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Excerpts from the report:
The persistence of child poverty in Ontario is a clear indication that economic growth alone is not sufficient to ensure the well-being of children and families. At a time of economic prosperity:
- 390,000 children remain in poverty in Ontario - an increase of 41% since 1989.
- The child poverty rate of 14.4% for 2000 is now significantly higher than the rate of 11.4% achieved during the peak of the last economic boom in 1989.
- 40% of low income children would need more than $10,000 to reach the poverty line.
- Low-income female lone parent families remain, on average, $8,600 below the poverty line. Among low-income two-parent families, the average gap between income and the poverty line actually widened by nearly $900 since 1996 to almost $10,500 by 2000.
Public policy must play a stronger and more deliberate role in ensuring that all families can share in our province's prosperity. A comprehensive social investment strategy is needed to ensure that no child lives in conditions of disadvantage and poverty. Strategic investments in five key areas are crucial to achieving substantial progress in reducing child and family poverty.