Poverty problem is widespead
Cape Breton continues to see high child poverty rates
A new report lists Eskasoni as having the highest percentage of children living below the poverty line in Nova Scotia, with almost three-quarters of children in need.
However, Eskasoni Chief Leroy Denny said while he knows there is a problem with child poverty in his community and beyond, he questions the figure of 72.7 per cent presented in the report for his band.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released its 2017 report card on child and family poverty in Nova Scotia this week. Its authors describe it as having the most up-todate data about the issue, and that the child poverty rate generally in Nova Scotia declined by less than one percentage point in 2015, compared with a year earlier. Nova Scotia has the highest child poverty rate in Atlantic Canada.
The child poverty rates are calculated using tax filer data, which includes onreserve children. This year’s report drew on 2016 Census data.
In Cape Breton in general, 31.9 per cent of children are living below the child poverty rate.
Denny said in an interview that he believes federal funding for the community is failing to keep pace with its strong population growth.
“I’m just wondering how they came about this,” Denny said. “I don’t think it’s accurate, but we do know the situation. We’ve been working on this for a long time, dealing with poverty for quite a while now and we came a long way … we are using our own resources to invest in our children, in our youth.”
On Wednesday, Denny coincidentally was attending a symposium on child welfare in Halifax.
By contrast, the lowest poverty rate in the province is Fall River, outside of Halifax. The only Cape Breton community among the 10 lowest rates in Nova Scotia is Cheticamp at 6.9 per cent.
There were 18 communities in Nova Scotia with child poverty rates of more than 30 per cent, including 10 on Cape Breton Island, with Aboriginal and African Nova Scotian communities overrepresented, the report noted. Children in single-parent families are also more likely to live in poverty.
Even Membertou, which is widely regarded as an economic success story and model for other communities, is listed as having a child poverty rate of 48.5 per cent.
“At first, I thought they were pretty distressing, we do quite a bit to change that and I guess we haven’t been doing it as quickly as I thought we could be,” Membertou Chief Terry Paul said in an interview. “We are certainly making great steps to ensure that we see that number decrease drastically.”
Paul noted that many of the members of his community are pursuing education and training courses for which they are receiving allowances but which may take them down below the poverty threshold. Membertou has gone to great steps to provide employment and training opportunities for its members, he said, adding it has seen vast improvement in poverty levels.
“But at the same time, these are the same people who are taking these steps, taking training and taking education through the community colleges to improve their employability,” Paul said. “I’m sure that when that happens, the numbers will change to greater effect.
“I think we’re going in the right direction to move this line much lower.”
Denny said the province’s Mi’kmaq communities have done their own research in the area of poverty as part of an ongoing effort to develop a selfgovernment agreement around social assistance.
“We have to be strategic and creative in ways to help our people because the funding is the question,” he said.
Eskasoni is making strides in addressing child poverty, Denny said. Within the past five years, it has built more than 85 new homes and also some apartments. It is working to improve employment, both on-reserve and off, including co-operating on several initiatives with other First Nations. The high school graduation rate now stands at 89 per cent, and more of Eskasoni’s young people are going on
to post-secondary education. To ensure that its young people can perform better in school, it has launched breakfast programs. The community has almost moved out of debt, he added.
It also has a new health centre and fire hall, Denny added.
“We are moving forward,” Denny said.
One of the challenges facing Eskasoni, the largest First Nations community east of Montreal, is its geographic isolation, Denny said. Lack of education, addiction and past criminal records can also impede someone’s ability to find meaningful employment, he added.
As Aboriginal communities are overrepresented in the poverty statistics, Paul said it’s crucial that the bands work together to address common issues.
“Indigenous communities across the country have faced immense challenges throughout our history and the results of these reports are a reflection of the work that still needs to take place, between communities and the people, as well as the work that needs to be done on behalf of our governments and our communities,” Paul said.