Time for Poverty Reduction in BC

BCCPD is a member of the Poverty Reduction Coalition (PRC).

On February 5, 2009, more than 200 organizations and community leaders joined together to call on all BC political parties to commit to a comprehensive poverty reduction plan, with legislated targets and timelines.

Visit the PRC website for the most current updates on this crucial campaign. 

If the BC government were a basketball player…

And check out this excellent one-minute video and please and pass it on via email, Facebook, Twitter or your favourite sharing tool. It’ll make you laugh, but there’s a serious message here for anyone who cares about poverty in BC. Video by Sean Devlin.

BC Poverty Facts

Here are some basic facts about poverty in BC. For more information, visit the BC Poverty Reduction website.

By any measure, BC has the highest poverty rate in Canada – and as we head into a global economic downturn, the situation risks getting worse.

• Over half a million British Columbians – 13% of our province’s population – live in poverty. One in four are children.
• BC has had the highest child poverty rate in Canada five years in a row.
• Most poor people are working. More than half of BC’s poor children live in families where at least one parent has a full-time job.
• According to the 2008 Metro Vancouver Homelessness Count, there are more than 2,660 homeless people in the region. That’s more than double the number of homeless counted in 2002 (a 137% increase).
• Women, Aboriginal people, recent immigrants and refugees, and people with disabilities, mental health issues and/or addictions are most vulnerable to poverty.
• There’s nothing inevitable about poverty.