherty) & tell them what you think.
Enough of this “oh this is horrible” and time for us to actually do something about it.
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I apologize
I think I could’ve been the culprit for straying the topic off of its path.
Initially, I was just trying to point out the origins of child poverty and looking at that aspect of things.
Oops…
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I didn’t mean to belittle your point, Becca. I happen to agree with you on the min. wage, and I agree with moonlight that this is the time for action. I just thought it was good to be reminded about the topic of the original post. I thought that all this talk about the “dangers” of increasing the minimum wage was obscuring the insane reality of living in a society with an economy that can easily afford supporting these children, but won’t.
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Hi Stephen,
The minimum wage issue was the number one reccomendation by campaign 2000.
The “danger” is that doing this may actually increase child poverty in the long run.
One bad reccomendation weakens the other three good ones.