Poverty is costing Canada at least $25 billion annually

September 28, 2011

A new report by the National Council of Welfare, a government advisory committee “uses hard numbers to link poverty to the cost of productivity, health care and the justice system.”The report finds that a long term investment in preventing poverty would save taxpayers billions in dollars. For example, providing a shelter bed for someone who is homeless costs $42,000 per year while providing affordable housing would cost about $18,000 per year. Despite the cost benefits and social benefits of eradicating poverty, the report’s authors admit the ruling Conservative party isn’t likely to take action on the report’s recommendations.  Read more at the CBC.

 

Read The Dollars and Sense of Solving Poverty here.