The number of New Brunswickers living in poverty fell by more than half between 2015 and 2020.

The Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation has released a progress report on its poverty reduction plan.

It takes into account data from the Statistics Canada 2020 Canadian Income Survey, which is the most recent available.

According to that data, the number of New Brunswickers living with a low income fell 51 per cent between 2015 and 2020.

During that same time, we saw a 76 per cent reduction in the number of children living in poverty and a 63 per cent reduction in the number of couples living in poverty.

“Much progress has been made in the first 30 months of the plan,” Jean Allain, chair of the corporation’s board of directors, said in a news release.

“We are still facing challenges in these difficult times, but we believe that collectively, we can work towards ensuring that all New Brunswickers can live with dignity and security.”

The release said that work on the nine priority actions set out in the 2020 report is “well underway.”

One of the actions — implementing a One-Stop-Shop to help New Brunswickers access information and navigate government and community programs and services — is considered complete with the launch of 211 NB.

Five others are considered “in progress” at this point, which include changes to the Employment Standards Act; reviewing government programs, services and tax policies targeted to low-income individuals; developing regional transportation plans; working with partners to provide inclusive opportunities for recreation activities for residents on a low income; and developing food programs in all schools.

The remaining three are “ongoing” and are not meant to have a final completion date. They include making improvements to social assistance; improving mental health and addiction services; and increasing the capacity and sustainability of social enterprises.

You can read the full progress report online by clicking here.