TORONTO, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Ontario's Liberal government is considering legislation aimed at reducing child poverty by 25 percent within the next five years, a senior official says.
The official adds to compete as a province, Ontario must see to it that children growing up in poverty have a "fair shot" at opportunity and success, the Toronto Star reported Wednesday.
Premier Dalton McGuinty has said tackling the problem of child poverty is an economic imperative since studies estimate it costs federal and provincial treasuries between $10.4 billion and $13.1 billion annually.
Liberals have already undertaken a slew of measures aimed at cutting child poverty rates, including annual increases in the minimum wage and additional funding for lower income families.
"There is no shortage of evidence that if we don't address these problems in the early years the costs will only be greater later on," says McGuinty.
The Star says in real terms, poverty costs every Ontario household between $2,299 and $2,895 annually.
