Category: Blog: Poverty

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Introduction

One in nine Canadians lives in poverty—or 11% of the overall population. That’s according to the latest (and first) report from the National Advisory Council on Poverty. The good news is that this rate is trending downwards. The bad news is that other poverty indicators, such as food security, unmet housing needs, and low literacy, suggest increased hardship for marginalized people living in low-income.

Opportunity for All

The recently convened advisory council was formed as part of Canada’s 2018 poverty reduction strategy: Opportunity for All. The council’s purpose is to monitor government progress on poverty reduction efforts. These efforts aim to reduce poverty by 20% by 2020 and 50% by 2030 (in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals).

The council consists of 10 members: six general members, two members with lived experience, one focused on children’s issues, and one chairperson from across six provinces and one territory. It is of particular interest to ESPC and the local Edmonton community that one of the general members is based here in the city—Bent Arrow Executive Director Cheryl Whiskeyjack. A council member who can speak to the issues that affect our community is incredibly valuable on the national stage.

The report summarizes the council’s review of government progress towards its poverty targets, amplifies the voices of those with lived experience, and recommends improvements to poverty reduction efforts. It does all of these things in a very digestible, humble manner that notes successes and, more importantly, limitations based on information collected and shared.

Themes throughout the report include:

• the need for disaggregated data,
• the impacts of COVID-19, and
• ongoing barriers faced by marginalized communities.

Data Needs

Although Canada’s poverty rate has steadily decreased,[1] understanding how populations are affected by intersecting experiences of poverty remains limited due to a lack of disaggregated data (that is, data that can be separated into discrete categories).

According to 2016 census data, the poverty rate for racialized individuals (20.6%) was nearly double that of non-racialized individuals (10.6%). However, the unique experiences of (what the council refers to as) subpopulations, not to mention cross-population identities, cannot be captured by current data measures. According to the council,

disaggregated data is not available on any of the indicators tracked under the Poverty Reduction Strategy for Indigenous people living on reserve or LGBTQ2S individuals. A limited amount of data is available on immigrants, Indigenous people living off reserve, persons with disabilities and racialized populations. (p. 55)

These are populations at higher risk of experiencing multi-dimensional poverty, but high-quality data is not yet available to help guide appropriate poverty reduction efforts.

The report offers suggestions to improve disaggregated data collection beyond age and sex. Changes would include finding ways to reach underserved populations for survey participation, increasing sample sizes for smaller population groups, and adding questions to allow for meaningful data. Though necessary steps, these would all require input and collaboration with representatives from impacted groups.

COVID-19

Pandemic response measures caused an abrupt interruption to the council’s work and limited its ability to complete cross-country engagement sessions. However, before the work was suspended, council members spoke to individuals, stakeholders, and service providers in British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Representatives from Boyle Street, EndPoverty Edmonton, and C5 took part in Edmonton’s stakeholder consultation sessions.

Participant statements are peppered throughout the report, providing a lived-experience lens to the broader policy discussion. Individuals living in poverty faced additional challenges in accessing support during the pandemic through benefit and service online navigation—due to limited digital literacy and the need to access technology and the internet. Others faced challenges in accessing shelter—whether due to reduced capacity, limited staff, or unlawful evictions.

Ongoing Barriers

Despite decreased poverty rates, marginalized groups that face poverty continue to come up against barriers in accessing support. Though the experience of poverty varies between each individual, there are also common challenges.

Some of the struggles identified by participants include:

• lack of choice or having to choose between essential needs (such as paying for rent or groceries),
• long wait times to access resources, and
• access to addictions and mental health supports.

Existing programs (such as housing and child care benefits and food support) are often inadequate to meet individuals’ needs and fail to improve household circumstances. Recipients reported feeling that these programs merely maintain the status quo. Therefore, programs must ensure agency and choice for clients and recipients and include wraparound supports to address intersectional challenges faced by individuals living in poverty.

Recommendations

The council shares five recommendations for government action to maintain progress on poverty reduction efforts. These include:

• Focus on areas where progress is not improving—food security, housing and homelessness, literacy and numeracy, and the poverty gap;
• Collaborate with Indigenous nations to develop measures and strategies that address issues specific to their communities;
• Improve data collection strategies and include questions that lead to purposeful data disaggregation;
• Ensure all strategies, policies, and programs are developed, implemented, and reviewed with an equity lens; and
• Collaborate with provinces and territories to improve the social safety net and develop a streamlined and low barrier system.

Poverty reduction efforts cannot be framed as a one-size-fits-all approach. What’s needed is more investment in the types of supports that are proven to work—like affordable or supportive housing, affordable child care, and access to culturally appropriate programming. These are initiatives supported by ESPC—ones that we will continue to advocate for as social needs evolve and governments change.

Overall, some of the poverty targets set by the government have seen progress. However, uncertain outcomes of the pandemic will undoubtedly create set backs in some areas and maintain ongoing challenges in others. It’s up to the government to enact policies and measures that will result in support that can be applied evenly to all those who need it the most.  

To read more, check out some our latest publications online:

Affordable Housing

Child Care and Child Poverty

Race-Based Data

_______________________

[1] The report presents data from 2015–2018. The poverty rate decreased from 14.5% in 2015 to 11% in 2018. Statistics Canada shows that the poverty rate has continued to decrease and was down to 10.1% in 2019. 

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Introduction

Recent attention has been given to low-income single adults, describing them as the “forgotten poor.” More people are living as singles—as a share of the population, single people have grown from 9% in 1981 to 14% in 2016. Despite Canada-wide anti-poverty measures, many single adults are struggling to meet their basic needs. A recent study by the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) found that working-age singles make up the largest proportion of people who access social assistance, and they are three times as likely to live in poverty as the average Canadian.

IRPP argues that single adults have been overlooked by policy reforms and largely “forgotten” by social policy. This blog post will illuminate how singles are “forgotten” due (in part) to stereotypes and stigma about able-bodied working-age singles.

Income Supports and Living in Edmonton

A single adult who is “expected to work” can receive $415 in core essential benefits and $330 for private shelter through Alberta Works every month. Within Edmonton, in 2018 the median income of singles living in poverty (both those who are on and those who are not on income support) was $13,150. This was $8,683 below the low-income cut-off.

The cost of living in Edmonton far surpasses what people living on low incomes earn. In 2020, the rent for a bachelor apartment was, on average, $881 a month. In 2019, a nutritious diet for an adult male (aged 31–50) would cost about  $76.50 a week (or $306 a month assuming a 4-week month). Many single adults cannot afford their basic needs and end up living is substandard housing, skipping meals, and relying on community services to survive.

Poverty reduction is a priority for federal and provincial governments. The enhancement of child benefits, for example, have succeeded in lifting many children and families out of poverty. However, outside of modest income supports and GST credits, there is little support available to single, able-bodied adults. So, the question remains, why are singles being left out of poverty reduction measures?

Stereotypes and Stigma

For better or worse, our society judges people who use income and social supports. Western society’s focus on neoliberalism leads us to believe that individuals are responsible for their own situation. People are expected to get a job and work hard to support themselves, make good decisions to get ahead in life, and are ultimately responsible for their success in life as well as their failures.

As a result, single, working age, able-bodied adults are often stigmatized and blamed for their poverty. They are judged to be poor because they were lazy and did not work hard enough, or made irresponsible decisions with their money. There is a pervasive myth that people living in poverty lack morals and “choose” to stay on income supports instead of working for money. People living on low incomes or income supports are stereotyped as not caring about education, hard work, or other things that middle class society cares about. These kinds of judgements may implicitly inform programs designed to help low-income single adults.

Alberta income supports have very stringent eligibility criteria. In the “expected to work” category, recipients often must prove they are looking for work or upgrading their employment skills to continue to receive payments. Any additional payments that recipients access (such as special diet, transportation, medical costs) also require regular proof they “need” it. These processes have harmful effects on single adults accessing income supports. First, it can be a lot of work to constantly prove themselves. For example, an income support recipient may have to go to the doctor every few months to get a note to prove they still need a special diet. This time and energy could be put into better things that could improve their well-being. Second, these processes promote this idea that people on income support are untrustworthy or trying to fraud the system. Income support recipients must “prove” they won’t be dependent on the system for long periods of time, prove they can make responsible decisions, and prove they are not lying to get more money. It can be demoralizing to constantly prove yourself and your need.

Current Events

Income Support does not provide enough money to support single adults to live in Edmonton, and can leave these individuals feeling judged and demoralized. However, instead of supporting low-income single Edmontonians more, income supports are undergoing further cuts. In the 2021 budget, Income Support was cut by $66 million. Income Support recipients have shared anecdotal evidence that their additional payments have been removed with little warning, and they need to jump through hoops to get those payments again. Alarmingly, many have also shared fears of becoming homeless.

Government transfers provided unconditionally, that is, without having to prove deservedness, are essential to ensure low-income single adults are not forgotten or left out of poverty reduction measures. Unconditional government transfers are not a new idea. GST credits are available to all low- and modest-income individuals and families in order to offset the GST they pay. An individual does not have to “prove” their neediness or meet programming obligations in order to receive payments, they just have to file their taxes and report a low income.

These credits provide low-income individuals with more resources to make ends meet, without imposing judgments on them. However, more supports are needed. Universal Basic Income (UBI) is an unconditional payment from the government directly to individuals. It can provide low-income single adults with the resources they need to survive, while also adding security of consistent access to a sufficient income and removing stigma. A UBI can be a powerful tool to ensure single adults are no longer forgotten.

Read our Winter Research Update for a review of the IRPP report.

Sources:

Single Adult study: https://irpp.org/research-studies/canadas-forgotten-poor-putting-singles-living-in-deep-poverty-on-the-policy-radar/

Neoliberalism description: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/15/neoliberalism-ideology-problem-george-monbiot

CMHC rental report https://assets.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/sites/cmhc/data-research/publications-reports/rental-market-reports/2020/rental-market-report-69720-2020-en.pdf?rev=be3a15d8-891d-4f56-85fb-f79ae68e93c9

Alberta works payments. https://www.alberta.ca/income-support-what-you-get.aspx 

Nutritious food basket https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/de65c7d1-d133-4518-a133-2325378289d2/resource/f4bccae3-87bb-4869-8651-bccd40708359/download/af-edmonton-nutritious-food-basket-prices-overview-2018-2019.pdf

IS Cuts: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/income-support-funding-dropping-by-66m-in-2021-alberta-budget-1.5941765

UBI: https://www.basicincomecanada.org/

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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionally negative effect on Canadian women. At the start of the pandemic, women were more likely to lose jobs, and those who continued to work were more often employed in essential services that put them at a higher risk of coming into contact with the virus. The pandemic is rapidly changing our world, making it critical to keep track of changing trends.

This post will explore some of the ways this pandemic has widened a gendered division of labour. Across Canada, as industries have learned to adapt to restrictions and overall employment has improved, women continue to face inequalities, are less likely to return to work, and are more likely to take on increased child care responsibilities. In other words, as the pandemic has progressed, women have been shifting out of the labour force and back into the domestic sphere. This could have long-lasting ramifications for women’s social and economic position.

Women and Child Care

A recent study from Statistics Canada investigated how parents in couple relationships have divided child care responsibilities during the pandemic. At the start, schools and daycares were shut down to stop the spread of the virus. While these centres have since reopened, many parents are choosing to keep their children at home. Parents have therefore had to devote more time to caring for their children, and have the added responsibility of supporting them through online learning.

These increased demands have not been shared equally between parents. For example, 64% of women reported that they performed most of the homeschooling duties, and almost half (46%) of the men reported their partners did most of the homeschooling.

Child care patterns have been affected by the altered working status of parents. Men who worked at home (53%) were more likely than men who worked outside of the home (46%) to report that child care was shared equally with their partner. However, women who worked at home (40%) were more likely to report they performed most of the child care duties compared to women who worked outside the home (28%). For parents who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, men were more likely to report that parenting tasks were shared equally (56%), whereas 59% of women reported that they did the majority of the child care work.”

This study shows that men at home, whether they are unemployed or working from home, may take on more child care responsibilities, lessening the burden of women. However, women still tend to take on the majority of child care responsibilities. For women who work from home, this can be taxing on their time and contribute to high levels of stress.

Women and the Labour Force

As mentioned, women were more likely to lose their jobs at the beginning of the pandemic, but we are now seeing that they are also less likely to go back to work. A study by RBC economics found that between February and October 2020, 20,600 Canadian women left the labour force while 68,000 men joined. The number of women who have left the labour force has increased by 2.8% during the same time period.

There are three dominant reasons for this trend. First, women are more likely to be employed in industries that are slower to recover and more vulnerable to a second wave of lockdowns. Second, women may have limited opportunities to work from home compared to men. Third, as discussed, women are taking on more child care responsibilities and find it harder to work outside of the home setting.

Child care issues are closely correlated with women exiting the labour force. One of the largest cohorts of women to leave the labour force are those aged 35-39, half of whom have a child under the age of six. For all age groups, women with children under the age of six account for two thirds of those exiting the labour force. The authors suggest these women are leaving in order to focus on their increased child care responsibilities.

However, things are not all bad. Though young women aged 20-24 were another cohort that left the labour market in large numbers, three quarters were enrolled in post-secondary education. The RBC study suggests that this could mean young women are choosing to focus on school to improve their post-pandemic career prospects.

Why Does this Matter?

The authors claim that the pandemic “rolled back the clock on three decades of advances in women’s labour-force participation” (p. 1). Women are facing more domestic and child care responsibilities and reducing their participation in the paid labour market. This may have far reaching effects in terms of women’s equality. This change could place more women and children in precarious situations, and could push them into poverty.

Recovery efforts need to focus on women’s unique needs, such as providing safe and accessible child care, supporting women’s sectors in recovery efforts, supporting skill development so women can join sectors less vulnerable to the pandemic, and creating supports for women who choose to stay at home. Supporting women is imperative to a just and equitable recovery.

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Blog post by Aastha Tripathi, practicum student

The rapid emergence of COVID-19 and national efforts to minimize its spread have severely disrupted the lives of Canadians. To contain the spread of COVID-19, the federal government has advised Canadians to stay at home and shelter-in-place since March 2020. In response, many of us have adapted by working from home, staying at home except to get necessities, wearing face masks, and avoiding large social groups. For most Canadians, this is the first time experiencing unwanted and prolonged separation from the vital and deeply human aspect of social interaction.  These separation periods can increase feelings of loneliness—a key contributor to mental health issues such as substance abuse and depression. [1]

A Nanos poll commissioned by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Abuse found that 20% of Canadians who adhered to social distancing protocols reported drinking alcohol once a day in May 2020.  [2] Furthermore, one in ten Canadians reported that they had been drinking a larger quantity of alcohol in May compared to the previous month. [2] Alarmingly, 8% of Canadians indicated that they were unable to stop consumption on at least one occasion once they started. [2] Though consuming alcohol or cannabis can provide temporary relief to stress and anxiety [3], studies show that regular use of these substances can increase the risk of developing alcohol use disorder (AUD) or cannabis use disorder (CUD)—especially due to stresses during a pandemic. [4] Furthermore, individuals with a history of mental health disorders or problematic substance use are at an elevated risk of developing AUD and CUD when facing stressful situations. [5] Loneliness can lead to frequent and heavier substance consumption for some individuals, which can intensify feelings of loneliness, creating a vicious cycle. [6]

Acknowledging the problem is the first step to combat it. We must recognize that increased loneliness is an expected and probable consequence of the current stay at home measures. It is essential that COVID-19 relief efforts geared towards mental health target the removal of stigma surrounding those who admit to feeling lonely. Thankfully, there are resources such as Edmonton’s 24/7 Distress Helpline (managed by the Canadian Mental Health Association). There is also information on substance abuse and COVID-19 curated by the University of Alberta and the Assembly of First Nations. Though this prolonged social isolation has increased feelings of loneliness, it is crucial to remember that help is always available and accessible.

References

[1] Stickley, A., & Koyanagi, A. (2016). Loneliness, common mental disorders and suicidal behaviour: Findings from a general population survey. Journal of Affective Disorders, 197, 81-87.

[2] Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. (2020). Boredom and stress drives increased alcohol consumption during COVID-19: Nanos poll summary report. https://www.ccsa.ca/sites/default/files/2020-06/CCSA-NANOS-Increased-Alcohol-Consumption-During-COVID-19-Report-2020-en_0.pdf

[3] Eckardt, M.J., File, S.E., Gessa, G.L., Grant, K.A., Guerri, C., Hoffman, P.L., Kalant, H., Koob, H., Li, T.K., & Tabakoff, B. (1998). Effects of moderate alcohol consumption on the central nervous system. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, 22(5), 998-1040.

[4] Sinha, R. (2008). Chronic stress, drug use, and vulnerability to addiction. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1141, 105–130.

 [5] Andersen, S. L. (2019). Stress, sensitive periods, and substance abuse. Neurobiology of Stress, 10.

 [6] Leigh-Hunt, N., Bagguley, D., Bash, K., Turner, V., Turnbull, S., Valtorta, N., & Caan, W. (2017). An overview of systematic reviews on the public health consequences of social isolation and loneliness. Public Health, 152, 157–171.

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