The Port City and the Big Smoke share a shameful stat….a child poverty rate of 29 per cent.
Randy Hatfield of the Human Development Council in Saint John says this rate qualifies as epidemic poverty levels.
He says the story here is that the poverty rate in the city actually went up between 2006 and 2012.
He tells that is very troubling because it’s happened after the introduction of the provincial poverty reduction strategy completing the first proposal and embarking on a new 5 year plan.
Hatfield says part of the solution would be more help from the federal government adding this country needs a national childcare program.
