HALIFAX, N.S. — Government help during the pandemic did more than help people get through a tough time. It also helped lift people out of poverty. But ...
HALIFAX, N.S. — Government help during the pandemic did more than help people get through a tough time. It also helped lift people out of poverty. But unfortunately, things have gone back to the way they were for some. And it’s gotten worse for others. The high price of food, energy and rising inflation is leaving people behind. That’s why several groups decided to hold community conversations and roundtable to discuss the cost of living crisis in Nova Scotia.
Of course, income is one piece of the experience but poverty is very dynamic. So not only do people not have enough income, the jobs aren't giving them enough wages, social assistance programs aren't giving them enough even to pay rent, let alone buy things for their kids or pay for their utilities or pay for their car, when it breaks down, like the brakes break down, or you need to top up with gas, and they don't have that kind of money.
With the Canada Child Benefit, you see a bit more of a drop. But in 2020, the child poverty rate drops, like we've never seen before. And I think in Nova Scotia, it dropped by about 24%. It was a really large decline that year. And that was because of that CERB coming into families, mostly because of the services, other pandemic benefits. So, we know, when there is political will, there is a way to do this. There is a way to address poverty very quickly.
And we saw that in the last couple of days. There's a willingness, certainly on the part of those with lived experience, diverse individuals with lived experience. There's a willingness on their part to share their experiences, which is very risky, for many different reasons. And it takes a lot of courage, a lot of resilience. It's very emotional. So we have to have the difficult conversations, listen deeply, and work from the inside out from the street level.
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