This is a place to get general information about poverty.  The 
information is chosen to counteract the Mythology around poverty and to 
educate people about the realities of living on an income below, and 
sometimes far below, the poverty lines.  We will be building on this all 
the time.  If you have information you would like included, please Email 
me or leave it on the Discussion Area.

(For Poverty Lines see the Poverty Test, Item 3 on the Poverty Sig Menu.)

A Reform candidate in the recent election suggested lowering the Poverty 
Line so there would be fewer poor people in Canada.  This is a little 
like redefining the word Death so there will be fewer traffic deaths in 
Canada.  How does this make you feel?  Tell your MP and MLA. 


The Ministry of Human Resources considers it not possible for people
to survive on what they get from the Ministry of Human Resources according
to an article that appeared in the Times/Colonist on April 1,1997. 
Ministry spokeperson, Corrine Deshaw, was quoted in that article saying
essentially the above.  In effect then, the Ministry is putting people in 
the position of having to cheat to survive.  How does this make you 
feel?  Tell your MLA.

 
There are an estimated 600,000 people living in poverty in BC. alone.  
This represents about 20% of the population.  

Twenty percent of the population of Canada live in poverty as 
well.  That is a lot of people.

A single employable person on welfare gets $500 per month.  The average 
price of a Bachelor apartment in Victoria is $550.  People on welfare are 
not living high of the hog as some people think.