New data from Statistics Canada for the year 2008 show that Saskatchewan has an overall poverty rate of 12.1%. This represents 115, 000 people — equivalent to more than half the population of Regina — living below the poverty line. Of those, 33,000 are children under the age of 18. In recent years, Saskatchewan’s poverty rate has fallen below the national rate. This trend continues in 2008 with the provincial poverty rate slightly below the national rate of 13.6%, or 4,426,000 people (Chart 1). Saskatchewan has suffered less from the economic recession than other parts of the country that experienced large scale layoffs and high unemployment beginning in 2008. Demands for Saskatchewan’s natural resources have contributed to the province’s economic expansion and its success in weathering the recession through 2008. It remains to be seen if the decline in the provincial poverty rate will continue. A recent report indicates that Saskatchewan food banks assisted more people in March 2010 than one year earlier, with usage jumping a remarkable 20%. A large part of this increase is concentrated in Saskatoon and Regina, although smaller food banks also report a significant increase in service demand. These reports for 2009 and 2010 suggest that poverty remains persistent in the province.
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