Poverty stats high in Vancouver compared to national average

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The president of Union Gospel Mission is not surprised to hear that more people in big cities like Vancouver struggle with poverty, compared to smaller centres like Victoria.

Bill Mollard is reacting to recent numbers from Stats Canada that show poverty levels here are much higher than the national average.

“In times of strong economies people tend to follow opportunities. So we see a lot of migration from smaller, certainly rural communities and cities into the larger ones,” he says.

“I think also when you look at the low income cutoff line, the poverty level… One of the strongest components to that poverty line is, in fact, housing.”

He says people found themselves poor when the recession hit, even though they were still working.

Victoria and other smaller cities have seen a steady decline in the number of poor people.

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