Child poverty trends up sharply in Guysborough County – Guysborough Journal

February 21 2024

GUYSBOROUGH — A new report outlining a sharp rise in childhood poverty rates in Guysborough County after the first year of the pandemic is renewing calls for a substantial shift in public policy.

The research released this month from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ (CCPA) Nova Scotia office reports that the poverty rate for children under the age of 17, in both the Municipality of the District of Guysborough and St. Mary’s, grew from 18.9 per cent to 23.3 per cent in just 12 months (2021).

The data based on Canadian census and family and income surveys reflects a trend in Nova Scotia that could have been offset by more robust government support, the report says. “The pandemic benefits that effectively lowered the rate in 2020 were temporary, and only some extended into 2021, with the small one-off cost of living payments and no significant increases in income assistance or any other government benefits.”

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