Resources and Tools
Managing the cost of goods and paying bills
Budgeting resources
Five different budgeting methods – Prosper Canada
Cash flow budget template – PDF – Prosper Canada
Cash flow budget template – fillable PDF – Prosper Canada
Simple budget template – PDF – Prosper Canada
Simple budget template – fillable PDF – Prosper Canada
Ten ways to trim expenses – Prosper Canada
Ways to save at the grocery store – Prosper Canada
5 budgeting app ideas – Prosper Canada
Tracking spending/bills
Expenses tracking sheet – PDF – Prosper Canada
Expenses tracking sheet – fillable PDF – Prosper Canada
Tracking fluctuating expenses – Prosper Canada
Prioritizing Bills tool – Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
Spending tracker tool – CFPB
Cutting expenses tool – CFPB
Online budgeting tools
Budget Planner (free) – Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC)
Budget Calculator Spreadsheet (downloadable Excel sheet) – MyMoneyCoach.ca
Spending Habits Calculator – GetSmarterAboutMoney.ca
Personal Budgeting Course (no cost) – Momentum
Pro bono support
Financial planning – Financial Planning Association of Canada (FPAC)
Debt
Action planning
Steps to debt repayment – Prosper Canada
Determining debt payoff order – Prosper Canada
Dealing with debt– Prosper Canada
Making a plan to be debt free– Government of Canada
The 4 cornerstones of debt reduction strategies & budgeting– Credit Counselling Society
Getting out of debt– Credit Counselling Society
Information for consumers on the insolvency process– Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy (available in multiple languages)
More resources
Options you can trust to help with your debt – Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy
1:1 debt counselling – Credit Counselling Canada
Sample letters to creditors – Credit Counselling Society
Ways to build or rebuild credit and manage debt course (no cost) – Momentum
How to improve your credit score: proven steps to success – Credit Canada
Housing and homelessness
Listing of agencies across Canada that may be able to help – The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness
211 – United Way Canada
Subsidized housing in ON – Ontario Non-profit Housing Association
Benefits for housing
Housing benefits – Government of Canada
Benefits wayfinder – Prosper Canada
Factsheet: Housing insecure individuals – Government of Canada
Resources for renters
Your rights when being evicted for renovations – Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)
Resources for renters facing eviction – Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation
Moving checklist – Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)
Ontario Renters’ guide – Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)
How to negotiate a repayment plan with your landlord – Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)
Know your rights: eviction prevention – Canadian Centre for Housing Rights
Know your rights: rental housing basics – Canadian Centre for Housing Rights
Know your rights: record keeping for tenants – Canadian Centre for Housing Rights
Rent-Geared-to-Income Subsidy – City of Toronto
An infographic that explains when rent increases are legal – CLEO
A guide that explains when landlords can apply for an above guideline rent increase (AGI), how to prepare for a hearing to fight an AGI, and what happens after the hearing – CLEO
Human Rights and Rental Housing in Ontario: A Self-Advocacy Toolkit – Canadian Centre for Housing Rights
Resources for specific groups
Housing options for seniors – Government of Canada
Toolkit for medical professionals in ON writing disability accommodation letters – Canadian Centre for Housing Rights
Friendship Centres for Indigenous people – National Association of Friendship Centres
Support services for victims of abuse – New Brunswick Government
Housing for youth – 360º (York Region)
Support for young mothers– Albion Centre (Toronto)
Newcomer Information Centre Online– Achēv
Paying your mortgage when experiencing financial difficulties– FCAC
Shelters
Housing and shelters – Salvation Army (Canada)
Disaster relief help – Canadian Red Cross (Canada)
Emergency and short-term housing in Ontario – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (Ontario)
For women facing domestic abuse – Shelter Safe (Canada)
Survivors of domestic violence – CAMH (Toronto)
Shelters – CAMH (Toronto)
Shelters for youth – Rest Centres (Peel Region)
Food insecurity
Access to food
Find a food bank – Food Banks Canada
Regional food banks – Website Planet
Meals on wheels – Ontario Community Support Association
211 – United Way Canada
Drop-in meal resource list for Toronto – Toronto Drop-in Network
Food exchange – Quest Vancouver
Good food organizations – Community Food Centres Canada
Akwe:go – Wasa-Nabin Student Nutrition Program – Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres
Friendship Centres for Indigenous people – Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres
Understanding food insecurity
Tool for older adults: rate your eating habits! – Older Adult Nutrition Screening
Poverty Screening (Food Insecurity) – Canadian Nutrition Society
Ressources et outils
Gérer le coût des biens et les dépenses
Ressources pour établir un budget
5 façons différentes de faire un budget – Prospérité Canada
Budget de caisse – Prospérité Canada
Modèle de budget simple – Prospérité Canada
10 façons de réduire ses dépenses – Prospérité Canada
Moyens pour économiser à l’épicerie – Prospérité Canada
Suivre les dépenses/le paiement des factures
Fichier de suivi des dépenses – Prospérité Canada
Suivi des dépenses variables – Prospérité Canada
Outils d’établissement de budget en ligne
Planificateur budgétaire – Agence de la consommation en matière financière du Canada (ACFC)
Budget mensuel – Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Calculateur des Habitudes de Consommation – GerezMieuxVotreArgent.ca
Vidéos d’apprentissage en ligne — Notions de base sur les finances – Agence de la consommation en matière financière du Canada (ACFC)
Consultation budgétaire – Espace Finances
Dette
Planification des mesures
Les étapes pour rembourser des dettes– Prospérité Canada
Une dette envers qui? – Prospérité Canada
Gestion de la dette : Livret complet– Prospérité Canada
Faire un plan pour gérer vos dettes– Gouvernement du Canada
Croulez-vous sous les dettes? Information sur la procédure d’insolvabilité à l’intention des consommateurs– Bureau du surintendant des faillites
Autres ressources
Des options fiables pour vous aider avec vos dettes – Bureau du surintendant des faillites
Conseil en crédit – Conseil en crédit du Canada
Exemples de lettres aux créanciers – Conseil en crédit du Canada (disponible seulement en anglais)
Emprunter de l’argent- cours (gratuit) – Plateforme de compétences ABC
Qu’est-ce qu’un pointage de crédit?– TransUnion
Associations de consommateurs de Québec – toutbiencalcule.ca
Logement et itinérance
Recherche d’aide – Alliance canadienne pour mettre fin à l’itinérance
211 – Centreaide United Way
Logement subventionné en Ontario – Association du logement sans but lucratif de l’Ontario (disponible seulement en anglais)
Prestations pour le logement
Prestations relatives au logement – Gouvernement du Canada
Orienteur en mesures d’aide – Prospérité Canada
Personnes en situation de logement précaire – Gouvernement du Canada
Accès au logement – Centre Francophone du Grand Toronto
Répertoire des ressources en hébergement communcautaire et en logement social avec soutien communautaire, Réseau d’aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal
Ressources pour les locataires
Être expulsé de son logement en raison de rénovations – Éducation juridique communautaire Ontario
Comment s’opposer à une expulsion – Éducation juridique communautaire Ontario
Louer un logement – Éducation juridique communautaire Ontario
Comment négocier un plan de remboursement avec votre locateur – Centre ontarien de défense des droits des locataires
Votre propriétaire veut-il que vous déménagiez? – Éducation juridique communautaire Ontario
Droit du logement (vidéos) – Éducation juridique communautaire Ontario
Entretien et réparations – Éducation juridique communautaire Ontario
Déménager : Donner un préavis – Éducation juridique communautaire Ontario
Logements à loyer indexés sur le revenu – Ville de Toronto
Les comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec – Regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec (RCLALQ) Comités logement – Le Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU)
Ressources pour des groupes particuliers
Coût des résidences pour les aînés – Gouvernement du Canada
Trousse d’outils pour les professionnels de la santé sur la rédaction de lettres concernant des mesures d’adaptation pour une personne en situation de handicap – Centre canadien pour le droit au logement (disponible seulement en anglais)
Association nationale des centres d’amitié – L’Association nationale des centres d’amitié
Services de soutien pour les victimes de violence – Gouvernement du Nouveau-Brunswick
Logement pour les jeunes – 360º (Région de York)
Soutien aux jeunes mères– Centre Albion (Toronto)
Maison d’amitié– Maison d’amitié (Ottawa)
Payer votre hypothèque lorsque vous éprouvez des difficultés financières– ACFC
Refuges
Services d’hébergement – l’Armée du Salut (Canada)
Aide aux personnes sinistrées – La Croix-Rouge canadienne (Canada)
Logement d’urgence et à court terme en Ontario – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (disponible seulement en anglais)
Pour les femmes victimes de violence – Hebergementfemmes.ca (Canada)
Survivants de violence familiale – Centre de toxicomanie et de santé mentale, Toronto (disponible seulement en anglais)
Insécurité alimentaire
Accès à la nourriture
Trouver une banque alimentaire – Banques alimentaires de Canada
La Popote roulante – Croix-Rouge canadienne
211 – Centraide United Way
Organisations pour la bonne nourriture – Centres communautaires d’alimentation du Canada
Banques alimentaires – Banques alimentaires de Québec
Dépannage alimentaire – Macommunaute.ca
Comprendre l’insécurité alimentaire
Évaluez vos habitudes alimentaires ! – Vérification de l’alimentation des adultes plus âgés
Dépistage de la pauvreté (insécurité alimentaire) – Société canadienne de nutrition
Hunger, Poverty, and Health Disparities During COVID-19 and the Federal Nutrition Programs’ Role in an Equitable Recovery
The health and economic crises brought on by the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has made the federal nutrition programs more important than ever. An unacceptably high number of people in America do not have enough to eat, and it is likely that the economic recovery for families who struggle to put food on the table will take years.
Recovery will be particularly challenging for those groups that have suffered disproportionate harm from COVID-19. Inequities, also referred to as disparities, “adversely affect groups of people who have systematically experienced greater obstacles […] based on their racial or ethnic group; religion; socioeconomic status; gender; age; mental health; cognitive, sensory, or physical disability; sexual orientation or gender identity; geographic location; or other characteristics historically linked to discrimination or exclusion.”
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.
The effects of child tax benefits on the income of single mothers
The financial resources available to families with young children are an important factor affecting child development, and they can have long-term impacts on socioeconomic outcomes in adulthood. This article summarizes the findings of a new study using Statistic Canada’s data and analyzes the effects of expanding child tax benefits on after-tax income among single mothers, in the context of the 2015 reform to the Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) and the 2016 introduction of the Canada Child Benefit (CCB).
Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Montreal “Cultural Communities”
This exploratory study aims to better understand the challenges experienced by members of cultural communities in Montreal, particularly the most disadvantaged groups, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Spring of 2020.
Budget 2021: A Recovery Plan for Jobs, Growth, and Resilience
The federal budget released on April 19, 2021 covers the Canadian government's plan for:
Colour of Poverty – Colour of Change
There is a growing "colour-coded" inequity and disparity in Ontario that has resulted in an inequality of learning outcomes, of health status, of employment opportunity and income prospects, of life opportunities, and ultimately of life outcomes. Colour of Poverty-Colour of Change believes that it is only by working together that we can make the needed change for all of our shared benefit These fact sheets provide data to help understand the racialization of poverty in Ontario.
Building Understanding: The First Report of the National Advisory Council on Poverty
In August 2018, the Government of Canada announced Opportunity for All – Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy. The Strategy included a commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goal's target of reducing poverty by 20% by 2020 and 50% by 2030. Opportunity for All included the adoption of the Market Basket Measure (MBM) as Canada's Official Poverty Line and the creation of the National Advisory Council on Poverty (Council) to report on progress made toward the poverty reduction targets. This is the first report of the National Advisory Council on Poverty. It continues Canada's discussion on poverty by bringing forward the voices of individuals with lived expertise of poverty. It details progress toward our poverty targets and recommends improvements to our poverty reduction efforts.
Yukon Poverty Report Card 2020
This report was released as part of public education movement Campaign 2000's annual assessment of child and family poverty in Canada, providing an overview of the following key issues relating to poverty in Yukon:
Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts (2nd edition)
Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts, 2nd edition, provides Canadians with an updated introduction to the social determinants of our health. We first explain how living conditions “get under the skin” to either promote health or cause disease. We then explain, for each of the 17 social determinants of health: Improving the health of Canadians is possible but requires Canadians to think about health and its determinants in a more sophisticated manner than has been the case to date. The purpose of this second edition of Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts is to stimulate research, advocacy, and public debate about the social determinants of health and means of improving their quality and making their distribution more equitable.
Overcoming Poverty Together 3: The New Brunswick Economic and Social Inclusion Plan 2020-2025
The new Economic and Social Inclusion plan for New Brunswick builds upon progress accomplished over the past 10 years. It includes nine priority actions divided into three pillars: The objective of the plan is to reduce income poverty by at least 50 per cent by 2030, in line with the objectives of Opportunity for All, Canada’s first poverty reduction strategy, and those of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainability of the United Nations.
