Poverty in rural areas of Nova Scotia is not as visible as poverty in urban centres. Many are not aware of poverty on the South Shore, but it exists in considerable numbers. Some of the factors contributing to poverty here are: lack of public transportation, lack of affordable housing, inadequate minimum wage and unemployment insurance, lack of job opportunities, need for affordable daycare spaces, and need for more generous welfare policies including support for recipients education opportunities.

Join us for Café Canada, sponsored by the South Shore Chapter of the Council of Canadians, on November 6 for “Voices of Poverty on the South Shore: Personal Stories and Discussion.” This forum is co-sponsored with the Second Story Women’s Centre. Three people from the South Shore will share their personal stories about living with poverty and answer questions from the audience, followed by a discussion about the causes of poverty and the need for solutions to poverty.
Friday, November 6, 7:30 p.m., Mahone Bay Centre.

Did you know?
Poverty Quiz
Statistics from CRIAW FACTSHEET Women in Poverty www.criaw-icref.ca
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WELFARE postcards www.ncwcnbes.net
STATISTICS CANADA low income cut offs ( StatsCan LICOs)

1. How many Canadians live in poverty? 10.5% of us or 3.4 million
Who are they? Single working people, single mothers, aboriginal peoples, racialized groups, immigrants, persons with disabilities, children
Which is the fastest growing group? Single people under 25.

2. All people in poverty live off welfare. True false
Only 34% of working-age families living in poverty had some income from welfare in 2006 and the average amount was $8,700.

3. If you have a job, you can’t be poor. True false
About 25% of poor families had a major income earner who worked full-time for the full year in 2006. Some jobs just don’t pay enough to get by.

4. Who makes up the largest group of minimum wage earners in Canada? Single young people and women (of all races)

5. Minimum wages in Nova Scotia are adequate to support a single mother with one child above the poverty line. True False
The minimum wage in NS is $8.60 per hour. This means a yearly income of $17,888. The Statscan low income cut off for this family was $22,731 in
urban Nova Scotia in 2006.

6. Welfare is the easy way out. True false
Qualifying for welfare is stigmatizing, the rules are ridiculously complicated and the income you receive could be as low as 24% of the poverty line.

7. What are three of the hardest things for people in poverty to endure? Food insecurity, bad housing, stigma, loss of dignity (poor-bashing)

8. Canada is doing a better job in reducing the wage gap than the United States and Great Britain. True False
Canada has the fifth largest wage gap in developed countries. Only Spain, Portugal, Japan and Korea are higher.

9. Why are women more likely to be in poverty than men?
(1) unpaid child rearing and care giving (2) inequalities in the labour market (3)inadequate social assistance, EI, and Canada Pension rates and provisions

10. Name some reasons why people in poverty are not healthy?
1) low income and social status 2)low wages and poor working conditions 3) inadequate social supports (see Health and Poverty for more)

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