British Columbia’s first poverty reduction strategy, TogetherBC, aims to reduce overall poverty in the province by 25 per cent over the next five years.

It also aims to cut child poverty in half, from 12 per cent to 6 per cent over that same time frame.

Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Shane Simpson says they’re basing their goals on 2016 figures, and aim to lift 140,000 people out of poverty, including 50,000 children.

“There were 557,000 people were identified as living in poverty in the province and we know that if you are indigenous, if you have a disability, if you are a refugee you are two to three times more likely to be on that list than if you are not,” he said.

The province says the strategy is anchored by a number of key initiatives including the new BC Child Opportunity Benefit and childcare BC, that will help increase household incomes.

The six priority areas are affordable housing, supports for families, children and youth, expanding access to education and training, better opportunities for people, improving income supports and investing in social inclusion.

Simpson adds better opportunities are one of the key areas they’ll be looking at.

“That’s about training, that’s about employment opportunites, it’s about person’s on disability benefits being able to move into the workforce, if that’s the right thing for them to do,,” Simpson added.

“It’s about single moms escaping violence and wanting to put lives together for themselves and their children to have that opportunity to move forward.”

The government estimates that about 40 per cent of people below the poverty line are working. It also estimates that B.C. has had one of the highest poverty rates in Canada for decades.

A Poverty Reduction Advisory Committee will advise the minister on poverty reduction and prevention. It’ll consist of advocates, experts, Indigenous peoples and people across the province who have experienced poverty.

The provincial government is required to report on progress to reach its five-year targets each year, starting in 2020.