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How Are Canadians Really Doing?, Institute of Wellbeing

If you’ve ever wondered How Canadians are REALLY doing, you’re in the right place. A newly released report shows that: even in good economic times the lion’s share of benefits go to the wealthy while the poor stay poor and the shrinking middle class muddles through; Canadians are living longer but not healthier – health among teenagers is especially worrying; but crime is down and social relationships in our communities are stronger. The report also shows that cuts or lack of improvements to government programs like welfare, Employment Insurance and publicly funded medical services are hurting Canadians.

Check out the First Report (PDF 4MB) for an easy to read overview of these and other important findings or download the full research reports for
Living Standards,
Healthy Populations, and
Community Vitality to learn more.

Abstract
This paper, which represents the living standards domain of the new Canadian Index of Wellbeing, provides a comprehensive overview of trends in a number of indicators of living standards over the 1981-2008 period in Canada. Part one examines trends in average and median income and wealth indicators in Canada. Part two looks at the distribution of the income and wealth of Canadians over time, including trends in poverty. Part three discusses trends in income fluctuations or volatility. Part four analyzes trends in the economic security of Canadians, including labour market security, food security, housing security, and the security provided by the social safety net. The report also presents a synthesis of overall trends in living standards, discusses living standard measurement issues, and puts forward a set of headline indicators to capture the essentials of what has been happening to the living standards of Canadians. Finally, the report comments on the sustainability of current levels of living standards. [...] [Read More]


Hungry for Change: A New Vision for Reducing Hunger and Poverty in Ontario
On 6 December 2006, the Ontario Association of Food Banks released Hungry for Change: A New Vision for Reducing Hunger and Poverty in Ontario, a 182-page collection of three discussion papers providing an in-depth examination of those hardest hit by hunger – including Ontario’s children, Ontarians with disabilities, and working Ontarians – and presenting long-term solutions to reduce hunger and poverty for these Ontarians.

See also:
Discussion Paper: Towards a New Perspective on Hunger & Poverty.
[13 September 2007]
Last Updated: 13 February 2012


Poverty in Canada
Resources


Sections
Homeless in Canada:
Resources
Homeless in Canada:
News & Reports
Aboriginal Canada
Homelessness:
Definitions, Strategies & Solutions - Ideas and Approaches

Poverty in Canada:
Resources
Poverty in Canada:
News and Selected Reports
Selected Homelessness &
Poverty Resources: Global

This fourth section in our Poverty and Homelessness pages presents selected statistics, news and resources on poverty and child poverty in Canada.

This page includes a range of subjects, including the definition of poverty, Low Income Cut Offs (LICOs) and other measures of poverty, minimum wage across Canada, welfare incomes across Canada, legal aid and public legal education resources, provincial and community anti-poverty strategies, national and provincial Campaign 2000 poverty report cards, etc.

For current news and reports, selected studies
and presentations on poverty in Canada, see
Poverty in Canada: News and Selected Reports.

On this page... (drop-down menu)

Poverty expands healthcare costs, policing burdens and diminished educational outcomes. This in turn depresses productivity, labour force flexibility, life spans and economic expansion and social progress, all of which takes place at huge cost to taxpayers, federal and provincial treasuries and the robust potential of the Canadian consumer economy. [...]

We believe that eradicating poverty and homelessness is not only the humane and decent priority of a civilized democracy, but absolutely essential to a productive and expanding economy benefitting from the strengths and abilities of all its people. [...]

In 2008, the 20% of persons with the highest family after-tax income had, on average, 5.4 times the family after-tax income as those in the lowest 20%. This ratio has been virtually unchanged since 2000.

Just over 3 million Canadians lived in a low-income situation in 2008, virtually unchanged from 2007, using the after-tax low income cut-offs. This represents 9.4% of the population.

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Universal Basic Income

The Conservative Government has proven itself to be willing to fast-track policies that meet its agenda. It is clear, focused and resolute in getting its version of government rapidly through Parliament. A Basic Income Program meets current Harper Government requirements: reduced government bureaucracy, simplicity, ease of implementation, quick to apply and take effect, economic savings, and a guaranteed vote-getter from those who presently do not bother to vote.

Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada, tosses the gauntlet to Mr. Harper and Mr. Flaherty, "Here is a policy, long overdue, that can be implemented easily and quickly, namely, a Universal Basic Income Program." One of the best-known champions of this type of program in North America was Milton Friedman, the free-market economist.

Poverty is consistently linked to poor health, lower literacy, poor school performance for children, more crime, and greater stress for family members. It is society as a whole that bears the costs of poverty, through higher public health care costs, increased policing and crime costs, lost productivity, and foregone economic activity.

Viewed in the context of recent decisions delivered to the Premiers by the Harper government, this type of program provides a logical alternative to continued rapid increases in health care costs. Poverty is directly related to the increased cost of health care. Providing basic income would also benefit all Canadians in reduced costs for education, criminal justice, and social services.

In 2007, it would have taken $12.6 billion to give the 3.5 million Canadians living in poverty enough income to live above the poverty line. And yet, that year, Canadians spent at least double that amount treating the consequences of poverty, says the National Council of Welfare [...] in its report, The Dollars and Sense of Solving Poverty [Autumn 2011; for details, see Poverty in Canada: News & Reports].

"We're hoping Canadians will talk to their politicians and say: 'Look, this makes sense. Let's shift our thinking to an investment-based approach. Let's save dollars. Let's make sure everyone is better off," said the Chair of the National Council of Welfare, John Rook. The Council is a federally-appointed advisory body to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.

There is more and more evidence that we cannot afford poverty. For example, 80% of incarcerated Canadian women are there for poverty-related crimes; 39% for failure to pay a fine. Corrections Canada estimates it costs, on average, $175,000 per year to keep a woman in jail; this increases to over $250,000 for those who spend time in the segregated maximum security units, often a result of mental illness. As the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development reported on Dec. 5, the wage gap in Canada is widening, with the top 10% in 2008 earning $103,500 on average, 10 times higher than the bottom 10%, who made on average $10,260.

Canada already pursues basic income-like policies through the guaranteed income supplement (GIS) for low-income seniors and tax benefits for families with children.

In a commentary published [15 December 2011], Glen Hodgson, Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist at the Conference Board of Canada, said the prospect of both economic and social gains make it the right time to reconsider this "big idea".

The Green Party of Canada shares this view and is keen to support a program that is so vital to the health and vitality of the Canadian economy. "Poverty is not a partisan issue, nor a political one – it is about people. The Basic Income Program is one that the Conservative government can surely support," said May.

The following link provides additional useful comment on basic income:
A Basic Income for All: If you really care about freedom, give people an unconditional income.
Philippe Van Parijs, Boston Review (October/November 2000).



Hennessy's Index

Hennessy's Index is a monthly listing of numbers, written by the CCPA's Trish Hennessy, about Canada and its place in the world.


Addressing Poverty

Toronto – The NDP has shown that it understands how poverty is a drag on the economy as well as the root cause of health, social and justice problems, thus affecting all Canadians. Campaign 2000 is extremely pleased to read the commitment to legislation that will firmly secure poverty reduction on Canada’s priority agenda. This set of proposals is comprehensive and practical in addressing the multiple dimensions of poverty. The specific commitments to increasing the child tax benefit by $700. per child, to more community-based child care services in the first year and to increase the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors in the first budget lifting every senior out of poverty will make a concrete and significant difference in the daily lives of many families in Canada. Along with improvements to Employment Insurance and additional funds for affordable housing, these are all key strategies to reduce child and family poverty and improve the quality of life for all of us.

"With more than 3 million people living in poverty, including one in ten children and their families, it is imperative that Canada’s leaders address this pressing issue. This platform is the only one to recommend an increase to the child tax benefit, the most powerful lever that we have to reduce the number of children and families in poverty and to reduce the depth of poverty for tens of thousands of families across Canada. The Job Creation Tax Credit along with the re-introduction of the federal minimum wage will send a very important signal to Canadians, to small businesses and to the provinces and territories about the importance of good jobs with decent wages. The recommended improvements to EI, including elimination of the two week waiting period, revising the qualifying period and raising the rate of benefits to 60 percent would make a tremendous difference for people who struggle to pay the rent and feed their children," said Laurel Rothman, National Coordinator of Campaign 2000.

"These proposals also provide hope and encouragement to those struggling to lift themselves out of poverty and to those who are one pay cheque away from poverty. The proposal to create a designated transfer of $800 million to provinces and territories to reduce tuition and the $200 million to expand student grants will make a big difference to low- and modest-income students aiming to attend post-secondary education and not able to take on unmanageable debt loads. I’m glad to see specific commitments on child care and affordable housing also. Those are the two biggest expenses that young families have to balance and far too many families have to resort to food banks to be able to balance their budgets at the end of the month," added Rothman.

The NDP platform employs legislation as a key vehicle to ensure that these priorities on poverty reduction, income security for children and seniors, affordable housing and early learning and child care are central items on the public agenda.


The Poverty Trap

OTTAWA – Canadians on welfare are stuck in a poverty trap because they're forced to give up their assets before they can get social assistance, then limited on how much they can earn once they find work, a new national report says.

People who get welfare can work, but their income is clawed back and they often lose other welfare benefits like dental care and housing support, the National Council of Welfare says in a report released Monday.

"Low asset limits, low-earning exemptions and low welfare rates create the perfect trap, especially for single people," said John Rook, the council's chairperson.

The rules vary by province, but generally people looking for welfare have to spend their retirement savings before they qualify. Only six provinces have programs where people can enrol to keep some savings.

"Existing policies can be counter-productive when they expect households to spend it all now," said Barbara Gosse, spokeswoman for the Social and Enterprise Development Innovations, a non-profit organization that works on financial literacy.

"Welfare policy needs to be amended so it does not strip applicants of the same productive financial assets they will need to become self-sufficient and leave and stay off welfare later on," she said. "These assets act as a trampoline, not just a social safety net."

The report says the federal Working Income Tax Benefit, which allows workers on welfare to keep more of what they make, is a good program but needs to be increased.

Manitoba has a program under which families can keep up to $16,000 in savings, which the council says is a good example for other provinces.


The Winnipeg Statement

The August 4th Roundtable on Poverty Eradication, sponsored by Campaign 2000 and the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg in collaboration with the Council of Canadians with Disabilities and Canadian Council on Social Development ratified The Winnipeg Statement: The Provincial and Territorial Road to Poverty Reduction, which Premier Greg Selinger, Chair of the Council of the Federation, received on Aug. 5.

Statement of the Winnipeg Roundtable to the Council of the Federation, August 4th, 2010: The Provincial and Territorial Road to Poverty Eradication

The Winnipeg Roundtable participants included representatives from business, labour, faith groups, and civil society groups.  Members of Parliament from the Liberal, NDP and Bloc Québécois took up an all-party invitation to attend.

The Winnipeg Statement is a comprehensive strategy for poverty eradication and calls for government leaders to demonstrate commitment and to work together to eradicate poverty in Canada during the next decade. Read more about the event.


An Act to Eliminate Poverty in Canada...

On Wednesday, June 16, 2010, the Member of Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie, Tony Martin (NDP), seconded by the Member of Parliament for Chambly-Borduas, Yves Lessard (Bloc Québécois), rose in the House of Commons to introduce Bill C-545 – "An Act to Eliminate Poverty in Canada". This private member’s bill, if passed into law in its current form, would provide a foundation for federal engagement, leadership and accountability for eliminating poverty in Canada. Key provisions of the bill include the following:

  1. Recognition of poverty as a "condition of a human being who does not have the resources, means, choices and power necessary to acquire and maintain economic self-reliance and to facilitate their integration into and participation in society"
  2. Recognition of poverty as a human rights issue and anchoring the federal response to poverty in a human rights framework;
  3. Imposing on the federal government "the obligation to eliminate poverty and promote social inclusion by establishing and implementing a strategy for poverty elimination in consultation with the provincial, territorial, municipal and Aboriginal governments and with civil society organizations"
  4. Requiring the federal strategy to have short, medium and long term targets to eliminate poverty;
  5. Establishing the "Office of the Poverty Elimination Commissioner", independent of government and to help hold the federal government to account for progress in addressing poverty; and
  6. Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to include "social condition" as a prohibited ground of discrimination.

Bill C-545 aligns with the second goal of Dignity for All: The Campaign for a Poverty-free Canada, which calls for "a federal anti-poverty Act that ensures enduring federal commitment and accountability for results." Over the summer, it is expected that individuals and organizations behind the campaign and/or with related efforts will be encouraging all Members of Parliament to support the bill and ensure its passage into history-making law.

Canada Without Poverty and the CWP Advocacy Network congratulate Mr. Martin and Mr. Lessard for helping introduce Bill C-545 into the House. We hope all Members of Parliament and Senators will now work to ensure its passage into law.


The Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts

The World Health Organization describes the social determinants of health as "the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, including the health system." Social determinants of health include, for example, the circumstances of early childhood, parenting, the availability of adequate nutrition, education, the effects of poverty, working conditions, unemployment, social support, access to medical care, affordable housing, and so on (Wilkinson and Marmot 2003). A growing body of research makes evident the fact that social inequities and exclusivity have dramatically adverse effects upon human health. Economic and social disparities are perpetuated and exacerbated by poorly conceived, ideologically based policies which fail to apprehend the significance of these determinants in holistic terms.

The issues are complex, to be sure, and they are not commonly known, but an understanding of the social determinants that affect health and well-being is of crucial importance in Canadian society. It is something we owe ourselves, and one another.

The following excerpts describe a new report — the only one of its kind in Canada — by Juha Mikkonen and Dennis Raphael. This report explores the key social determinants that affect Canadians, examines their ramifications, and suggests specific economic and social policy strategies to remediate factors which negatively affect our health and longevity. Written in plain English, the report is a lucid, well-referenced and finely illustrated quick read that provides invaluable perspective on the Canadian social matrix. Highly recommended.

TORONTO, April 28, 2010 – A report released today by York University health researchers offers Canadians the opportunity to learn how their living conditions will determine whether they stay healthy or become ill.

Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts shows why these factors are so important for health and documents the state of these living conditions in Canada in an accessible manner for the Canadian public.

"Our key message is that the health of Canadians is much less determined by the health care system than we typically think. Much more important are public policies that influence our living conditions," says Dennis Raphael, Professor in York’s School of Health Policy & Management and the report’s co-author.

Raphael and visiting scholar Juha Mikkonen explain in everyday language and with compelling graphics how Canadians’ health is shaped by how much income and wealth they have, whether or not they are employed and if so, the working conditions they experience. They pull together a wide range of research to show how health is powerfully influenced by Canadians’ ability to obtain quality education, food and housing, among other factors.

The report finds these conditions are declining with serious ramifications for the quality and longevity of Canadians’ lives, and outlines specific ways that the situation can be improved. [...]

The primary factors that shape the health of Canadians are not medical treatments or lifestyle choices but rather the living conditions they experience. These conditions have come to be known as the social determinants of health. This information – based on decades of research and hundreds of studies in Canada and elsewhere – is unfamiliar to most Canadians. Canadians are largely unaware that our health is shaped by how income and wealth is distributed, whether or not we are employed and if so, the working conditions we experience.

Our health is also determined by the health and social services we receive, and our ability to obtain quality education, food and housing, among other factors. And contrary to the assumption that Canadians have personal control over these factors, in most cases these living conditions are – for better or worse – imposed upon us by the quality of the communities, housing situations, work settings, health and social service agencies, and educational institutions with which we interact.

Improving the health of Canadians requires we think about health and its determinants in a more sophisticated manner than has been the case to date. Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts considers 14 social determinants of health:

  1. Income and Income Distribution
  2. Education
  3. Unemployment and Job Security
  4. Employment and Working Conditions
  5. Early Childhood Development
  6. Food Insecurity
  7. Housing
  8. Social Exclusion
  9. Social Safety Network
  10. Health Services
  11. Aboriginal Status
  12. Gender
  13. Race
  14. Disability

The publication outlines why they are important; how Canada is doing in addressing them; and what can be done to improve their quality. The purpose of the document is to [...] promote greater awareness of the social determinants of health and the development and implementation of public policies that improve their quality. [...]

Sobering statistics cited by the report include:

  • 15 per cent of Canadian children are living in poverty, putting Canada at a rank of 20th out of 30 of the world’s wealthiest nations as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
  • Only 17 percent of Canadian families have access to regulated child care. Canada ranked last among 25 wealthy developed nations in meeting various early childhood development objectives.
  • Canada is amongst the lowest in its coverage of total health care costs. Medicare covers only 70 per cent of total health care costs, giving Canada a rank of 22nd of 30 OECD nations for public coverage of health care costs.
  • Canada is among the nations with the greatest gap between men’s and Women’s earnings. Canada ranks 19th of 22 OECD nations in reducing the earnings gap between men and women.
  • Over 40 per cent of Canadians with disabilities are not in the labour force, forcing many of them to rely upon social assistance benefits. Canada ranks 27th of 29 in public spending on disability-related issues.

Living Wage for Families

First Municipal Living Wage Policy in Canada

A British Columbia city council adopted the first municipal living wage policy in Canada last night – a move that will hopefully become a standard for cities across the country.

The New Westminster City Council voted unanimously yesterday for a living wage bylaw based on a calculation of the hourly wage required to keep a family with two children and two working parents above the poverty line.

"This is a great example of the important role municipal governments can play in reducing poverty in their communities and across Canada," said Paul Moist, national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

New Westminster’s living wage policy will apply to both full-time and part-time employees, and will apply to both direct staff and to contractors performing physical work on City properties.

The Hospital Employees Union (HEU), the health care services division of CUPE in BC, has led a living wage campaign in the province since 2007. The campaign calls on government and health authorities to ensure their private contractors pay a living wage.

To raise awareness in the Vancouver area, the union has partnered with the Metro Vancouver Living Wage for Families Campaign. The New Westminster decision is a great win for the coalition of community organizations.

"Raising the incomes of poor families creates stronger communities, both socially and economically," said Moist. "New Westminster has set a strong example for cities across the country."

What is a Living Wage?
At $16.74 per hour for Metro Vancouver — or $30,467 annually for each parent working full-time — the living wage covers only bare bones expenses. The living wage for BC’s Capital Region is $16.39 per hour, due to minor variations in the expenses based on actual costs of living in the Capital Region.

This living wage calculation does not cover:

  • credit card, loan, or other debt/interest payments
  • savings for retirement or for children’s future education
  • owning a home
  • anything beyond minimal recreation, entertainment, or holiday costs
  • costs of caring for a disabled, seriously ill, or elderly family member
  • much of a cushion for emergencies or tough times

For full details, download the
Working for a Living Wage Summary.

The living wage is about pay, but also about

  • non-wage benefits
  • value of social supports & programs

The Living wage is different from the minimum wage, which is the legislated minimum set by the provincial government. The living wage calls on employers to meet a higher standard for both their direct staff and major contractors – it reflects what people need to support their families based on the actual costs of living in a specific community.

If you are interested in becoming a Living Wage Employer or just want to find out more about what is involved, email your contact details to info@livingwageforfamilies.ca. All queries will be treated in the strictest confidence.


"No Action, No Progress" for Women and Children in Need

[...]
Canada was asked to report back within one year to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) on steps it has taken to implement two recommendations made by the Committee after its review of Canada in 2008.

The two recommendations of the CEDAW Committee are that the Government of Canada take concrete steps to address:

  1. women’s poverty and inadequate social assistance rates; and
  2. police and government failure to prevent, or investigate promptly and thoroughly, violence against Aboriginal women and girls.

The request that Canada report back to the CEDAW Committee in one year, rather than in the usual four years, indicates the seriousness of these issues. Canada has taken no steps to effectively implement these recommendations in the past year. [...]

Cuts to welfare rates and erosion of the value of benefits through inflation have had a harsh impact on women who are in need. Women who are more likely to have to turn to welfare, including single mothers and Aboriginal women must now rely on welfare incomes so low that the National Council of Welfare Chairperson recently called them "shameful and morally unsustainable in a rich country." 7

[...]
The current government of Canada describes its position on federal-provincial relations as "open federalism". It cleaves to a "bright-line" view of the constitutional divisions of powers between the federal and provincial governments, and treats its own spending power with suspicion. In effect, this position permits the federal government to simply wash its hands of the problems of poor women, on the grounds that they are the responsibility of the provincial and territorial governments. This policy ignores the long history of the federal government’s involvement in the development of social policy and programs. It ignores the federal government’s responsibilities under s. 36 of the Constitution to work with the legislatures and governments of the provinces to provide "essential public services of reasonable quality to all Canadians". Further, it ignores the overarching character of women’s human rights and the federal government’s leadership role in the implementation of Canada’s international human rights obligations.

In 2007, the National Council of Welfare reviewed anti-poverty strategies in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden, New Zealand and other countries and concluded that if Canada continues to have no long-term vision, no plan, no accountability, and no resources assigned – which is the current situation – the most disadvantaged Canadians will continue to be mired in poverty for years to come.

On November 24, 2009, the Parliament of Canada passed a resolution referred to it by the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities:

That, with November 24th, 2009 marking the 20th anniversary of the 1989 unanimous resolution of this House to eliminate poverty among Canadian children by the year 2000, and not having achieved that goal, be it resolved that the Government of Canada, taking into consideration the Committee’s work in this regard, and respecting provincial and territorial jurisdiction, develop an immediate plan to eliminate poverty in Canada for all. 11

Because the current Government of Canada governs as a minority, this resolution represents the will of the majority of Members of Parliament, but not the will of the Government. In short, the federal government has not acted during this period to set standards or reconfigure federal-provincial fiscal arrangements in order to give stability, adequacy and consistency to social assistance rates across the country.

Nor have provincial and territorial governments acted independently to increase rates to make them adequate. [...]

  1. National Council of Welfare, "Staggering losses in welfare incomes", August 24, 2006. Online at http://www.ncwcnbes.net/...
    [Welfare Incomes 2005, Vol.#125, National Council of Welfare, Summer 2006. Revised October 2006.]
  1. House of Commons resolution, referred by the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, passed November 24, 2009: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4236608&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=2

New Poverty Series by Michael Enright, CBC Sunday Edition

With a timely set of interviews, CBC Sunday Edition host Michael Enright launched a new Poverty Series on 18 October 2009. He spoke with Conservative Senator Hugh Segal, whose take on the issue is both informed and pragmatic; Segal explores the backward thinking and Victorian attitudes that prevent real progress on this front, and offers real solutions. His approach is truly enlightening.

The second interviews, with Ron Hikel and Evelyn Forget, provide important information with respect to MINCOME, a successful guaranteed annual income experiment conducted in Dauphin, Manitoba, between 1974 and 1978.

Poverty: Segal Duration: 00:21:47

It's a problem that may never go away. "The poor," or so the Bible tells us, "will be with us always." But the idea that poverty itself is an intractable issue does not excuse governments from trying to address it. And for decades, politicians and policy makers have tried in many different ways to reduce if not
eliminate it.

Over the course of this season at the Sunday Edition, we want to talk about poverty — why does it exist in one of the richest countries on earth, how big a problem is it, and what can be done about it? But poverty is a problem that's increasingly difficult to define. In this country, we can't even agree on how to measure it.

Statistics Canada can tell us the unemployment rate, the gross domestic product and the consumer price index. But what Stats Canada won't — and can't — enumerate is a poverty rate. And that's because the politicians haven't agreed on exactly what poverty is. Senator Hugh Segal is expending much of his political capital on keeping poverty on the national agenda. And he's not only one of the few national figures devoted to this issue — he's one of the even fewer Conservatives to take up the fight. Senator Segal joined us from a studio in Kingston.

Poverty: MINCOME Duration: 00:19:52

That's Senator Hugh Segal. He's one of the politicians that's doing what he can to try to reduce poverty in this country. As the Senator mentioned - back in the 1970s, an ambitious experiment in social engineering was conducted in the province of Manitoba. It was called MINCOME — as in minimum guaranteed income.

The study involved some residents of the city of Winnipeg - but what made MINCOME so audacious was what happened in a small farming town about 300 kilometers northwest. From 1974 through 1978, Dauphin, Manitoba was a town with no poverty. Every one of the nearly 13,000 residents of Dauphin and the surrounding area was eligible to receive a guaranteed annual income. The information gathered throughout the project was supposed to help policy makers evaluate the plan to see if the program should be expanded. But when the funding dried up, the project ended. And the data remained unexamined — in hundreds of boxes which were put into storage. Nearly thirty years went by before anyone started to analyze MINCOME.

Ron Hikel was the Executive Director of MINCOME. He now works for US Congressman Eric Massa and was in our studio in Washington, DC. Evelyn Forget is a professor in the Community Health Sciences Department at the University of Manitoba. She's the one who tracked down the MINCOME papers, decades after the conclusion of the study. And she's completed her first analysis of the data. She's was in our Winnipeg studio.

Inequality...

On 27 December 2009, Michael featured a discussion with Ed Broadbent, former leader of the NDP, and Kate Pickett PhD, Senior Lecturer at the University of York and co-author (with RG Wilkinson, social epidemiologist) of The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better (2009).

Inequality breeds stress across the full spectrum of society, not just among down trodden. Indeed, while subject to stress, individuals become far more susceptible to syndromes like depression, phobias of divers sorts, and basic anxiety. This fact renders the individual far more likely to develop one of a range of physical, potentially perilous conditions such as obesity, accompanying heart disease, addictions, immune deficiency as well as premature ageing. The super-rich thus become demons, a drain and a plague on society rather than a super-hero class of noble, society-saving investors, or the like.1

The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better

The level of poverty is much less important than the level of inequality, which has tremendously negative consequences. The reality, summarises Broadbent, is that equality works, and inequality is dysfunctional. Pickett and Broadbent explore strategies for achieving greater equality.


Measuring Poverty — Definitions and Strategies

  
  
  

Persistent poverty and growing inequality are the most significant and intractable challenges facing Canada today, diminishing the lives of thousands of individuals and families. Poverty Reduction Policies and Programs provides the context and insight to understand and act in the fight against poverty in Canada.

This first collection of reports – Poverty Reduction Policies and Programs – identifies current federal, provincial, and territorial approaches to poverty reduction, alleviation and eradication, profiles the ideas, interests and institutions that have shaped the evolution of that work, and identifies critical issues for each jurisdiction moving forward.

The CCSD’s new Social Development Report Series is an essential tool that provides an understanding of how geography, history and politics have created varying approaches to community building across our country. Watch for the next edition in 2011.


Housing as a Mechanism in Poverty Reduction


Solving Poverty: Four cornerstones of a national strategy for Canada


Vital Signs®

2009 National Vital Signs Report

NEWS RELEASE
Young Canadians face worst job market in decades, says annual report card
Canada’s Vital Signs also highlights trends in aboriginal education, violent crime


OTTAWA (Oct. 6, 2009) – Canada’s youth jobless rate has soared under the economic pressures of the past year and even the lucrative summer months were a bust, with young people’s hours of work hitting 30-year lows, according to Canada’s Vital Signs 2009, the annual report card on quality of life from Community Foundations of Canada. "The report shows us how the impact of the recession has been immediate and severe for vulnerable groups, such as youth," said Monica Patten, President and CEO of Community Foundations of Canada. "It also shines a light on inequities that pre-date the recession, such as the disturbing high school completion rates among the aboriginal population."

Vital Signs® 2009 — LOCAL REPORTS

2008 National Vital Signs Report

Community Foundations of Canada

From the site...
(accessed 7.10.08; passim):


Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) is the membership organization for Canada's vibrant and growing network of 164 community foundations.

Community foundations bring together people who care about their communities. They are independent, volunteer-driven, charitable organizations that aim to strengthen their communities by facilitating philanthropy, by partnering with donors to build permanent endowments and other funds from which they support community projects, and by providing leadership on issues of broad community concern.

Vital Signs®
Vital Signs® is an annual community check-up conducted by community foundations across Canada that measures the vitality of our cities, identifies significant trends, and assigns grades in at least ten areas critical to quality of life. Vital Signs® is based on a project of the Toronto Community Foundation and is coordinated nationally by Community Foundations of Canada. The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation provided critical support for the national expansion of the Vital Signs program.

Each city's report card data is a compilation of numerous research sources, much of it local, that help communities make connections between issues and trends in different areas. The findings are presented in a reader friendly format to make them as accessible as possible.
Vital Signs® 2008 — LOCAL REPORTS

CFC offers professional development and training opportunities to its members, provides communication links and acts as an information clearinghouse, facilitates partnerships and initiatives with national and regional funders, reflects member views and concerns on philanthropic issues, promotes sound public policy [and] is active in global networks that promote philanthropy and a healthy civil society.

Community foundations build and manage permanent endowments, using their knowledge of their communities’ needs to connect donors to the causes and organizations that can help them make a lasting difference. With more than $2.9 billion in assets, the community foundation movement is one of Canada’s largest grantmakers, providing more than $176 million in grants last year to thousands of charities.


Vibrant Communities

Poverty is one of Canada's most serious and persistent social problems. Canadians think significant things can be done about it. Vibrant Communities was founded on the unique approach of bringing together multisectoral leaders - from business, government, the voluntary sectors and citizens, including people directly affected by poverty - to compassionately and creatively solve poverty. The heart beat of Vibrant Communities comes from leaders and national sponsors in communities across Canada.

Since 2002, Vibrant Communities has been learning to tackle poverty in new ways. It is lead by four highly respected national sponsors including: Tamarack - An Institute for Community Engagement, The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation along with the Caledon Institute of Social Policy and Human Resources and Social Development Canada. Community-led efforts in Victoria, Surrey, Edmonton, Calgary, the Niagara Region, Hamilton, St. Michel (Montreal), Trois Rivières and Saint John have been beacons by creating welcoming, vibrant communities. Some of the significant results to 2007 include more than 1200 local partners in 15 communities that have collaborated in creative ways to assist over 34,000 individuals in their journey out of poverty. Communities pursue their best pathways to reduce poverty. These may include: workforce development and employment, education and training, housing supports, income security, and human resource practices including wage adjustments or policy change. "One of the strengths of Vibrant Communities…is its single-minded focus on eliminating poverty. Motivating and engaging all sections of the community to attain this goal has been paramount" (Tim Brodhead, President, The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation).

Although we have demonstrated many successes using the Vibrant Communities approach, we need to learn more about what works in poverty reduction and why. We are continually striving for better rather than simply replicating "good enough." Vibrant Communities is growing and we invite Canadians to join together to create durable solutions to poverty.

For more information please contact:
Susan Eckerle Curwood, Community Coordinator: susanc@tamarackcommunity.ca


Saskatchewan Justice Minister Don Morgan acknowledged there is a major problem, pointing to poverty as the main contributor.

"We just look at it as we know that we have a significant portion of the population that have a socio-economic gap," said Morgan.

He said the province is attempting to provide supports to low-income children through community schools and is also increasing the number of children put into foster care.

Income was touched on as a likely cause in the report as well.

The report said differences in age, education and employment status could only partially explain the discrepancy between aboriginal and non-aboriginal incarceration.

About 50 out of every 1,000 aboriginal people without any post-secondary diploma or employment were incarcerated as of May 16, 2006, whereas just 4.3 out of every 1,000 aboriginal people with a diploma and employment were incarcerated.

While the gap is narrower for those with education and employment, aboriginal people are still about 14 times more likely than non-aboriginal people to be incarcerated. [...]
[Read More]

See Also:
Poverty a factor in aboriginal incarceration rates, CBC News (22.07.09)
Fontaine: New AFN chief must fight poverty, CBC News (21.07.09)


BC CAMPAIGN 2000 - 2008 CHILD POVERTY
REPORT CARD

Some other interesting stats from the report:  Over 245,000 BC workers earn less than $10 an hour.  The average total income for the richest one tenth of one percent of families grew by almost a million dollars between 1982 and 2004 to about $2.5 million a year.  Meanwhile the average income for the poorest 10% of taxfilers in 2004 was $6000.  The income of the richest 10% grew while the income of the poorest and second poorest 10% fell. [...]

The Report Card says governments should increase minimum wage to almost $11 an hour, end the $6 an hour training wage, raise welfare to about $1300 a month for a single person, restore welfare earnings exemptions and stop clawing back child support payments, among other things.

The UN report says that the CEDAW committee is concerned that there is no federal accountability to ensure that there are minimum standards for social assistance funding. It calls on the Canadian government to establish those standards.[...]


Community Profiles

Source:
Urban Poverty Project 2007
Canadian Council on Social Development

Almost 70% of all poor people - almost 3.3 million - lived in Canada’s 25 largest urban areas in 2000. Responding to these pressing human needs presents an enormous challenge - and one which requires planning, persistence, and partnerships.

The Urban Poverty Project (UPP) supports those efforts with reliable data and analysis. Community Profiles is the first product from the Urban Poverty Project. It provides 2001 Census data on 13 critical social indicators in a concise fact sheet format for 111 places in Canada, including cities, regions and provinces.

Online Tool: Find Your Community
The following drop-down lists contain data sheets about 111 different communities and geographic levels across Canada. [Please see the glossary for definitions of the geographic levels (CMAs, CDs, CSDs)].

If you need data on a community not listed, click here.

Poverty and Policy in Canada

Poverty and Policy in Canada provides a unique perspective on poverty and its importance to the health and quality of life of Canadians. This original volume considers a range of issues t hat will be of great interest to a variety of audiences. Throughout the book, particular emphasis has been placed on the lived experiences of poverty.

This new book has three straight-forward goals: Author Dennis Raphael PhD, Professor and Undergraduate Programme Director at the School of Health Policy and Management at York University, serves as a consultant to the Canadian Public Health Agency and is an advisor to an upcoming PBS series on social inequalities and health in the USA.

UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre

Source:
Child poverty in rich countries 2005
Innocenti Report Cards, 6 (2005:36pp.)
ISBN: 88-89129-39-5

The proportion of children living in poverty has risen in a majority of the world's developed economies. No matter which of the commonly-used poverty measures is applied, the situation of children is seen to have deteriorated over the last decade. This publication is the sixth in a series of Innocenti Report Cards, designed to monitor and compare the performance of the OECD countries in meeting the needs of their children. It is also the first in what will be an annual Innocenti Report on Child Poverty in Rich Countries.
[Child poverty in rich countries 2005]

 Figure 1: The Child Poverty League
...the percentage of children living in ‘relative’ poverty, defined as households with income below 50 per cent of the national median income...(p.04)
Table adapted from original figure (bar graph) which does not show numeric "Rank".

Canada: children still waiting
A descriptive overview of the measures of low income produced by the Canadian statistical agency, Statistics Canada, is offered by M. Skuterud, M. Frenette and P. Poon, Describing the Distribution of Income: Guidelines for Effective Analysis, Statistics Canada, 2004, Catalogue No. 75F0002MIE, No.010.

A summary of the first set of findings from the Canadian Market Basket Measure of Low Income is available at [hrsdc.gc.ca], while the specifics of the construction of the basket are presented in M. Hatfield, Constructing the Revised Market Basket Measure, Ottawa: Human Resources Development Canada 2002. The quotations in the text are taken from these sources.

The all party resolution committing the government of Canada to "seek to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000" can be found in Government of Canada, Hansard, November 24, 1989.

The reference for the government quote "it is not possible to say with certainty whether the incidence of low income for children using the Market Basket Measure is higher or lower than in the years prior to 2000." is www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/cs/comm/news2003/030527.shtml (p.35)


    Christmas is quickly approaching and many charities are busily preparing to help the needy during the holidays. Here is a list of organizations seeking your help and a separate list of organizations selling Christmas items as fundraisers in the coming weeks. Many offer receipts for income tax purposes on request. Not all agencies could be listed....[Read more]
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Entraide budgétaire Ottawa

A non-profit community organiza-
tion providing free programs and services for low-income Ottawa residents to fight financial exploi-
tation and indebtedness.





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