A new report from Community Development Halton (CDH) is calling for urgent ‘targeted’ interventions to address the surge in child poverty rates across the region, with more than 17,000 children living in poverty as of 2022.
The February report states that, based on the latest 2022 T1FF data from Statistics Canada, the child poverty rate in Halton jumped 41 per cent in just two years, climbing from 12,100 in 2020 to 17,110 in 2022.
The rate had been on a downward trend, falling from approximately 11 per cent to 8.9 per cent in 2020, but the pandemic reversed the gains — pushing the rate to 10.8 per cent in 2021 and then 12.6 per cent by 2022.
Milton saw the steepest increase, with its child poverty rate jumping from 8.6 per cent in 2020 to 13.8 per cent in 2022. Oakville had the highest rate in the region at 14.4 per cent, while Burlington and Georgetown/Action — at 10.5 per cent and 8.1 per cent, respectively — reported lower but still rising figures.
In 2022, there were:
- 6,810 children living in poverty in Oakville
- 5,390 in Milton
- 3,810 in Burlington
- 1,100 in Georgetown/Acton
According to the report, racialized children are disproportionately affected by poverty, reflecting the ongoing socioeconomic inequities in these communities.
Across the province, food insecurity remains a major concern, with families struggling to afford nutritious meals. Statistics Canada’s Canadian Income Survey revealed that 872,000 children in Ontario lived in food-insecure households in 2023, up 27 per cent from the previous year.
The rising poverty rates translate to real hardships for children and families across the region. The report highlights that children living in poverty face significant challenges, including poorer health outcomes, lower educational achievement and limited lifetime earning potential.
Despite Halton’s reputation as an affluent region, child poverty remains “a significant issue.” As economic pressures persist, CDH notes that action is needed to ensure vulnerable children and families receive the support necessary to break the cycle of poverty, along with targeted policies to address the systemic barriers contributing to racial disparities.