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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, October 20, 2016 | 38 Growing up poor Child poverty in Ontario | Metroland Media Growing up poor Jonathan Zettel Reka Szekely Todd Vandonk Melinda Cheevers Child poverty in Ontario Growing Up Poor: Child Poverty in Ontario is a Metroland Media Special Investigative Series, a four-part project, that explores the critical mass of children living in poverty across Ontario and the critical need for change. Many children in Canada -- across Ontario -- are growing up poor. Hundreds of breakfast programs at schools across the province are proof, but they are a short-term answer, not a solution. They do offer a glimpse into the problem of child poverty and where solutions could be found. This four-part Metroland Special Investigative Series spotlights child poverty -- and looks behind it -- to reveal problems in order to identify solutions. While Toronto -- child poverty capital of Canada -- has embarked on a Poverty Reduction Strategy... what about the rest of the province? This report looks outside of T.O., from the tourist hotspot of Niagara Falls and wealthy 'burbs like Oakville, to Owen Sound and Oshawa. While statistics vary, they remain shocking. Many -- too many -- kids in Ontario are growing up poor. Why? How do we fix it? Hundreds of thousands of Canadian children are growing up in poverty. In Ontario, more than 370,000 children (or 13.8 percent) lived in a low-income household in 2013, only slightly better than the national average of 14.3 per cent. Studies suggest poverty limits a child's future. It often means food insecurity, an inability to fully participate at school, a lack of positive activities and difficulty accessing services, such as eye and dental care, even post-secondary education. According to UNICEF , the child poverty rate for industrial countries ranges from five per cent in Iceland to 25 per cent in Romania. Canada ranks in the middle. In 1989, the federal government vowed to eradicate child poverty by the year 2000, yet little progress has been made. Going forward... are we doing what's needed? Is it enough? by Todd Vandonk Metroland Media ONTARIO -- The thousands of programs that aim to help impoverished children are small pieces of a much larger puzzle. There are province-wide initiatives to ensure children don't go hungry, receive dental care, and access to recreational and educational programs, but politicians and advocates say eliminating childhood poverty comes down to ensuring parents have an adequate income. "A family having sufficient income is one of the ways we can reduce child poverty," explains Peterborough MPP Jeff Leal. He says the Ontario Child Benefit is the cornerstone of Ontario's poverty reduction strategy for children. In 2015, the provincial government increased the maximum Child Benefit to $1,336 per child under the age of 18. "One million children in 500,000 low- to moderate-income families are benefitting from this," he said, noting the Province is putting money in the pocket of families by continuing to raise minimum wage. It remains a fact that if their parents are living in poverty -- they (the children) are going to be living in poverty. Peterborough Poverty Reduction Network facilitator Councillor Diane Therrien, Peterborough Last year, minimum wage was increased 25 cents from $11 to $11.25. "We'll continue to do that every October based on the Ontario Consumer Index Price," he says. The MPP says the Province also has approximately 4,000 different programs offering nutritious breakfast, lunches and snacks. "The ability to succeed in school means you have to start the day with a great breakfast and many folks think that is the most important meal of the day," he explains, noting an estimated 800,000 children take advantage of the programs. Healthy Smiles, a provincially-funded program, services approximately 460,000 children with free preventive, routine, and emergency dental services for children and youths 17 and under from low-income households. At the federal level, the Liberal government is eliminating the current Canada Child Tax Benefit, National Child Benefit and Universal Child Care Benefit with one child benefit that will put more money in wallets of low and middle-income families starting this July (2016). The program will pay up to $6,400 per child under six and up to $5,400 per child for those aged six through 17. Higher earners will receive less money under the child benefit. "This is an initiative that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty and will benefit nine out of 10 Canadian families," Peterborough MP Maryam Monsef says. "It is going to be tied to income so that it provides the greatest support to those that need the help the most." Monsef says poverty is not just about dollars and having food on the table, but also having a dignified roof over your head. Part of the Liberal Party's election platform was promising $20 billion over 10 years for social infrastructure. "These investments will prioritize affordable housing," she explains. "It will also provide supports to municipalities to maintain rent- geared-to-income subsidy." She adds bringing back the long form Census would allow a more accurate measure poverty across Canada. "Knowledge is power," she says. Municipalities, too, do what they can to help feed low-income families and subsidize recreational and educational programs. "You want kids to be healthy and have opportunities to make friends and socialize," said Diane Therrien, city councillor and facilitator of Community Education and Engagement for the Peterborough Poverty Reduction Network, adding, "But everything is little pieces to the bigger puzzle." Therrien says these programs are helpful but are not solutions. The fact remains... "It remains a fact if their parents are living in poverty -- they (children) are going to be living in poverty," she said, noting an estimated 20 percent of children in Peterborough are living in poverty. "The idea that when you are walking by a playground and there are 100 kids there, quite a few of them are living in poverty is scary."