Canada – Prosper Canada Learning Hub

Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 10, Reduced Inequalities

An infographic from Statistics Canada highlighting the advances made in reaching Goal 10, reducing inequalities, of the sustainable development goals.

Cash flow calculator

Use this calculator by the Ontario Securities Commission to estimate your positive or negative monthly cash flow.

Ten frugal habits to save money

The Angus Reid institute reported from a recent study that 50% of Canadians couldn’t manage an unexpected expense of $1000 or more. In the same study, when Albertans were asked what they would do with a surprise bonus or gift of $5000, 46% said they would use it to pay down debt. Only 41% said they would put it in savings or invest it. With inflation as high as it has been in over 40 years, saving money is becoming increasingly difficult for some. This article lists ten frugal habits to help you save.

Retirement savings course

The Association of Canadian Pension Management (ACPM) launched its new Retirement Savings Course to empower Canadians wishing to learn the basics of retirement savings and to foster awareness of the importance of retirement income savings at any age.

Course highlights:

Self-paced learning on basic retirement savings concepts in simple language
Six bite-sized modules - each taking about 20-30 minutes to completed
Suitable for any age (in particular, those in the workforce starting to think about retirement savings)
No prior knowledge or qualifications are required

The free course will provide you an overview of the building blocks of retirement savings and insight into the role that government pensions and workplace pension plans may have for your future or that of those you care about.

Tips to keep your credit card safe

Your credit card can help you make purchases quickly without needing to have cash on hand. Follow these tips by the Ontario Securities Commission to use your credit card safely.

Insights into the risks and benefits of digital financial services for consumers

One of the consequences of social distancing and other restrictions, during the pandemic, such as those on business operating hours, is that consumers spent more of their time searching for information, shopping, and streaming entertainment on-line. With more free time on their hands and money in the bank, a larger percentage of the population took up an interest in investing, often through on-line brokerage platforms or in the cryptoasset markets.

Because consumers have been spending more time on-line since the start of the pandemic, they have been more exposed to on-line fraud. In addition to phishing and malware, consumers are dealing with known scams but in digital form, often on social media.

For some consumers, the evergrowing number of reliable and accessible information sources could lead to information overload, also known as “infobesity, where there is so much information that the consumer cannot process it all. Infobesity can lead to decision paralysis.

In this paper the AMF make the most of their 360-degree view on the financial industry’s digital transformation to review the main changes that occurred in each of their areas of focus, describe the risk of digitalization for the consumers of financial products and services and present the potential opportunities that have been identified to mitigate these risks.

Ottawa should soften bite of benefit clawbacks for low-income families

Canada’s tax system has a punitive impact on lower income families with children hoping to earn more money, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Softening the Bite: The Impact of Benefit Clawbacks on Low-Income Families and How to Reduce It,” authors Alex Laurin and Nicholas Dahir reveal how benefit reductions serve as hidden tax rates and reduce the effective gain from working to generate additional income.

Read full report here.

The increasing financial vulnerability of Canadian households

The ballooning cost of living has had a disproportionate impact on low-income households, 77.6% of whom are financially vulnerable or extremely financially vulnerable. Prosper Canada's recently commissioned study from the Financial Resilience Institute, shows the unarguable deteriorating state of finances of Canadian households.

Eloise Duncan (Founder and CEO Financial Resilience Institute) presents an Overview of Financial Vulnerability of Low-Income Canadians: A Rising Tide study data.

The overview is followed by a panel discussion on how increasing financial vulnerability is playing out in communities and how policymakers should respond.

Panel speakers are:

Sasha McNicoll (Prosper Canada)
Eloise Duncan, (Financial Resilience Institute)
Louise Simbandumwe (SEED Winnipeg)

Click 'Get it' below to access the video link and scroll down to access video timestamps for this webinar.

Download the full Overview of Financial Vulnerability of Low-Income Canadians: A Rising Tide report here.

Presentation slides, handouts, and video time-stamps

Read the presentation slides for this webinar.

Download the Overview of Financial vulnerability of Low-Income Canadians: A Rising Tide

Time-stamps for the video recording:
00:00 – Start

6:05 – Agenda and Introductions

8:24 – Overview of Financial vulnerability, of low-income Canadians: A rising tide (Speaker: Eloise Duncan)

25:40 – Panel discussion: how increasing financial vulnerability is playing out in community and how policy makers should respond.

45:35 – Q&A

OSC study finds many investors overestimate their knowledge

The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) published the results of a survey assessing Canadian investors’ financial literacy. As individuals take on more responsibility for their own investing, it is essential that they have enough financial knowledge to effectively participate in Canada’s capital markets. Investors’ knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviours are all contributors to having a successful investing journey.

Government grants and bonds for education savings

Saving for your child’s education can be difficult, especially if you are trying to save for multiple goals or pay down debt at the same time. The federal government offers contributions to your child’s Registered Education Savings Program (RESP) through its grant programs: the Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG) and the Canada Learning Bond (CLB).

4 Reasons to keep saving even when inflation is high

When inflation rates go up, it can be tempting to look for ways to grow your money at rates higher than the rate of inflation. Investing can feel more appealing than the average savings account.

While it’s important to stay the course on your investing goals, don’t neglect your savings. There are many reasons why a savings account is still worth tending to, even during tough times. If you’re making ends meet and still have extra to put aside, keep these tips in mind.

Spending habits calculator

Use this calculator to see how changes to your spending habits can impact your budget and help you save more of your money.

Make it easier to save

It pays to make saving a habit. Look for easy ways to build saving into your life and to make it automatic.

Managing debt

Managing debt doesn't have to be overwhelming. These tips and tools from the Ontario Securities commission can help you borrow wisely and pay off debt more quickly.

Crypto Quiz

Are you considering investing in crypto assets, but aren’t sure whether it’s right for you, legal or just a scam? Test your crypto knowledge and learn how to spot the warning signs of fraud using OSC's quiz.

Financial literacy self-assessment quiz

Take this self-assessment quiz to figure out how your financial literacy skills and knowledge measure up compared to other Canadians.

Investment knowledge quiz

Most people know a little about investing, but they need to know more to be able to manage their investments to meet their goals. Try this quiz by the FCAC to see if your knowledge is basic or more advanced.

Start Your Investment Journey

Before you start investing, it is important to consider your budget and financial goals, and how much risk you are comfortable taking on. Like many things in life, investing comes with its own share of risks and rewards. You can do this on your own or with the help of an advisor.

Financial Vulnerability of Low-Income Canadians: A Rising Tide

This report provides a call to action for more targeted support from policymakers, financial institutions and community non profit organizations for low-income households and Canadian households who are more financially vulnerable. This is particularly important given inequities, systemic barriers and challenges many of these households face, along with difficulties in accessing financial help.

Fraud alert videos

Learn more about fraud in this latest set of videos by the Ontario Securities Commission.

Investment fraud
Pump and dump scams
Fake government messages
Warnings about your finances
Work from home scams
Quick high-return schemes

Connecting families initiative

Daily aspects of Canadians' lives are increasingly touched by digital technology, and access to high-speed Internet has become an essential service and a key driver for improving our economic and social well-being.

The Government of Canada originally announced Connecting Families in Budget 2017 to help bridge the digital divide for Canadian families who struggled to afford access to home Internet.

Learn more about the next phase of this initiative.

Social influencers and your finances

Just because someone has a lot of followers doesn’t mean their advice is right for you. Social media influencers are increasingly sharing information about investing. This can be done by ordinary people or by celebrities who have taken an interest in a specific product or investment. They are often called “finfluencers” — financial influencers whose media accounts are focused on money and investing. This article will outline some questions to ask yourself before you choose to invest.

Investing and saving during a recession

If a recession seems likely, consider how your investing and savings plans may be affected. Increases in the cost of living and borrowing, combined with the overall financial uncertainty over the impact of a potential recession, can be enough to cause personal and financial stress. There is no single best way to respond to such times.

Investment recovery calculator

This calculator will help you find out how long it will take for your investment to recover its value after a market downturn and identify how long it will take to get back on track to reach your original goal.

Research study: Crypto assets 2022

This study by the Ontario Securities Commission examines Canadians’ crypto ownership and knowledge. It found 13% of Canadians currently own crypto assets or crypto funds. The study also found most Canadians did not have a working knowledge of the practical, legal and regulatory dimensions of crypto assets. Crypto assets were believed to play a key role in the financial system by 38% of those surveyed. The study provides a profile of crypto owners, their reasons for purchasing crypto assets or crypto funds, the role of financial advice, impact of advertising, and the experience of crypto owners with crypto trading platforms.

Investing with confidence for financially vulnerable Canadians

When it comes to investing, there are many considerations to make before choosing if and what types of investments are best for your situation.

This webinar explores the topic of investor education and consumer protection for financially vulnerable Canadians. We'll start by discussing the basics of investments and ways to determine if investing is right for you. We'll then discuss some common investment frauds and how to protect yourself, then examine some real-life scenarios of fraudulent investment activity and the steps needed to take action if you are victimized.

The webinar speakers are:

Tasmin Waley (FAIR Canada)
Christine Allum (Ontario Securities Commission)
Brigette Catellier (Investor Protection Clinic at Osgoode Hall Law School)

This webinar will benefit frontline practitioners supporting those in financially vulnerable situations, who may be considering investing or have already invested.

Click 'Get it' below to access the video link, and scroll down to access slides, handouts, and video timestamps for this webinar.

Investing with confidence for financially vulnerable Canadians webinar speakers

Presentation slides, handouts, and video time stamps

Read the presentation slides for this webinar.

Download resources provided by webinar speakers:

Time-stamps for the video recording:
3:24 – Agenda and Introductions
6:36 – Audience poll questions
9:33 – FAIR Canada presentation (speaker: Tasmin Waley)
24:07 – Ontario Securities Commission presentation (speaker: Christine Allum)
39:10 – Investor Protection Clinic at Osgoode Hall Law School (speaker: Brigitte Catellier)
51:34 – Q&A

Canada’s new working class: A modern understanding of the 6.5 million Canadians in the working class

The pandemic has accelerated a polarization of jobs that has become a structural trend in the Canadian economy. Previous Cardus research has shown that this polarization of the labour market between low- and high-skilled occupations, with a declining share of jobs available for mid-skilled workers, has led to an “hourglass economy.”

Yet, even while the share of the labour force employed in professional occupations rises, the working class retains the largest share of workers in the Canadian economy, making them an important political economy constituency. But who is the working class in Canada? This paper seeks to answer this question by proposing a modern taxonomy of the workforce and a picture of the working class that draws on a rich body of demographic, economic, and labour-market data.

Cyber security awareness

The Canadian Bankers Association has created a new Cyber Security Awareness Quiz site to test your knowledge and ability to spot a “phishy” email, message or text.

Cyber security & fraud prevention learning guide

Banks take fraud very seriously and have highly sophisticated security systems and teams of experts to protect you from financial fraud. As a banking customer, there are also simple steps you can take to recognize cyber crime and protect your personal information and your money. Educating yourself, your family and your employees about cyber safety can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be that complicated and the CBA has developed a learning path to help.

About the Canada Learning Bond

The Canada Learning Bond (CLB) is money that the Government adds to a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) for children from low-income families. This money helps to pay the costs of a child’s full- or part-time studies after high school at apprenticeship programs, CEGEPs, trade schools, colleges, or universities. Learn more about eligibility requirements and the application process using this website.

Canada’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan

Canada’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan is a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to disability inclusion. It embeds disability considerations across our programs while identifying targeted investments in key areas to drive change. It builds on existing programs and measures that have sought to improve the inclusion of persons with disabilities, and establishes new and meaningful actions.

Beware: Crypto scams on the rise

Fraudsters often use emotions to lure people in, making a person feel afraid of missing out on an opportunity that others are profiting from. With all the cryptocurrency hype in the media and online, it’s no surprise that scammers are taking note and trying to cash in on investors’ interest in digital currencies. Read this article for more information on the top crypto-related scams you should know.

National Indigenous Economic Strategy 2022

This National Indigenous Economic Strategy for Canada is the blueprint to achieve the meaningful engagement and inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in the Canadian economy. It has been initiated and developed by a coalition of national Indigenous organizations and experts in the field of economic development. The Strategy is supported by four Strategic Pathways: People, Lands, Infrastructure, and Finance. Each pathway is further defined by a Vision that describes the desired outcomes for the actions and results of individual Strategic Statements. The Calls to Economic Prosperity recommend specific actions to achieve the outcomes described in the Strategic Statements. This document is not intended as a strategic plan specifically, but rather a strategy that others can incorporate into their own strategic plans.

National Indigenous Economic Strategy for Canada 2022

Pilot study: Buy now, pay later services in Canada

A key component of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada’s (FCAC’s) mandate is to monitor and evaluate trends and emerging issues that may have an impact on consumers of financial products and services. Technological innovations in financial services and shifting consumer behaviours have resulted in a steady increase in retail e-commerce sales over the past several years, and the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on how consumers make retail purchases. Retail e-commerce sales reached record levels during the pandemic. This has further contributed to the proliferation of buy now, pay later (BNPL) services in Canada.

Redefining financial vulnerability in Canada

How we define financial vulnerability ultimately determines what supports are created and for whom. Is the current definition aimed at helping everyone who needs it?

This webinar explores the conception and redefining of financial vulnerability in Canada based on the research and findings from the book Financial Vulnerability in Canada: The Embedded Experience of Households. These research findings will then be highlighted through discussion of first-hand frontline experiences, with a focus on importance of providing financial help services using a trauma-informed approach.

The webinar speakers are:

Jerry Buckland (Canadian Mennonite University)
Brenda Spotton Visano (York University)
Margaret Yu (Momentum)

This webinar will benefit frontline practitioners supporting those in financially vulnerable situations, as well as those who influence or inform policy decisions.

Click 'Get it' below to access the video link, and scroll down to access slides, handouts, and video timestamps for this webinar.

Redefining financial vulnerability media

Presentation slides, handouts, and video time-stamps

Read the presentation slides for this webinar.

Download the handout for this webinar: Flyer for ‘Redefining Financial Vulnerability in Canada: The Embedded Experience of Households’.

Time-stamps for the video recording:
3:31 – Agenda and Introductions
7:15 – Redefining financial vulnerability in Canada (speaker: Jerry Buckland and Brenda Spotton Visano)
24:33 – Audience poll question 1
27:07– Audience poll questions 2 & 3
33:57 – Audience poll question 4
38:00 – Financial Empowerment (Speaker: Margaret Yu)
52:15– Q&A

Tools for building financial wellbeing in First Nation communities

This collection of financial empowerment tools and resources is intended to support both Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations working to build financial wellness in First Nation communities.

It was created as part of the Financial Wellness in First Nations project (2021-2023) where community organizations in Winnipeg and Sudbury are partnering with Prosper Canada and AFOA Canada to adapt and develop approaches to building financial wellness in First Nation communities.

This toolkit (see below) has been compiled by Prosper Canada, with support from:

SEED Winnipeg,

Community Financial Counselling Services (CFCS),

Sudbury Community Service Centre,

AFOA Canada

This toolkit has been made possible by IG Wealth Management.

Updates:

Register for a Webinar on benefits and credits for Indigenous peoples hosted by the CRA on March 29, 2023.

Financial education

*Resource is not specific to Indigenous communities

Money Management:

Dollars and Sense Program– AFOA Canada
Financial workshops for youth
Managing your money – Prosper Canada
Worksheets to set and work towards money goals
Financial literacy for Indigenous Peoples – RBC
A two-hour course on financial basics
Money Matters for Indigenous Peoples – ABC Literacy
Money Matters workbooks
Money moccasins – Momentum
Workshops for Indigenous peoples on assets, budgets, banking, credit and consumerism.
Money stories– SEED Winnipeg
Customized money management training program for Indigenous youth
Empower U– Esquao Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women
Financial literacy program
The Game Plan – Indigenous Story Studio
Comic book on financial literacy (paid resource)
Financial Education Online*– Credit Counselling Society
Short online courses
Dollars and Sense* – Texas A&M (USA)
Online simulation for Middle and High School Students
Simple budget template* – Prosper Canada
Student budget worksheet* – FCAC
Gift planning worksheet*- Sudbury Community Service Centre
Budget planner* – Government of Canada

Debt/Credit:

Credit– AFOA Canada
A Money Smarts podcast on how to build and keep credit in good shape
Proper use of credit* – Sudbury Community Service Centre
Tips on how to build good strong credit
Collection Agencies and You*- Sudbury Community Service Centre
Tips on your rights if contacted by a collection agency
Credit report request form* – Sudbury Community Service Centre
Equifax and TransUnion request forms
Credit report sample*– FCAC
Dangers of credit* – Sudbury Community Service Centre
The dangers of the different forms of credit available
Payday loans and you* – Sudbury Community Service Centre
Understanding how pay day loans work
Dealing with debt* – Prosper Canada
A collection of worksheets to help you make a plan to deal with debt
Debt consolidation calculator * – Ontario Securities Commission
Combine multiple debts into one and calculate how soon you could be debt free
The 4 cornerstones of debt reduction strategies & budgeting* – Credit Counselling Society

Retirement:

Low-income retirement planning* Open Policy
A background paper on maximizing GIS

Taxes and benefits

*Resource is not specific to Indigenous communities

Tax filing:

Roundtable on Income Tax Filing Supports in First Nation communities and Indigenous organizations (presentation) – Prosper Canada & AFOA Canada
Insights on planning free tax clinics in Indigenous communities – Prosper Canada
Podcast: Host a Free Tax Clinic – AFOA Canada
How to host a tax clinic (manual) – AFOA Canada
Tax packages*– CRA
Indigenous income tax issues– CRA

Benefits:

Benefits wayfinder*– Prosper Canada
Canada Learning Bond* – MySmartFUTURE, AFOA Canada
Canada Learning Bond*– Government of Canada
Podcast: Tax filing and accessing financial benefits – AFOA Canada
Webinar for Indigenous peoples: Get your benefits and credits – CRA

Taxes and benefits:

Taxes and benefits for Indigenous peoples – CRA
Let us help you get your benefits! – CRA
Canada Learning Bond*– Government of Canada

Relevant reading & viewing

*Resource is not specific to Indigenous communities

Money Smarts -AFOA Canada
podcast series

The shared path- First Nations Financial Wellness– Prosper Canada & AFOA Canada

Financial empowerment: Personal finance for Indigenous and non-Indigenous People – Bettina Schneider
Adaptation of openly licensed textbook Person Finance v 1.0 by Saylor Academy

Financial health & wealth: an initiative by the Native Women’s Association of Canada

Access to ID:

Access to Identification for Low-Income Manitobans* – Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, MB
Research on what can be done to address challenges around ID
Eyeing the ID: Bio-metric Banking for Saint John* – NB Social Pediatrics and the Saint John Community Loan Fund
Identifies access to identification, as well as stringent identification requirements as the most prevalent barriers to receiving services

Beware of One Time Passcode scams with these tips

While cyber criminals are always looking for ways to trick you into revealing information they can use to access your accounts, we have a few simple tips to avoid getting tricked by “one time passcode” scams that you may encounter while attempting to access your accounts securely.

Cyber security toolkit

There are also simple steps you can take to recognize cyber threats and protect yourself. With a cyber hygiene checklist and tips on how to spot common scams, the CBA’s Cyber Security Toolkit can help you protect against online financial fraud.

Cyber security checklist

Getting cyber safe doesn't have to be complicated. With the right resources and tools, you can stay safe and secure online. Here's a handy checklist for protecting your data online.

Income support, inflation, and homelessness

A good deal of attention has been paid to the question of what these high rates of inflation in housing and food costs mean for Canadians. Much of the concern has focused on the implications for middle-income Canadians hoping to purchase a home, while squeezing their household budgets. But what do these rates of inflation mean for Canadians with very low income? For them, high rates of inflation in the price of food and shelter mean more than having to delay thoughts of homeownership. For them, the threats are considerably more serious.

Social prescribing: A holistic approach to improving the health and well-being of Canadians

Social prescribing is a means of connecting people to a range of community services and activities to improve their health and well-being. These services vary based on each person’s needs and interests, and can include food subsidies, transportation, fitness classes, arts and culture engagement, educational classes, peer-run social groups, employment or debt counseling, and more. Social prescribing is a holistic approach to healthcare that looks to address the social determinants of health, which are the non-medical factors that play a role in an individual’s overall health. These factors may include socioeconomic status, social inclusion, housing, and education.

Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing

The Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing (CISP) is a new national hub to link people and share practices that connect people to community-based supports and services that can help improve their health and wellbeing.

Engaging youth as leaders in poverty reduction

In 2022, The Communities Ending Poverty network raised the following question: How can we engage youth as leaders in poverty reduction efforts? At Tamarack Institute events in July 2022, local and national youth leaders shared experiences and advice on how collaboratives could keep improving their youth engagement strategies, leading to 11 concise youth-driven recommendations.

RESP savings calculator

Estimate your child(ren)'s future education costs, and see how your planned RESP savings, including contributions and grants, will cover those costs.

Thriving or surviving study 2022

The Thriving or Surviving study uncovers the kitchen table issues that confront Canadians daily, revealing how the country is coping with concerns such as debt, savings, emergency funds and financial literacy.

By the numbers: Black History Month 2022

Black History Month is an opportunity to highlight the contributions and accomplishments of Black Canadians and their communities. These Statistic Canada findings provide a brief overview of personal education, contributions to the scientific community, proportions in the front line staff, and general outlook on life opportunities.

Investment products

There are many investment products, here's some information about them:

Annuities: a contract with a life insurance company. Annuities are most commonly used to generate retirement income.

Bonds: when you buy a bond, you’re lending your money to a company or a government for a set period of time. In return, the issuer pays you interest. On the date the bond becomes due, the issuer is supposed to pay back the face value of the bond to you in full.

Complex investments: these investments may have the potential for higher gains, but carry greater risks.

ETFs: when you buy a share or unit of an ETF, you’re investing in a portfolio that holds a number of different stocks or other investments.

GICs: when you buy a guaranteed investment certificate (GIC), you are agreeing to lend the bank or financial institution your money for a set number of months or years. You are guaranteed to get the amount you deposited back at the end of the term.

Mutual funds & segregated funds: when you buy a mutual fund, your money is combined with the money from other investors, and allows you to buy part of a pool of investments.

Real estate: While real estate investments can offer a range of benefits, there is no guarantee that you will earn an income or profit and, like any investment, there are a number of risks and uncertainties that you need to carefully consider before investing.

Stocks: The stock market brings together people who want to sell stock with those who want to buy stock. When you buy stock (or equity) in a company, you receive a piece of the company and become a part owner.

Pensions & saving plans: if your employer offers contributions to your retirement or other savings plan, take advantage.

Cannabis: Emerging sectors like the cannabis industry have often attracted investors hoping to be among the first to capitalize on the potential growth and high returns of what they believe are untapped markets or products that may be popular in the future.

Cryptoassets: Cryptoassets primarily designed to be a store of value or medium of exchange (e.g., Bitcoin) are often referred to as “digital coins.

Reporting fraud

A comprehensive set of articles are available on the Ontario Securities Commission website on how to identify and report fraud as well as what to do if you have been defrauded.

How Canadians bank

Banks in Canada are meeting the evolving preferences of their customers as powerful new technologies change the way people bank and how they pay for goods and services. Banking is transforming at a record pace, bringing innovation and new potential to empower Canadians’ lives in a digital world. This survey and other findings form the basis of How Canadians Banks, a biannual study by the Canadian Bankers Association and Abacus Data that examines the banking trends and attitudes of Canadians.

Preparing for financial emergencies

Some emergencies in life can affect you financially. You could get sick, lose your job, or have a costly repair to your car or home. One of the best ways to cope with unexpected financial changes is to have an emergency fund. Ideally, this fund would provide enough money to cover your essential living expenses so you can avoid taking on debt.

Multicultural and newcomer charitable giving study

While much research has been conducted on how giving is correlated to factors like educational attainment or income level, the influence of ethnicity has been elusive. This research attempts to better understand how newcomers to Canada and second-generation Canadians perceive and approach giving and volunteerism.

What to do if you are defrauded

Financial fraud can be stressful and time-consuming experience. It can affect you both financially and emotionally.

If you are defrauded, or suspect that you may have been defrauded, follow the steps outlined in this article.

Introduction to behavioural insights for the social sector: a capacity building course

This self-paced online course will help you learn about behavioural insights and how they can help you increase impact in simple, practical ways. In this self-paced learning experience, you will learn foundational skills and tools that you can apply immediately to your work, creating a long-lasting social impact.

Social determinants and inequities in health for Black Canadians: a snapshot

The following snapshot aims to highlight how Anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination are key drivers of health inequalities faced by diverse Black Canadian communities. Evidence of institutional discrimination in key determinants of health is also presented, including education, income, and housing. Finally, national data is shared demonstrating inequalities in health outcomes and determinants of health. Readers are invited to reflect on how racism and discrimination may contribute to these inequalities.

A guide to the best robo-advisors in Canada for 2022

Robo-advisors first arrived in Canada in the beginning of 2014 presenting young and middle-income investors the option of having their savings passively managed in a bundle of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) matched to their goals and risk tolerance for about a penny on the dollar per year: A perfect set-it-and-forget it solution for people with better things to do.

Fast forward to today and the honeymoon atmosphere has dissipated. Against the backdrop of an extraordinarily long-lived bull market in stocks, active management has made a comeback (not least in the ETF space), exotic asset classes like cryptocurrency are on the rise, and new competition is coming from asset-allocation ETFs that do the job of portfolio management all in one security.

Suddenly robo-advisors find themselves having to prove their worth anew, all the while trying to establish a profitable business model in a low-margin corner of the investment universe. It’s surprising, really, because amid all the competition their fee structures and value proposition are as good as or better than ever.

Investors now must probe deeper in their choice of robo-advisor, asking tough questions around performance, risk and the composition of portfolios. The 2022 survey of the Canadian robo industry shows, they’re not all the same.

Social assistance summaries

The Social Assistance Summaries series tracks the number of recipients of social assistance (welfare payments) in each province and territory. It was established by the Caledon Institute of Social Policy to maintain data previously published by the federal government as the Social Assistance Statistical Report. The data is provided by provincial and territorial government officials.

TFSA Calculator

A Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) can be used to save for any goal. You put after-tax dollars into a TFSA, but your investments grow tax-free and you won’t pay any tax on withdrawal.

Use this calculator to estimate the value of the investments in your TFSA when you’re ready to withdraw them, and compare this amount to the value of your investments in a non-registered plan to see your overall estimated tax savings.

Types of fraud

Fraud comes in many forms. Learn about the different types of fraud and ways to protect yourself using the links below.

8 common investment scams

Fraudster trick (email spam attack)

Crypto fraud

2022 Canadian Retirement Survey

The key takeaways from the 2022 Canadian Retirement Survey are:

Canadians are growing increasingly concerned about day-to-day cost of living impacting their ability to save for retirement.
Capacity to save is dissolving for working Canadians, especially for those under 35
Inflation and housing affordability concerns for all Canadians, especially for those under 35.
Canadians recognize the personal value of pensions
Canadians recognize the societal value of pensions

Read the full presentation conducted for Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan.

Empower U Financial Coaching

Financial empowerment consists of five complementary strategies including financial literacy and coaching; taxes and access to benefits; safe financial products; savings and asset building; and consumer protection. Empower U serves primarily as a financial literacy and coaching and savings and asset building intervention (although partners also contribute to the other interventions).

The Sustainable Livelihood Model identifies five distinct sets of assets including personal, human, social, physical and financial. The Empower U program activities are grounded by two overarching philosophies: Financial Empowerment (as defined by Prosper Canada) and the Sustainable Livelihood Model (adapted by the Canadian Women’s Foundation, based on the work of the University of Sussex Institute for Development Studies).

Focusing on financial literacy and coaching, Empower U has developed an individual financial coaching component to the overall program.

Empower U Evaluation Report

For a family living in poverty, every day is about making tough choices – to pay rent or buy groceries? Having the means to attain the basic necessities, is one thing. Having the skills, confidence and access to resources to manage finances in ways that build pathways out of poverty is something far different.

Thanks to the generosity of partners, supporters and donors of Empower U, families can move beyond just managing the day-to-day challenges of poverty. Participants in the program learn valuable money management skills and are given the means to build savings and assets to create financial stability. A future where they and their families can thrive.

Checking registration

Checking registration helps protect you from unqualified or fraudulent individuals. Always check the registration of any person or business trying to sell you an investment or give you investment advice by using the Canadian Securities Administrators’ National Registration Search.

Titles like financial advisor, financial planner, investment consultant, and investment specialist aren’t legally defined terms or official registration categories. Some advisers or dealers may have designations that allow them to use specific titles, such as Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) or Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Checking registration tells you what specific products and services they are (and aren’t) qualified to offer you, regardless of title.

Debt consolidation calculator

Debt Consolidation is the process of combining multiple debts into one. Use this calculator to calculate what your new monthly payments would be, how soon you could be debt free, and how much your total interest amount would be when you consolidate your debts.

Financial consumer protection framework

This presentation provides information about the FCAC's public awareness strategy for Canada's new Financial Consumer Protection Framework including an overview of FCAC's planned activities and resources and highlights the importance of collective action to inform Canadians.

Additional promotional toolkits can be found on the FCAC website.

Turning aces into assets

Ontario has just become the first province to open its legal gambling market to private internet gaming providers. As of April 4, 2022, Ontarians can play casino-style games online and place bets on sports, including single games, through sites regulated by iGaming Ontario. According to the provincial regulator, the launch of iGaming marks the triumph “of a legal internet gaming market” over “its previous grey market standing.” But as with all forms of gambling, this development has a dark side. It was only a matter of time before Ontario expanded its gambling market—not because of popular demand, but because the provincial government is addicted to gambling money and is eager to seize any opportunity to get more of it, regardless of the costs to the people it is supposed to protect.

This report provides the background of gambling in Ontario, outlines the new risks with iGaming and offers four policy options.

Take the stress out of budgeting

Making a budget is one of the most helpful financial tools you can use on a regular basis. A budget can give you a clear picture of where your money is going. It’s easier to plan for the life you want, when you know how much money you have for saving, spending and paying off debt.

If you’ve never made a budget, or have not created one in a long time, it can be an intimidating reality check. Don’t let stress or worry keep you from creating a budget. The best budgeting method to use is the one that works for you.

Grandparent scams and how to avoid them

Imagine a loved one is in trouble or hurt. You get a call asking for urgent help. You’d likely want to act right away because you care about them. Exploiting family ties is the driving force behind grandparent scams — or emergency scams.

This article from the OSC can help you to protect yourself from becoming a victim of an emergency scam.

8 ways to prepare financially for retirement

This article from OSC provides 8 tips to help you plan for retirement.

Transitioning from working life to retirement takes careful financial planning and decision-making – give yourself plenty of time to prepare. Here are some things you can do ahead of time.

Guidance on digital delivery of financial education

Innovative uses of digital technologies in the delivery of financial education can serve multiple complementary objectives and effectively support the building blocks of financial education. This Guidance was developed to assist policy makers in deciding when to adopt digital delivery, and how to effectively design and implement digital financial education initiatives, by offering non-binding actionable directions. It builds on the work undertaken by the OECD and its International Network on Financial Education, including the G20/OECD-INFE Policy Guidance Note on Digitalisation and Financial Literacy and international comparative analyses on how public authorities design, deliver and evaluate digital financial education initiatives, notably in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report on digital delivery of financial education design and practice builds on over 70 case studies from members of the OECD International Network on Financial Education, contributes to a better understanding of how public authorities worldwide are designing, delivering and evaluating digital financial education initiatives, and prepares forthcoming work on the development of high-level international guidance on the digital delivery of financial education.

Multilingual financial resources for Ontarians

Investing for your future is important. And no matter how much (or little) money you have to invest, having the right information and resources can help you make better decisions for you and your family.

The resources and tools provided here are intended to be a starting point for new investors, including those new to Canada. The information here can help you make more informed investment decisions and help you better protect your money.

Behavioural bias checker

Being aware of potential biases can help you become a better decision-maker. Use this tool to improve your awareness of different behavioural biases or “blind spots” that may influence your decisions.

Action-oriented public health resources on financial wellbeing and financial strain

Improving people’s financial circumstances has never been more critical. Disadvantaged population groups have experienced even higher levels of financial strain and poor financial wellbeing during the pandemic. This has negatively impacted their physical and mental health.

To support efforts to build back better and fairer communities in the wake of COVID-19, the Centre for Healthy Communities led an international collaborative, participatory, multi-method project to develop resources to support action on financial strain and financial wellbeing. These resources were designed for practitioners and decision-makers working in organizations and governments in a wide variety of sectors and jurisdictions.

This project resulted in an action-oriented Public Health Framework on Financial Wellbeing and Financial Strain and a companion Guidebook of Strategies and Indicators.

These resources are meant to support organizations and governments acting on any area related to financial strain and financial wellbeing, such as education, employment, or social safety net, to name a few. The Framework, which draws on health equity and health-in-all-policy principles, presents 17 evidence-informed high-impact areas for governments and organizations to intervene. The Guidebook offers evidence-informed targets and strategies for initiatives, as well as sample indicators for monitoring and assessment for each of those 17 entry points for action.

2022 Budget submission

Prosper Canada has submitted a budget to highlight that a plan is needed to ensure that vulnerable people are not made to repay unmanageable CERB/CRB debts, to pay back the income people lost when their refundable tax benefits were clawed back because of CERB, and to guarantee that CRB and CWLB are not clawed back from refundable tax credit payments in the 2021 and 2022 tax years.

Protecting aging investors through behavioural insights

This report identifies behaviourally informed techniques dealers and advisers can use to encourage their older clients to provide the necessary information for enhanced investor protection measures.

Let’s talk money- seniors edition

Open, honest conversations about money are one of the keys to building a healthy relationship with your family, across the generations.

With a little preparation, talking about financial matters can help build trust, deepen connections, relieve stress and lead to greater peace of mind.

Yet for many people, these conversations can be difficult. In some families, money is just not something you talk about. The same applies to wills, inheritances, senior living, end-of-life care and many more topics that matter most to seniors.

Let's Talk About Money: Seniors' Edition -- wants to help you change that. There are tips to help parents talk with adult children and tips for adult children to have meaningful money conversations their parents.

The most important thing is to have these conversations early, before there’s a crisis. So let's start talking.

Access to Identification for Low-income Manitobans

Government-issued identification (ID) is essential to gain access to a wide range of government entitlements, commercial services and financial systems. Lack of ID on the other hand, represents a critical barrier that prevents low-income Manitobans from accessing these services and benefits, and ultimately results in further marginalization and deepening poverty. Other provinces are now recognizing that ID is necessary to navigate the modern world and are doing something to support those who fall through the cracks.

A new study, Access to Identification for Low-Income Manitobans researches what can be done to address these challenges and offers recommendations to reduce barriers to ID for low-income Manitobans.

Household Food Insecurity in Canada, 2017-2018

Food insecurity – inadequate or uncertain access to food because of financial constraints – is a serious public health problem in Canada, and all indications are that the problem is getting worse.

Drawing on data for 103,500 households from Statistics Canada’s Canadian Community Health Survey conducted in 2017 and 2018, we found that 12.7% of households experienced some level of food insecurity in the previous 12 months. There were 4.4 million people, including more than 1.2 million children under the age of 18, living in food-insecure households in 2017-18. This is higher than any prior national estimate.

Recognizing and responding to economic abuse

With speakers from CCFWE, Johannah Brockie - Program Manager for Advocacy and System Change and Jessica Tran - Program Manager for Education and Awareness, this webinar will guide you through the definition of economic abuse, how to identify an economic abuser, impacts of economic abuse, Covid-19 impacts, tactics, what you should do if you are a victim of economic abuse, and key safety tips.

Economic Abuse occurs when a domestic partner interferes with a partner’s access to finances, employment or social benefits, such as fraudulently racking up credit card debt in their partner’s name or preventing their partner from going to work has a devastating effect on victims and survivors of domestic partner violence, yet it’s rarely talked about in Canada.

It’s experienced by women from all backgrounds, regions and income levels but women from marginalized groups, including newcomers, refugees, racialized and Indigenous women, are at a higher risk of economic abuse due to other systemic factors.

Economic Abuse: Coercive Control Tactics in Intimate Relationships

This infographic explores 3 forms of economic abuse and associated tactics used to coercively control intimate partners.

These abusive tactics are compounded by economic systems that systemically oppress groups including Black, Indigenous, and people of colour; people with disabilities; people with precarious immigration status; and gender-oppressed people.

Economic abuse consists of behaviours to control, exploit, and sabotage an individual’s resources. It limits the individual’s independence and autonomy.

Compared to financial abuse which usually only focuses on money, economic abuse includes a more expansive range of behaviour that affects things like employment, food, medicine, and housing.

Economic abuse is often used to coercively control individuals, such as intimate partners. It occurs in conjunction with further forms of abuse, like physical and sexual violence. Economic abuse can make it more difficult for survivors to escape violence since they may not have the resources to secure long-term housing and employment while meeting basic needs for themselves and potentially their children.

Investing basics

Whether you’re a first-time investor, thinking of saving for your education, or planning for your retirement, FAIR Canada's investing basics may help you on your investing journey.

Municipal Toolkit: A toolkit for embedding financial empowerment supports into municipal services

Financial empowerment (FE) is an approach to poverty reduction that focuses on improving the financial security of people living on low income. Evidence shows that embedding FE interventions into municipal welfare, employment, housing, shelter and health services can significantly boost service outcomes and support the life stabilization framework.

If you are a manager or frontline staff working in municipal services and starting your FE journey, this toolkit can help you to begin embedding FE supports into your existing programs.

Prosperity Gateways: Cities for financial empowerment is an initiative at Prosper Canada which aims to reduce poverty by building financial help into municipal services used by residents with low incomes.

This toolkit has been made possible by the Government of Ontario, JP Morgan Chase and the Maytree Foundation. Prosper Canada is grateful to our financial empowerment community partners and Ontario Works offices for their collaboration in this effort. We also recognize related pioneering work by US-based Prosperity Now and the CFE Fund.

Worksheet resources in this toolkit are available as fillable PDFs. Please open with Adobe Acrobat Reader for full functionality.

For frontline staff - Quick tools you can use with clients

Starting the conversation

Here are 7 questions to help you start a conversation about money with your client. Based on what you learn about your clients’ needs, the remaining links on this page to help you find answers and next steps.

Worksheets & tip sheets

Here are some “go to” worksheets and tip sheets that frontline staff have found very helpful with their clients. They focus on budgeting, saving, and debt management – common FE needs that come up. Try them out for yourself first and see which ones might work for your clients.

The Budget Spreadsheet is an excellent tool for capturing the full picture of an individual’s financial picture. The individual inputs information according to different categories and the tool calculates totals in a summary page to show how much money is left over at the end of the month. [Thunder Bay Counselling]

The Simple budget template is an alternative monthly budget tool clients can use. It includes links to an Income tracking worksheet and Expenses tracking worksheet. [Prosper Canada / Trove]

The Urgent vs Important worksheet can help clients prioritize their spending. This, in turn, can help them save or “find money” for necessary expenses. [Prosper Canada / Trove]

Knowing how to set a SMART goal is important for planning and achieving targets. In the Set a SMART financial goal, clients learn what a SMART goal is and write SMART financial goals that are important to them. [Prosper Canada / Trove]

Making a spending plan is a worksheet clients can use to create a spending plan for each week based on money coming in and out each month. [Prosper Canada / Trove]

Making a debt action plan is a worksheet to help your clients get a handle on their debt. [Prosper Canada / Trove]

Tips for Managing Debt and Bills is a reference sheet you can give clients during tough times when managing cash flow is a challenge.

Prioritizing bills helps clients prioritize what bills to pay when it’s not possible to pay for everything. Note that this tool is from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), an American government agency and includes a link to their website. Let clients know the information on the website is geared to the US context. [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau]

Online sites and tools

Here are great online tools you can also share and use in your FE work with clients.

Benefits wayfinder [benefitswayfinder.org]

Support with access to benefits is another powerful FE intervention. The Benefits wayfinder is a simple, easy to use, plain language tool that helps people on low and modest incomes find and track benefits they could get. Clients can use it on their own or with your support.

Read the Benefits wayfinder fact sheet to learn more.

Then watch the How to use this tool video. It highlights and demonstrates how to navigate through the key features of the tool.

If you would like additional training on how to support your clients with access to benefits and use the Benefits wayfinder tool in your money conversations, you can sign up for Prosper Canada’s self-directed online course and/or live workshop.

Trove [yourtrove.org]

Trove is a free bilingual website that clients can visit on their own or with your support. Many of the tools you were introduced to above can be found on Trove, along with a wealth of other user-friendly financial tools, worksheets, and education information to help clients take charge of their spending, learn about tax filing and benefits, and manage debt.

Along with a link to the Benefits wayfinder, you can also find these online tools:

My money in Canada is a website that can help clients build healthy money habits with simple, easy to use learning modules on a range of money topics. The site also includes videos and a financial wellness checklist for clients.
The RDSP Calculator for Canadians can be used to assess the potential of opening and contributing to a Registered Disability Savings Plan.

For managers - Tools for getting started with financial empowerment

The resources below focus on starting steps and tools to assist in the initial planning and implementation stages for embedding FE. Future phases of the toolkit will share resources for later stage efforts, as well as non-municipal efforts, such as public libraries and health care systems.

Tool 1. Making the case for financial empowerment

For FE to be successful, it’s critical to get buy-in from staff and stakeholders.

Below are great resources to share with key players who are new to FE. They can help you get others quickly up to speed on what FE is and the value of embedding FE as you onboard them or work to build interest in FE in your municipality.

Prosperity Gateways Primer gives a quick overview of the “what” and “why” of embedding FE into municipal services.
FE Brochure provides a more detailed introduction to FE and embedding FE.
Here are three case examples you can use to show the powerful impact embedding FE into municipal services can have:

Case example: York region
Case example: TESS
Case example: Edmonton

Tool 2. Getting started: the internal scan

Take the time to learn about common FE interventions. Then, assess conditions, capacity and considerations in your municipality for providing these kinds of financial help to your clients.

This tool guides you through an internal scan as you envision what embedding FE might look like in your service delivery context. Consider Tool 2: Getting started: the internal scan a starting point that will continue to evolve as you move through the process.

Tool 3. Exploring partnerships: the external scan

Municipalities do not have to deliver FE supports themselves to turn their services into Prosperity Gateways. In many cases, especially at the outset, it may be more cost-effective and less resource intensive to establish referral pathways to other local service providers or to partner with non-profit organizations, foundations, or financial service providers to deliver the financial help to meet your clients’ needs.

Use Tool 3: Exploring collaborations and partnerships to perform a scan of FE services in your local community and identify potential collaborations and partnerships.

Tool 4. Designing the initiative: the service blueprint

Having completed an internal and external scan of barriers and opportunities, you are now ready to design an FE initiative to suit your municipality’s context. Designing the initiative is an important phase where you work out the service model, clarify partnerships, and imagine the ideal client experience.

Tool 4: Designing the initiative guides you through choosing the best service delivery model for your context and designing the client and staff journey.

More to come.

We hope this toolkit will grow and improve with use and feedback. Current ideas for upcoming tools include:

Understanding your clients’ financial capability
Building a successful team
Supporting staff for success
Setting up effective data collection and evaluation processes

Feedback / Suggestions

We’d love to hear your feedback and suggestions for tools that you would find useful. Please email: Helen Payne Watt at [email protected]

Learn more about FE

Canadian Publications

Prosperity Gateways: Cities for financial empowerment – Building the case outlines evidence for embedding FE.

Read the report How financial empowerment services are helping Ontarians build financial health for more supporting evidence and personal stories.

Financial Empowerment – What is it and how it helps reduce poverty [national] suggests that FE is a critical missing piece of federal government policy that can significantly boost client outcomes when it is embedded into other programs and services.

Financial Empowerment – What is it and how it helps reduce poverty [Alberta] provides an overview of provincial government action on FE in Alberta. The Alberta government adapted the national document (by the same name) to use in their internal discussions with municipal decision-makers. Create a document that you can use for your internal discussions using this as an example.

U.S. Publications

The municipal integration of FE in Canada is grounded in influential work in the US by the Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE) Fund. Launched in 2012 in New York the CFE Fund showed that embedding FE strategies into local government infrastructure can have a “supervitamin effect” on public programs, increasing the financial stability of low to moderate income households.

Read the pioneering article: “Municipal Financial Empowerment: A Supervitamin for Public Programs”
Learn more about their Financial Empowerment Centers model in this 4-minute video
Visit their website to see resources and sign up for their quarterly newsletter
See a three-year evaluation of the model in 5 cities across the US. “An Evaluation of Financial Empowerment Centers – Building People’s Financial Stability as a Public Service”

The Urban Institute examined the cost of residents’ financial insecurity to city budgets in 10 American cities in this 2017 research. Across these cities, the costs range from the tens to hundreds of millions of dollars, suggesting that cities have an economic interest in improving their residents’ financial health.

A report by JP Morgan Chase reviews municipal efforts to integrate financial capability into public services in several US locations in “A Scan of Municipal Financial Capability Efforts.”

Pour le personnel de première ligne — Outils rapides que vous pouvez utiliser avec les clients

Amorcer la conversation

Voici sept questions qui vous aideront à entamer une conversation à propos de l’argent avec votre client. En fonction de ce que vous avez appris sur les besoins de vos clients, les autres liens de cette page vous aideront à trouver des réponses et à connaître les prochaines étapes.

Fiches de travail et fiches de conseils

Voici quelques feuilles de travail et des feuilles de conseils que le personnel de première ligne a trouvé très utiles pour ses clients. Elles portent principalement sur la planification budgétaire, l’épargne et la gestion des dettes — les besoins courants en matière d’AF qui se présentent. Essayez-les d’abord pour vous-même et voyez ceux qui pourraient convenir à vos clients.

La feuille de calcul du budget (anglais seulement) est un excellent outil pour saisir le portrait complet de la situation financière d’un individu. La personne saisit les données selon différentes catégories et l’outil calcule les totaux dans une page de synthèse pour montrer combien d’argent il reste à la fin du mois. [Thunder Bay Counselling]

Le modèle de budget simple est un outil alternatif de budget mensuel que les clients peuvent utiliser. Il comprend des liens vers une feuille de calcul de suivi des revenus et une feuille de calcul de suivi des dépenses. [Prospérité Canada/Trove]

La feuille de calcul Urgent versus Important peut aider les clients à établir des priorités dans leurs dépenses. Cela peut ensuite les aider à économiser ou à « trouver de l’argent » pour les dépenses nécessaires. [Prospérité Canada/Trove]

Il est important de savoir comment établir un objectif INTELLIGENT pour mettre en place et atteindre des objectifs. Avec l’outil Comment établir des objectifs financiers INTELLIGENTS, les clients apprennent ce qu’est un objectif INTELLIGENT et choisissent des objectifs financiers INTELLIGENTS qui sont importants pour eux. [Prospérité Canada/Trove]

La feuille de calcul Comment établir un plan de dépenses est un outil que les clients peuvent utiliser pour créer un plan de dépenses pour chaque semaine en fonction des entrées et sorties d’argent du mois. [Prospérité Canada/Trove]

La feuille de calcul Élaboration d’un plan d’action en matière de dettes est un outil pour aider vos clients à prendre le contrôle sur leurs dettes. [Prospérité Canada/Trove]

Conseils pour la gestion des dettes et des factures est une feuille de référence que vous pouvez donner à vos clients dans les moments difficiles où la gestion des fonds est un défi.

Le classement des factures par ordre de priorité (anglais seulement) aide les clients à déterminer les factures à payer en premier lorsqu’il n’est pas possible de tout payer. Notez que cet outil provient du Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), une agence gouvernementale américaine, et comprend un lien vers son site Web. Expliquez aux clients que les renseignements figurant sur le site Web sont adaptés au contexte américain. [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau]

Sites et outils en ligne

Voici d’excellents outils en ligne que vous pouvez également faire connaître et utiliser dans votre travail en matière d’AF avec les clients.

Orienteur en mesures d’aide [benefitswayfinder.org/fr]

L’aide à l’accès aux mesures d’aide est une autre façon puissante d’intervenir en matière d’AF. L’Orienteur en mesures d’aide est un outil simple, facile à utiliser et rédigé en langage clair qui aide les personnes à revenus faibles ou modestes à trouver et à répertorier les mesures d’aide auxquelles elles peuvent prétendre. Les clients peuvent l’utiliser seuls ou avec votre aide.

Pour en savoir plus, lisez la fiche d’information sur l’Orienteur en mesures d’aide. (anglais seulement)

Ensuite, regardez la vidéo Comment utiliser cet outil (anglais seulement). Elle explique et démontre comment naviguer à travers les principales caractéristiques de l’outil.

Si vous souhaitez obtenir une formation supplémentaire sur la façon d’aider vos clients à accéder aux mesures d’aide et d’utiliser l’Orienteur en mesures d’aide dans vos conversations au sujet de l’argent, vous pouvez vous inscrire au cours autodidacte en ligne ou à l’atelier en direct de Prospérité Canada.

Trove [yourtrove.org/fr]

Trove est un site Web bilingue gratuit que les clients peuvent visiter par eux-mêmes ou avec votre aide. La plupart des outils qui vous ont été présentés ci-dessus se trouvent sur Trove, ainsi qu’une multitude d’autres outils financiers conviviaux, des feuilles de calcul et des renseignements éducatifs pour aider les clients à prendre en charge leurs dépenses, à se renseigner sur la déclaration et les avantages fiscaux et à gérer leurs dettes.

En plus d’un lien vers l’Orienteur en mesures d’aide, vous trouverez également ces outils en ligne :

Mon argent au Canada est un site Web qui peut aider les clients à acquérir de bonnes habitudes en matière de gestion de l’argent grâce à des modules d’apprentissage simples et faciles à utiliser sur toute une série de sujets liés à l’argent. Le site comprend également des vidéos (anglais seulement) et un questionnaire relatif au bien-être financier pour les clients.
La calculatrice du REEI pour les Canadiens peut être utilisée pour évaluer la possibilité d’ouvrir et de cotiser à un régime enregistré d’épargne-invalidité.

Pour les gestionnaires — Outils pour démarrer avec l’autonomisation financière

The resources below focus on starting steps and tools to assist in the initial planning and implementation stages for embedding FE. Future phases of the toolkit will share resources for later stage efforts, as well as non-municipal efforts, such as public libraries and health care systems.

Outil 1. Argumenter en faveur de l’autonomisation financière.

Pour que l’AF soit un succès, il est essentiel d’obtenir l’adhésion du personnel et des intervenants.

Vous trouverez ci-dessous d’excellentes ressources à faire connaître aux acteurs clés qui ne connaissent pas encore l’AF. Elles peuvent vous aider à faire comprendre rapidement aux autres ce qu’est l’AF et la pertinence d’intégrer l’AF lorsque vous les accueillez ou lorsque vous travaillez à susciter l’intérêt pour l’AF dans votre municipalité.

● L’abécédaire des passerelles pour la prospérité (anglais seulement) donne un aperçu de « qu’est-ce que c’est » et du « pourquoi » au sujet de l’intégration de l’AF dans les services municipaux.

● La brochure de l’AF (anglais seulement) fournit une introduction plus détaillée à l’AF et à l’intégration de l’AF.

● Voici trois exemples de cas que vous pouvez utiliser pour montrer l’impact puissant que peut avoir l’intégration de l’AF dans les services municipaux :

o Exemple de cas : Région de York

o Exemple de cas : Services sociaux et d’emploi de Toronto

o Exemple de cas : Edmonton

Outil 2. Commencer : l’analyse interne

Prenez le temps de vous renseigner sur les types d’interventions courantes en matière d’AF. Ensuite, évaluez les conditions, la capacité et les considérations dans votre municipalité pour fournir ces types d’aide financière à vos clients.

Cet outil vous guide à travers une analyse interne qui vous permet d’envisager ce que pourrait être l’intégration de l’AF dans votre contexte de prestation de services.

Considérez l’outil 2 : Commencer : l’analyse interne un point de départ qui continuera à évoluer à mesure que vous avancerez dans le processus.

Outil 3. Explorer les partenariats : l’analyse externe

Les municipalités ne sont pas obligées de fournir elles-mêmes des mesures d’aides en matière d’AF pour transformer leurs services en passerelles pour la prospérité. Dans de nombreux cas, surtout au début, il peut être plus rentable et moins exigeant sur le plan des ressources d’établir des liens de référence vers d’autres prestataires de services locaux ou de s’associer à des organismes à but non lucratif, des fondations ou des prestataires de services financiers pour fournir l’aide financière répondant aux besoins de vos clients.

Utilisez l’outil 3 : Explorer les collaborations et les partenariats pour effectuer une analyse des services en matière d’AF dans votre communauté locale et identifier les collaborations et partenariats potentiels.

Outil 4. Concevoir l’initiative : le plan de service

Après avoir effectué une analyse interne et externe des obstacles et des opportunités, vous êtes maintenant prêt à concevoir une initiative d’AF adaptée au contexte de votre municipalité. La conception de l’initiative est une phase importante où vous élaborez le modèle de service, clarifiez les partenariats et imaginez l’expérience client idéale.

L’outil 4 : Conception de l’initiative vous guide dans le choix du meilleur modèle de prestation de services pour votre contexte et dans la conception du parcours du client et du personnel.

Plus à venir

Nous espérons que cette boîte à outils se développera et s’améliorera avec l’utilisation et les commentaires. Les idées actuelles pour les outils à venir incluent :

Comprendrela capacité financière de vos clients
Mettresur pied une équipe performante
Soutenirle personnel pour qu’il réussisse
Mettreen place des processus efficaces de collecte de données et d’évaluation

Commentaires et suggestions

Nous serions ravis d’entendre vos commentaires et vos suggestions d’outils que vous trouveriez utiles. Veuillez nous envoyer un courriel : Helen Payne Watt à l’adresse [email protected].

En savoir plus en matière d’AF

Publications canadiennes

Passerelles de prospérité : Les villes pour l’autonomisation financière — établir le dossier (anglais seulement) décrit les preuves qui sont pour l’intégration de l’AF.

Lisez le rapport intitulé Comment les services d’autonomisation financière aident les Ontariens à renforcer leur santé financière (anglais seulement) pour obtenir plus de preuves et de récits personnels.

Le document Autonomisation financière — qu’est-ce que c’est et comment cela aide à réduire la pauvreté [national] (anglais seulement) suggère que l’autonomisation financière est une pièce manquante essentielle de la politique du gouvernement fédéral qui peut considérablement améliorer les conditions de vie des clients lorsqu’elle est intégrée à d’autres programmes et services.

Le document Autonomisation financière — qu’est-ce que c’est et comment cela aide à réduire la pauvreté [Alberta] (anglais seulement) donne un aperçu de la démarche du gouvernement provincial en matière d’AF en Alberta. Le gouvernement de l’Alberta a adapté le document national (du même nom) pour l’utiliser dans ses discussions internes avec les décideurs municipaux. Créez un document que vous pourrez utiliser pour vos discussions internes en utilisant cet exemple.

Publications américaines

L’intégration municipale de l’AF au Canada est fondée sur les travaux influents réalisés aux États-Unis par le Fonds Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE). Lancé en 2012 à New York, le Fonds CFE Fund a montré que l’intégration de stratégies d’AF dans l’infrastructure des gouvernements locaux peut avoir un « effet super vitaminé » sur les programmes publics, en augmentant la stabilité financière des ménages à revenu faible ou modéré.

Lisez l’article pionnier : « Municipal Financial Empowerment: A Supervitamin for Public Programs » (anglais seulement)
Apprenez-en davantage sur leur modèle de centres d’autonomisation financière (anglais seulement) dans cette vidéo de quatre minutes.
Visitez leur site Web (anglais seulement) pour voir les ressources et vous inscrire à leur infolettre trimestrielle.
Découvrez une évaluation de trois ans du modèle dans cinq villes des États-Unis. « An Evaluation of Financial Empowerment Centers – Building People’s Financial Stability as a Public Service » (anglais seulement)

L’Urban Institute a examiné le coût de l’insécurité financière des résidents sur les budgets municipaux de dix villes américaines dans cette recherche de 2017 (anglais seulement). Dans ces villes, les coûts vont de dizaines à des centaines de millions de dollars, ce qui suggère que les villes ont un intérêt économique à améliorer la santé financière de leurs résidents.

Un rapport de JP Morgan Chase passe en revue les efforts déployés par les municipalités pour intégrer la capacité financière dans les services publics dans plusieurs villes américaines dans « A Scan of Municipal Financial Capability Efforts » (anglais seulement).

Your trusted contact person and why they matter

The Trusted Contact Person initiative has been adopted across Canada.

It is part of new regulatory measures to support advisors in their efforts to help investors, particularly older investors and vulnerable, protect themselves and their financial interests.

Canadian seniors are increasingly called upon to make complex financial decisions, with higher stakes, later in life than ever before. For many, health, mobility, or cognitive changes that can occur with age, may affect their ability to make these decisions. This can make seniors more susceptible to financial exploitation and fraud. In fact, about half of the victims of investment fraud are over age 55.

Compound interest calculator

Using OSC's online calculator, find out how your investment will grow over time with compound interest.

Emergency fund calculator

Some emergencies in life can affect you financially. You could get sick, lose your job, or have a costly repair to your car or home. An emergency fund can provide a financial safety net. Ideally, this fund would provide enough money to cover your essential living expenses so you can avoid taking on debt.

Use OSC's calculator to estimate how much money should be set aside to pay for financial emergencies.

Survey on savings for persons with disabilities

Residents in Canada who have a severe and prolonged mental or physical disability are eligible for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC). This opens the door to other programs, one of which is the RDSP.

Less than one-third of eligible residents in Canada (up to age 59) have a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP)—about 31.5% in 2020.

To understand why more eligible residents in Canada do not have an RDSP, Employment and Social Development Canada asked Statistics Canada to conduct the Survey on Savings for Persons with Disabilities. Its goal was to collect data from residents in Canada who were eligible for an RDSP but did not open one.

These respondents included both persons with disabilities and family members or others who care for persons with disabilities, since the holder of the plan may not be the same person as the beneficiary in all cases.

These data show that, in general, eligible residents in Canada lack information about the RDSP, with many not being aware it exists and a substantial portion reporting not having enough information or money to open one.

Introduction to investing: A primer for new investors

The resources and tools provided by OSC on this website are intended to be a starting point for new investors, including people who are new to Canada. The information here can help you make more informed investment decisions and help you better protect your money.

The information is available in multiple languages.

A guide to protect yourself against investment fraud

Today’s investment landscape offers such a range of products, investing tools, and information that the average investor may feel overwhelmed. As advancements in technology continue to accelerate, new online investing platforms and opportunities are showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.

And as the world of investing continues to innovate, so do the tactics of fraudsters when designing and carrying out scams against unsuspecting victims.

In this guide, we discuss investment fraud and some key things you should know before investing, including helpful tips to protect yourself from investment scams.

Retirement budget worksheet

Good financial planning starts with knowing what you spend. Try out this budget worksheet, prepared by the Ontario Securities Commission, to see the difference in your costs before you retire and after you stop working.

15 percent of Canadians are ‘underbanked’ — here’s what that means and why it’s a barrier to equitable recovery

Research shows that 15 percent, or close to five million Canadians, are underbanked, and three percent are completely unbanked, meaning that they have very limited or no access to financial services within the traditional banking sector.

Ironically, underbanked individuals often come from low-moderate income backgrounds which put them at a higher need for accessible financial services. However, factors like low credit scores, high credit card fees, and non-sufficient fund fees are major barriers that shut Canadians out from banks.

Instances of explicit racism while banking, which include being handcuffed when trying to open a bank account, have further diminished the trust in banks for many Black, Indigenous and people of colour.

Five Good Ideas about using human-centred design for social change

With a growing number of barriers to accessing vital services, we need to think critically about accessibility and people’s services experiences in the social and public sector. Human-centred design is an approach which centres the voices and lived experiences of people who are impacted in the design or re-design of a program or service.

During this session, Galen MacLusky and Nandita Bijur of Prosper Canada share the mindsets and principles that have helped their organization introduce and integrate human-centred design into their projects. Specifically, you will hear how they used human-centred design in their work integrating financial empowerment into municipal services and in designing impactful frontline services for people living on low incomes. Human-centred design can often feel overwhelming, but this session will help you think about small shifts you can implement in your practice and decision-making that could make a big difference.

Scam spotter tool

Are you considering a new investment?

Use this tool to learn how to spot the warning signs of fraud, and to learn how to protect yourself from suspected scams.

FCAC new consumer information – electronic alerts

Le français suit l’anglais.

As of June 30, 2022, banks will be required to send electronic alerts to their customers to help them manage their finances and avoid unnecessary fees. Some banks have already started sending these alerts to their customers. The electronic alerts are part of the new and enhanced protections in Canada’s Financial Consumer Protection Framework (the Framework) that comes into effect on June 30, 2022.

To inform Canadians about electronic alerts and their benefits, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) published new consumer information on electronic alerts, developed an infographic, and prepared social media content that you can use on your own social media channels.

Under the Framework, banks will be required to:

disclose key information to help their customers make timely and informed decisions
provide customers with more timely complaint-handling services
offer and sell products or services to customers that are appropriate for their circumstances
respect new rules to avoid misleading customers or applying undue pressure on customers when selling them products and service

À compter du 30 juin 2022, les banques seront tenues d’envoyer des alertes électroniques à leurs clients afin de les aider à gérer leurs finances et à éviter de payer inutilement des frais, ce que certaines ont déjà commencé à faire. Ces alertes font partie des mesures de protection nouvelles ou améliorées prévues dans le Cadre de protection des consommateurs de produits et services financiers du Canada (le Cadre) qui entre en vigueur le 30 juin 2022.

Pour informer les Canadiens et les Canadiennes à propos des alertes électroniques et de leurs avantages, l’Agence de la consommation en matière financière du Canada (ACFC) a publié de nouveaux renseignements à ce sujet pour les consommateurs. Elle a également créé une infographie et préparé du contenu pour les réseaux sociaux que vous pouvez utiliser dans vos propres comptes de médias sociaux.

En vertu des dispositions du Cadre, les banques seront tenues :

de communiquer aux consommateurs des renseignements importants pour les aider à prendre des décisions éclairées en temps opportun;
de fournir à leurs clients des services plus rapides de traitement des plaintes;
de veiller à ce que les produits et services qu’elles offrent ou vendent à leurs clients leur conviennent, compte tenu de leur situation;
de respecter de nouvelles règles de protection des consommateurs afin d’éviter de leur fournir des renseignements trompeurs ou d’exercer des pressions indues sur eux lorsqu’elles leur offrent ou leur vendent des produits et services.

Understanding Systems: The 2021 report of the National Advisory Council on Poverty

Canada’s National Advisory Council on Poverty’s second Annual Report, Understanding Systems, is the first report to provide a glimpse into poverty since COVID-19.

Based on community engagements with Canadians and provinces/territories over the last year, the Council has recommended five broad strategies to reduce poverty in Canada.

The pillars of the strategy are as follows:

Indigenous prosperity
Equity
Dignity
Prevention and early intervention
Income from employment and government benefits

In a recent webinar, three Council members shared what strategies can make the greatest impact. Read more to learn about the key takeaways from the discussion.

Investor readiness quiz

Investing is an important part of planning for a financially secure future. It can battle the effects of inflation on your savings, grow your wealth, and provide sources of income in retirement. The sooner you invest, the longer compound interest can work to grow your savings exponentially. However, there are some important milestones to achieve and questions to consider before you start investing.

Are you ready to invest? Take this quiz to find out!

Community volunteer income tax program (CVITP)

Need help filing your taxes? You may be able to avail of the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program.

The Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) has existed since 1971 and is a longstanding partnership between the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), and community organizations and their volunteers.

Tax clinic volunteers complete tax and benefit returns for eligible individuals to ensure they receive, or continue to receive, their entitled benefit payments. In Québec, volunteers prepare both the federal and provincial tax return.

The CVITP service is offered free of charge to everyone who meets the eligibility criteria, and includes doing taxes for the current and previous years.

For the 2022 tax season, community organizations are hosting free in-person and virtual tax clinics.

Pay down debt or invest tool

If you have extra money, this calculator helps you decide whether to invest or pay off debt.

Fraud Prevention Toolkits

In 2021, losses reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reached an all time high of 379 million with Canadian losses accounting for 275 million of this. Fraud Prevention Month is a campaign held each March to inform and educate the public on protecting yourself from being a victim of fraud.

This year's theme is impersonation, and focuses on scams where fraudsters will claim to be government official, critical infrastructure companies, and even law enforcement officials.

This collection of fraud prevention toolkits is available in English and French.

In English:

En Français:

Personnes d’âge moyen

Jeunes Adultes

Entreprises

Banking for newcomers to Canada

Banks offer extensive information on how newcomers to Canada can get started in their new country, including checklists, information, financial services and advice.

The Canadian Bankers Association has compiled some basic information to get you started including an infographic with features of the Canadian banking system.

How income tax works

Filing your taxes might be one of the most important financial actions you’ll take each year. It can also feel confusing or stressful at times.

Find out more about how income tax works, including tax deductions and tax credits using the Ontario Securities Commission's interactive chart to see what tax bracket you are in.

Making more purchases online? Beware of fake websites and phony retailer apps

Many of us have shifted some of our shopping online during the pandemic – it’s easy and very often you can have items delivered right to your door. Criminals are taking advantage of the increased popularity of online shopping by creating fake websites and apps that look authentic but are just a ploy to steal your personal information.

The Canadian Banker's Association helps you identify fake websites and apps and shares tips on how to protect yourself while shopping online and what to do if you are a victim of an online shopping scam.

Household food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study presents data on levels of household food insecurity in the 10 provinces from the September to December 2020 cycle of the Canadian Community Health Survey. In this survey, household food security status within the previous 12 months was measured using a scale that has been routinely used to monitor levels of household food insecurity in Canada. This provided the ability to draw comparisons with pre-pandemic levels.

Both before and during the pandemic, certain population groups were more vulnerable to food insecurity in their household. They included people with lower levels of education, those who rent their dwelling, those in lone-parent-led households and those in households reliant on social assistance as their primary source of income. Compared with the pre-pandemic period of 2017/2018, levels of household food insecurity were either unchanged or slightly lower in fall 2020 among groups vulnerable to food insecurity.

Dimensions of poverty hub

Statistics Canada has created an "Opportunity for All"; a dashboard of 12 indicators to track progress on deep income poverty as well as the aspects of poverty other than income, including indicators of material deprivation, lack of opportunity and resilience.

These indicators are broadly grouped into three categories: dignity, opportunity and inclusion and resilience and security.

Singles in deep poverty neglected by pandemic supports

In 2020, the federal government spent over $160 billion on COVID-19 pandemic response measures. These expenses were critical in supporting recently unemployed workers and affected businesses in a time of uncertainty. However, supports through programs like the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) were not extended to those who had less attachment to the labour market, such as a large proportion of social assistance recipients.

This pattern of exclusion has continued with the more recent Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit, which was created to support workers affected by new pandemic-related shutdowns, and not people who were already living in deep poverty before the pandemic.

The pandemic benefits are intended to support people during a specific time of crisis — but what about those who have been living with low and insecure incomes for decades? This report analyzes the welfare incomes of 53 example households, divided into four types, focusing here on unattached singles considered employable, as they are the most likely to be living in poverty.

RESPs and education incentives for children in care – toolkit for public primary caregivers

The Canada Education Savings Program (CESP) recently developed a Toolkit for Public Primary Caregivers to help child welfare organizations open Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs) and access the Canada Learning Bond (CLB) for children in care.

Most children in care automatically qualify for the CLB, but too many of them are missing out on the CLB. As public primary caregivers in receipt of the Children’s Special Allowance, most child welfare organizations can open RESPs and request the CLB for children in their care.

The Toolkit explains the process for accessing federal education savings incentives from the perspective of a public primary caregiver. It explains how to get Social Insurance Numbers for children in care, how to open and manage an RESP, what to do with the account when a child is adopted or ages out of care, and how to access the money when the youth enrols in post-secondary education. It also includes an infographic for quick reference.

Le Programme canadien pour l'épargne-études (PCEE) a récemment élaboré une Trousse d’outils pour les responsables publics pour aider les organismes de protection de l'enfance à ouvrir des régimes enregistrés d'épargne-études (REEE) et à accéder au Bon d'études canadien (BEC) pour les enfants pris en charge.

La plupart des enfants pris en charge sont automatiquement admissibles au BEC, mais trop d'entre eux ne bénéficient pas du BEC. En tant que responsables publics recevant l'allocation spéciale pour enfants, la plupart des organismes de protection de l'enfance peuvent ouvrir des REEE et demander le BEC pour les enfants dont ils ont la charge.

EDSC_EnfantsPrisEnCharge_REEETroussedoutils.pdf explique le processus d'accès aux incitatifs fédéraux à l'épargne-études du point de vue d'un responsable public. Elle explique comment obtenir un numéro d'assurance sociale pour les enfants pris en charge, comment ouvrir et gérer un REEE, ce qu'il faut faire avec le compte lorsque l'enfant est adopté ou cesse d'être pris en charge, et comment accéder à l'argent lorsque le jeune s'inscrit à des études postsecondaires. Il comprend également une infographie pour une consultation rapide.

Canada learning bond for 18 to 20 year olds

The Canada Learning Bond is money that the Government of Canada adds to a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) to help pay the costs of full- or part-time studies after high school. If you are eligible for the Canada Learning Bond and have not already received it in an RESP, you will receive $500 deposited into your RESP, plus an additional $100 for every subsequent year that you were eligible, up to the age of 15. This money can help cover the costs of tuition, books, tools, transportation, and housing. You do not need to put any money into the RESP to receive the Canada Learning Bond.

This single page insert tells you everything you need to know to apply for the Canada learning bond.

Disponible en Français.

Insights from the Ontario Financial Empowerment Champions Project and the Financial Empowerment and Problem Solving Project: How financial empowerment services are helping Ontarians build financial health

In 2016, Prosper Canada partnered with the Ontario government and nine non-profit organizations through the Ontario Financial Empowerment Champions and Financial Empowerment and Problem Solving projects, to pilot delivery of community financial help services for low-income Ontarians.

Third-party evaluations of both projects confirmed that the services provided addressed an unmet need, reduced client financial stress, and improved client financial outcomes. They also confirmed that almost all service users would recommend the services to others.

Learn the 101 of financial literacy

This course is offered by the Canadian Foundation for Economic Education, a non-profit organization that works to improve economic, financial, and enterprising capability.

This financial literacy course for general audiences covers a range of topics: money basics and the economy, setting goals and making wiser consumer decisions, employment, self-employment, spending on major purchases, borrowing money, saving and investing, protecting your money and managing your money.

How women can save more money

This webinar hosted by FCAC (originally broadcast on November 17, 2021) targets women who want to learn more about managing money and building saving habits.

Guest speaker, personal financial expert, Rubina Ahmed-Haq has also contributed to Canada's financial literacy blog on "Women face unique money challenges".

Helpful links related to the content matter in this video:

Budget Planner

Getting help from a credit counsellor

Choosing a financial advisor

Tools for 2022: Tamarack’s Top 10 Resources Published in 2021

The Tamarack Institute develops and supports collaborative strategies that engage citizens and institutions to solve major community issues across Canada and beyond. Our belief is that when we are effective in strengthening community capacity to engage citizens, lead collaboratively, deepen community and end poverty, our work contributes to the building of peace and a more equitable society.

This toolkit contains the top ten resources they published in 2021 including: index of community engagement techniques, the community engagement planning canvas, a guide for community-based COVID recovery, a guide for engaging people with lived and living experience, asset-based community development, a guide for advancing the sustainable development goals in your community and much more.

Global Learning Partners: Connecting Virtually: A Toolkit for Success

Global Learning Partners (GLP) helps individuals and organizations to learn by providing practical expertise in learning assessment, design, facilitation and evaluation.

Their connecting virtually toolkit covers a variety of topics to learn, teach and connect in a virtual world. The resources include ways to engage the whole person, hosting online meetings that work, teaching online and managing work, staff and kids at home.

Eyeing the ID: Bio-metric Banking for Saint John

NB Social Pediatrics and the Saint John Community Loan Fund recently surveyed 157 New Brunswick and Nova Scotia residents about their experiences with finances, banking, and ID to better understand if biometrics or ID banks could be effective solutions for people living without ID.

Eyeing the ID: Bio-metric Banking for Saint John identifies access to identification, as well as stringent identification requirements as the most prevalent barriers to receiving services in the community and were also inherently linked to other barriers, such as housing and finances. For example, lack of address was identified as a barrier to accessing an ID because government agencies require a mailing address to send ID documents to customers, but lack of ID is also directly linked to precarious housing because you often need ID to be placed on local subsidized housing lists, and to set up power and utilities. Cyclical barriers to services could be improved by addressing ID requirements and making ID more accessible.

The top three solutions identified to mitigate ID barriers were biometrics, ID banks, and an ID acquisition service.

Also available in French: Un regard sur l’identification : Services bancaires à identification biométrique à Saint John

Momentum’s Money Management Courses

Momentum is a change-making organization that acts as a bridge by taking an economic approach to poverty reduction and adding a social perspective to economic development initiatives.

Our programs are holistic, covering everything from financial literacy, entrepreneurship and employment training, to developing communication skills, building self-confidence and establishing positive social networks.

Our work is focused in the following 3 areas:

Programs and services for people that are living on low incomes to increase their ability to manage and save money, train for and maintain good jobs, or start a business. Built on the sustainable livelihoods model, Momentum’s programs work to build livelihood assets—connections, sense of self, basics needs and services, skills and knowledge, and finances—that lead to increased income and assets, and ultimately an exit from poverty.
Support to communities and businesses to build and sustain the local economy from the ground up through Community Economic Development education and resources.
Community leadership working with community partners, academics, civil servants and elected officials to support innovative systems-change approaches to poverty reduction, promote best-practices through evaluation and research, and influence public policies to remove barriers and allow people to be more financially stable.

Check out our on demand money management workshops

Ethnography of vulnerable newcomers’ experiences with taxes and benefits

This report presents the findings of an ethnographic research project undertaken by researchers at the Accelerated Business Solutions Lab (ABSL) at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). It is the second of a series of ethnographic reports on the experiences of vulnerable populations. The objective of this study is to develop the CRA’s understanding of newcomers’ experiences as they first encounter the Canadian tax and benefit system. These findings illuminate potential directions for improving tax and benefit information and services available for newcomers.

Advancing Benefits for People with Disabilities

Banking for newcomers to Canada

Housing conditions among racialized groups: A brief overview

Money matters

Managing your money in a changing world

Service Matters: Numbers Speak Volumes

Research to help FSRA improve the lives of vulnerable consumers

Investing with interest: tips and tools for maximizing your savings

Open, honest conversations about money are one of the keys to building a healthy relationship with your family, across the generations.

Momentum is a change-making organization that acts as a bridge by taking an economic approach to poverty reduction and adding a social perspective to economic development initiatives.

Our work is focused in the following 3 areas: