Toronto is Canada's child poverty capital, according to a new report from Social Planning Toronto.
The highest rates of children experiencing poverty was tracked in the inner suburbs, including the northwest area of Toronto and Scarborough, as well as within
the downtown core, the report revealed.
Findings showed half of all children in single parent families lived in poverty in 2022.
Social Planning Toronto called on all levels of government to commit to immediate action to address the rising rates of child poverty in Canada’s most populous city.
The non-profit organization drew from tax data to reveal a record breaking increase in child and family poverty in Toronto, which has been on the rise for the last two years in a row.
Between 2020 to 2021, the child poverty rate increased from 16.8 per cent to 20.6 per cent, making the 3.8 per cent increase the largest jump on record for a single year in the city, according to the report.
That record was smashed in the next fiscal year when Toronto’s child poverty rate increased from 20.6 per cent to 25.3 per cent — a 4.7 per cent increase from the previous year.
According to the report, the financial poverty line for a single parent with one child in 2022 was $35,946. For a couple with one child, the benchmark jumped to $44,025. For a single parent with two children, the poverty line was $44,025 in 2022, while a couple with two children would have to earn $50,836 to be considered above the poverty line.
The report also confirmed Toronto had the highest rate of child poverty among municipalities with a population of over 500,000 in Canada during 2022. Winnipeg ranked second.
The most recent statistics claimed 117,890 children in Toronto were living in poverty in 2022, up from 81,180 children in 2020 — an additional 36,710 children.
"Systemic inequities and structural barriers have meant some families are more likely to experience unequal labour market outcomes and financial insecurity," the report reads.
Child poverty has been on the rise in every city ward since 2020, but rates are uneven across Toronto’s geography.
In nine Toronto wards, 30 per cent or more of children and families are living in poverty, with Toronto Centre experiencing the highest rate at 36.6 per cent.
The report included mention of a June 2023 community conversation with Tamil women hosted in Toronto. The women said inflation has increased financial hardship in the city.
"The salaries haven’t been increasing to match expenses. A person has to work two jobs. They are usually only able to sleep for four hours a night,” one woman said during the meeting.
Poverty is unequally distributed across Toronto’s sociodemographic communities, Social Planning Toronto found.
"Further analysis using 2021 census data demonstrates the disproportionate impact of poverty on Indigenous, racialized, immigrant, and newcomer children, as well as children from families who are non-permanent residents," the report concluded.
