Putting children first

Excerpts from the Report Card: What has happened? - The child poverty rate has been stuck at 15-16% since 2000 despite strong economic growth. - 443,000 children &em; one in every six &em; live in poverty. - The average low income family lives far below the poverty line. - Low income lone mother families are living (on average) $9,600 below the poverty line. - The percentage of poor children living in working families has doubled in the past 10 years. - 33% of low income children are in families where the parent/s work full-time, full year. - Poverty rates for children in Aboriginal, visible minority and immigrant families are double the average rate. - The richest 10% of families saw a 41% increase in average incomes over the past ten years, versus a 4% increase for the poorest 10% of families. Moving Forward: Key Investments in Children and Families in Ontario - Increase minimum wage to $10/hour, and index to inflation. Reduce barriers and improve access to labour market for low income families and newcomers. - End the claw back of the National Child Benefit Supplement from social assistance recipients. - Press new federal government to honour the 5 year child care agreement signed with Ontario. Start flowing $300 million provincial funding committed during 2003 election. - Increase provincial funding for affordable housing, and speed up process of building more affordable housing units. Press new federal government to continue federal housing and homelessness funding. - Increase social assistance benefits to meet recipients' shelter costs and basic needs, and index to inflation.