According to research presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, "poverty in early childhood poisons the brain." According to the research, children growing up in very poor families experience an unhealthy level of stress hormones that impair neural development. Read more in a article in the New York Times, "Poverty is Poison."

PIVOT Legal Society has released a report, Broken Promises: Parents Speak out About B.C.’s Child Welfare System (in PDF), that finds children are all too often apprehended as the first form of intervention, even when there are safe alternatives. Based on interviews and affidavits from service providers, social workers, lawyers and, in particular, parents whose children are or have been involved with the child protection system, the report depicts a short-sighted, crisis driven child protection system.

As the new fiscal year approaches the BC Liberal Government must decide where they will put their surplus. The moment of truth approaches - will the take the easy way out and put the money into tax cuts and other popular programs, or will they be courageous and spend their surplus in ways which would substantively reduce poverty. For more information read the article in The Tyee.