Debt can be a useful financial tool. Loans can help you buy a car or a home. And if you use credit cards, you can sometimes collect other benefits like travel miles or points you can spend. However, too much debt can make it difficult to save money and limit your financial options now and in the...

Working poverty is pervasive, racialized, and until the pandemic, was increasing in Toronto and across Canada. Until the pandemic, this increase was counterintuitive, during 2006 to 2016, as most of this ten-year period had been characterized by one of the most prolonged economic recoveries in...

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...

Economies around the world have had some rough years recently. From a global pandemic, a bout of inflation, a disruption in supply chains, coping with a European war and ongoing concern about global financial stability. The Canadian economy has weathered these storms as well, if not better than...

The Housing Supply Report provides regular insights on new housing supply in Canada’s major cities and urban areas. These insights can help us understand the supply responsiveness that we know contributes to price escalation and housing affordability challenges. This report examines new housing...

In Canada, laws and regulations protect financial consumers, ensuring they are treated fairly and have access to essential banking services. These rules prioritize helping people achieve better financial outcomes, especially concerning homeownership and mortgage difficulties. The Canada Mortgage...

The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) has launched Investing Academy by GetSmarterAboutMoney.ca as part of Financial Literacy Month. Learn the basics about investing, managing your money, and planning for the future. The courses are available in English or French, and include learning activities,...

In time for Financial Literacy Month, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada has released several resources on their website.  Checking up on your progress in managing and paying down debt is an important part of maintaining your overall financial health.  This infographic outlines how to...

This free new course for newcomers consists of 4 short modules that should take 10-15 minutes each to complete. Each module includes short case studies, mini quizzes and other interactive elements. The topics for each module are: Essentials of credit in Canada  How to build your credit...

This is the 2023 report on the progress of Opportunity for All – Canada’s First Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS). While COVID-19 still threatens communities in Canada and around the world, the public health measures have largely been lifted. Temporary economic measures have also ended. At the...

This article by Credit Canada helps determine whether it's better to save for the future or pay off existing debts.  The "priority pyramid" is a method of visualizing your areas of financial focus from most important to least...

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...

From June – July 2023, ONN conducted our fourth annual sector-wide survey to gather critical data on the state of Ontario’s nonprofits regarding their financial health, staffing and volunteers, and general operations. Nearly 1,400 nonprofits, charities, and grassroots groups across the province...

This article by the Ontario Securities Commission outlines what volatility is, how it may affect your returns on investment and 4 ways to deal with market...

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...

November 26 is National Economic Abuse Awareness day.  The Canadian Centre for Women's Empowerment has published their report on the state of economic abuse in Canada; championing financially strong futures for survivors.  Here are some additional resources of potential interest: The economic...

Inflation tells us how much prices have changed year-over-year. It’s noticeable in the cost of everyday things, for example the price of a candy bar today compared to 20 years ago. Over time, increases in inflation tend to be offset by increases in wages, since inflation and wages both tend to...

The Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) is a partnership between the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and local community organizations. The program is intended to ensure that all taxpayers have equal access to the tax system. In Grey and Bruce Counties, 14 community organizations provide...

This toolkit was created to support the Virtual Self Filing tax filing model piloted in 2020-2022 by Canadian community agencies. In this model, individuals file their own tax returns, but receive support from community agency staff or volunteers to do so. In 2023, this toolkit was updated to...

Owning stocks means you own equity in a company. Stocks are traded on a stock exchange.  Learn more about stocks and how they work by visiting the new...

There are rules about how much money a person living on Ontario Works can receive in gifts or “voluntary payments”. Generally, a person living on Ontario Works can receive gifts up to a maximum of $10,000 in a 12-month period. There are rules around reporting gifts, and decisions on how to...

In 2014, the government of BC declared October RDSP Awareness Month to help raise awareness about the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP). The RDSP is the world’s first savings plan specifically designed for people with disabilities. Even with little to no personal contributions, there are...

It's never too early or too late to learn about your retirement options and plan for your future. Using the Government of Canada's newly launched Retirement Hub, find out about public pensions, when to collect them and tips to consider for your retirement income. Get started using their...

Widespread household financial insecurity is an undeniably urgent crisis in the United States today. A stunning 51 percent of U.S. households have expenses that are equal to or greater than their income, and 55 percent lack the necessary savings to weather a simultaneous income drop and expense...

Food Banks Canada's all-new Poverty Report Cards initiative grades how poverty reduction efforts are going in the provincial, territorial, and federal governments. The report cards will help policymakers and decision-makers at all levels of government gauge their performance in the fight against...