Inequality and poverty

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June 25, 2018 (Halifax, NS)----Covering the costs to raise a family in the Maritimes requires two adults to be working full-time earning a living wage of $19 an hour in Halifax, $18.18 in Saint John and $17.75 in Antigonish. Since 2016, the living wage rate in Halifax decreased very slightly from $19.17, increased slightly in Antigonish from $17.30. The wages did not change very much because of the full year inclusion of the Canada Child Benefit and its indexation to inflation, which covered all or most of the expense increases.
This report provides updated living wage calculations for families living in Atlantic Canada. Covering the costs to raise a family in the Maritimes requires two adults to be working full-time earning a living wage of $19 an hour in Halifax, $18.18 in Saint John and $17.75 in Antigonish.
Le montant dont une famille de quatre personnes a besoin quand les deux parents travaillent à temps plein- un salaire convenable--est 19 $ par l’heure à Halifax, 18,18 $ à Saint Jean et 17,75 $ à Antigonish.
JUNE 20, 2018 (SAINT JOHN, NB)— In order to earn a living wage, a person working a full time, full year job in Saint John would need to be paid $18.18 an hour, according to a new report released today by the Human Development Council, in collaboration with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Nova Scotia.
The Saint John Living Wage for 2018 is $18.18 per hour. This is the hourly wage needed for a family of four (with two working adults and two young children) to meet their basic needs while living modestly in Saint John. The wage comfortably covers the necessities but will not provide for a lavish lifestyle. A Living Wage is new for Saint John—this is the first time that a Living Wage has been calculated to the standards of the Canadian Living Wage Framework for the city.
It is outrageous that large numbers of children starting school in Winnipeg year after year are so poorly prepared that they are, relative to other kids, behind the “start line” from the beginning. In a great many cases they never catch up. Their lives are forever adversely affected. Many believe that solutions lie within the walls of our schools—different math curricula, or better use of technology, for example. What goes on in the classroom, and especially the quality of teaching, is of course of great importance.
Food insecurity is a pressing problem for thousands of Indigenous people living in remote reserves in the North of Manitoba. The new CCPA Manitoba report Harnessing the Potential of Social Enterprise in Garden Hill First Nation explores in-depth the themes around food insecurity: people’s incomes and spending on food, health issues related to food consumption and traditional food culture. It also suggests ways to increase food accessibility and affordability through local efforts and appropriate public policies.
$262,000 – average market income of the top 10% of Manitoba households with children (2014). $4,500 – average market income of bottom 10% of Manitobans (2014). $6,600 – average market income of bottom 10% of Canadians (2014). $104,000 average family market income in Canada, which is $12,000 higher than the averagefamily market income in Manitoba at $92,000 (2014). 43% increase: average Manitoba market income increased this much between 1996 – 2014.
The Free Press (May 23 and 26, 2018) recently reported on the case of an Indigenous man who served more than six months in jail after pleading guilty to a break and enter. It later came to light that the man was innocent of the crime because he was incarcerated at the time the incident occurred. This story should give us pause to consider some of the factors leading people into the criminal justice system — and what happens to them when they get there.
A decade ago the CCPA-MB released the Stuck in Neutral report on inequality in Manitoba. Although inequality was less pronounced in Manitoba than it was in other provinces, earnings for the poorest 40% of families were either no higher or actually lower in the early 2000s than they were in the late 1970s, despite families working longer hours. Since that report was released the global economy suffered through a massive economic crisis in 2008, oil prices spiked and collapsed, and provincial governments have come and gone.