Child poverty rate dropped during COVID-19 pandemic in 2020

PRINCE GEORGE — The latest report from a BC society advocating for children and youth shows that government benefits aimed at reducing harms related to the COVID-19 pandemic had a positive outcome on child poverty across BC.

The report from the First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Society shows the poverty rate among BC youth was about 13 percent in 2020, down five percent from the year before. The 13 percent equates to around 116,500 children. The report says that the child poverty rate dropped significantly due to the enhanced income supports families with children received.