The Expanding Economic Opportunity Through Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (EEOVITA) cohort has been working to identify and engage targeted, underserved populations most at risk for missing out on the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) benefit. This project, which began in January 2022 and concludes...

This is a custom report produced by Statistics Canada in collaboration with the Assembly of First Nations. It includes key social and economic statistics regarding Status First Nations people living on and off reserve and includes comparisons with the non-Indigenous...

In Canada, governments provide seniors with a spectrum of income supports and programs intended to maintain a baseline standard of living in retirement. For many years, the social safety net has been praised for producing lower poverty rates for seniors, as measured by the Market Basket Measure...

Two articles released in Economic and Social Reports provide insights on the poverty rates and changing demographics of racialized population groups in Canada. The article "Poverty among racialized groups across generations," shows that most racialized groups had higher poverty rates...

The Welfare in Canada reports look at the total incomes available to those relying on social assistance (often called “welfare”), taking into account tax credits and other benefits along with social assistance itself. The reports look at four different household types for each province and...

Charitable food programs have been the primary response to household food insecurity in Canada since the 1980s. Yet, for as long as there has been systematic monitoring, there has been no meaningful decline in the prevalence of household food insecurity. Based on the most recent data from...

When the housing sector is efficient and well-functioning, the marketplace should be able to meet most people’s housing needs. Fortunately, Canada has one of the best housing systems in the world. As a result, almost 80% of Canadian households have their housing needs met through the marketplace,...

This Financial Resilience Institute report, authored by Eloise Duncan and commissioned by FP Canada and the Institut québécois de planification financière (IQPF) is being published for everyone with a stake in the financial resilience and well-being of Canadians. This study, leveraging the...

Recent increases in the cost of living and declining real estate values had unprecedented impacts on net saving and wealth for more financially vulnerable households in the first quarter, such as those with lower incomes, less wealth, and in younger age groups. Statistics Canada has gathered data...

Building the Case provides evidence for the federal government to urgently step up to support single, working-age adults in Canada. This group experiences Canada’s highest and deepest rates of poverty and some of the country’s highest rates of food insecurity.  By analyzing publicly...

About this resource This backgrounder provides an overview of some of the latest research on poverty and food insecurity in Canada.  Current context Nearly five million people in Canada (14% the population) are living below the poverty line. Food insecurity, largely a result of poverty, affects...

There are many effective, award-winning financial literacy programs in Canada. However, many of these programs do not meet the needs of women living on low incomes. Families Canada’s national research study identified 14 social, economic, and institutional barriers that prevent women living on...

When Canadians have a financial problem, want to make a financial plan, or need help with their taxes, most simply reach out to their financial institution, adviser, accountant, or commercial tax preparer for the help they need. But who do low-income individuals turn to? A new report by Prosper...

Families Canada’s report Financial Empowerment for Women Living on Low Incomes: An Action Plan shares 20 calls to action for adapting financial literacy programming to better support women living on low incomes. To help fulfill some of the calls to action outlined in the report, they’ve just...

This infographic by community food centres Canada provides a helpful visual summary of tax benefits that can add to income or reduce the taxes Canadians pay when they file their tax return. The information is especially useful for people: Working or living on a low income;  Living with a...

The Multiplying Movement: The State of the Children’s Savings Field 2022 shares findings from Prosperity Now’s 2022 Children’s Savings Account (CSA) program survey. The report highlights the incredible growth of the field with over 4.9 million children and youth with CSAs across the US. In...

A new study by national charity Prosper Canada, undertaken with funding support from Co-operators, finds that Canadians with low incomes are increasingly financially vulnerable but lack access to the financial help they need to rebuild their financial health. The report, shows that affordable,...

The CRA has compiled benefits and credits factsheets for: Students Persons with disabilities Modest income individuals Housing insecure individuals Adults 65 and older Women in shelters Indigenous peoples Newcomers These are available in English and...

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada’s (FCAC) COVID-19 Financial Well-being Survey, which began in August 2020, is a nationally representative hybrid online-phone survey fielded monthly, with approximately 1,000 respondents per month. The survey collects information on Canadians’ day-to-day...

The Canada workers benefit (CWB) is a refundable tax credit to help individuals and families who are working and earning a low income. The CWB has two parts: a basic amount and a disability supplement. You can claim the CWB when you file your income tax return. Learn more including eligibility...

Using data provided by provincial and territorial government sources, Welfare in Canada, 2021 describes the components of welfare incomes, how they have changed from previous years, and how they compared to low-income thresholds. Access the report here.  During the launch event, the report’s...

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...

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...

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...

Drive through a low-income neighborhood in virtually any American city and it quickly becomes apparent that the area’s financial health is at risk. The giveaway? The abundance of payday lenders. According to the St. Louis Federal Reserve, there are now more than 20,000 of these organizations...