Over one quarter of Saskatchewan kids live in poverty: report

Saskatchewan has the highest child poverty rate of any province in the country, according to a new report from Campaign 2000.

The report found 78,050 Saskatchewan children — about 27 per cent — were living in poverty in 2023. That’s nearly nine percentage points higher than the national rate of 18.3 per cent.

The poverty rate is even higher for children under six.

Campaign 2000 is a non-profit that launched to hold the federal government accountable after it promised to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) analyzed the data.

“There’s extreme variability of poverty within the province,” CCPA senior researcher Simon Enoch told CTV News.

Child poverty rates are highest in northern Saskatchewan, followed by the Prince Albert and Yorkton regions.

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From clothing to after-school activities, father of two Chris Moyah said he’s seeing costs get out of control.

“Groceries, even Pampers, you know, all that stuff. You know it really adds up,” Moyah said.

The NDP is calling on the provincial government to provide cost-of-living relief for Saskatchewan parents like Moyah — including removing PST on children’s clothing and introducing rent control.

“Having 78,000 children in Saskatchewan living in poverty, no one in this room — or anywhere in the province — should be okay with being last in the country,” NDP MLA Matt Love said.

CTV News has contacted the government of Saskatchewan for comment.