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`Huge' inequality shown in survey of census figures
`Poverty is based on race to a disturbing level . . . We need to address it in a far more provocative fashion'
Toronto is rapidly becoming segregated along racial, ethnic, social and economic lines, warns a new study commissioned by the city.
There are ``huge inequalities'' in income, employment, education and rates of poverty among ethno-racial groups, says the study by York University professor Michael Ornstein, obtained by The Star.
In many visible minority groups, more than half the families are living below the Statistics Canada low-income line while in other white, European and British-origin groups, the rate is less than 10 per cent.
Unemployment rates vary from less than 6 per cent among Europeans to more than 40 per cent in some black groups and child poverty rates range from less than 10 per cent to more than 60 per cent.
The differences are almost all tied to race. Almost every one of the poorest groups is a visible minority, says the analysis of 1996 census data.
``The more visible you are the more difficulties you have,'' said Ornstein, director of York University's Institute for Social Research. ``It's clear the groups that are worst off are black.''
Ornstein looked at each ethnic-racial group's levels of income, education, and employment. He also analyzed earnings and family incomes and considered how long people had lived in Canada.
Ethiopians, Ghanaians, Afghans and Somalis are the most severely disadvantaged, with poverty rates ranging from 52.2 to 70 per cent. They are trapped in low-wage jobs, even though most have a high school education.
A second very large group live in ``severe disadvantage,'' with high unemployment, low-skill jobs, low education and high rates of school drop-outs. They include Vietnamese, Iranians, Tamils and Sri Lankans.
A third group suffering ``significant disadvantage,'' with poverty rates around 50 per cent, includes aboriginals, Central Americans, Jamaicans, West Indians and people with multiple South Asian heritage.
More than half the children from four areas of the world live in poverty. That includes 41,560 African, black and Caribbean children; 10,805 Arab and West Asian children; 10,325 Latin American children; and 23,060 South Asian children.
``Among the very poorest people, things have gone drastically wrong,'' Ornstein said in an interview. ``Things have gotten worse in a really scary way. The levels of poverty are such that children don't have enough to eat.''
While new immigrants are among the worst off, ``this is not primarily a settlement problem in the sense that you can say `All newcomers face this,' '' he said.
``There's clearly a very big race dimension to it and it doesn't disappear over time. These things are really built into our social structure.
``Black groups as a whole don't have as high incomes as their education suggests,'' he said. ``We are seeing a significant amount of job discrimination against black people in particular and to a lesser extent, South Asians.''
Coming to Canada as a refugee also creates long-term disadvantage, he said. Many of the Africans, Afghanis and Vietnamese who came here as refugees more than a decade ago are still poorly off.
The report shows ``overwhelming evidence of widespread discrimination against members of many of Toronto's ethno-racial communities, particularly those from the black community,'' said Tim Rees, director of the city's access and equity office. ``There are huge disparities in the life experience and life chances of different communities in Toronto.
``If we are to feel pride that Toronto is home to the world, we cannot at the same time tolerate the reality that many communities within our midst are living worlds apart,'' he said in an interview.
The report was distributed to every member of council last week but there are no plans to discuss it or act on it at council, Rees said. The old city of Toronto's access and equity committee was disbanded when the new city was amalgamated in 1998 and there is no longer a committee dedicated to dealing with race issues.
``I think these statistics hit you in the face,'' Rees said. ``Poverty is based on race to a disturbing level. We can't afford to ignore that. We need to address it in a far more provocative fashion.''
The report will filter out to various city departments and ``hopefully will be used as a basis for policy development and priorities,'' he said.
Ornstein, who analyzed the same data from the 1991 census for the city, said the new study shows the income gap in Toronto is widening.
``There's a bigger difference in pay between the best and worst jobs and when that happens, somebody's got to be a loser,'' he said.
But there are ``critical things'' that need to be done to change that, he said. ``The minimum wage is relatively low and people who are working on it can't lead a decent life especially if they have children.''
The social welfare cuts in 1996 have had a ``devastating effect on people who are the worst off,'' he said. Toronto also faces ``an incredible housing crisis.''
All three are policies of the provincial government and ``it's the province that has to act,'' he said.
Copyright 1996-2000
Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved.
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