Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
in Calgary 2019
AUGUST 2019
2 Poverty in Calgary 2019
A Snapshot of Poverty in
Calgary 2019
1
This report can be found at http://enoughforall.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Poverty-Snapshot-2018.pdf.
2
Both of these Enough for All documents can be found at Publications & Reports – Enough For All
3
These trend reports can be found at https://www.policyschool.ca/publication-category/social-and-health-policy/social-policy/
Poverty in Calgary 2019 3
120 6.9%
100
80
60
40
20
0
2015 2016 2017
Year
(Source: Statistics Canada, 2017 Canadian Income Survey, catalogue no. 11-10-0135-01 Low
income statistics by age, sex and economic family type)
4
For more information refer to https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/poverty-reduction/
reports/strategy.html. See also Wilkins, R. & Kneebone, R. (2018). Social Policy Trends: Canada’s Official Poverty Line. Retrieved
from https://www.policyschool.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Social-Trends-Poverty-Line-August-2018FINAL-USE.pdf
5
Statistics Canada defines the MBM using a reference family of two parents and two children. The number used is for 2017.
Statistics Canada. Table 11-10-0066-01 Market Basket Measure (MBM) thresholds for the reference family by Market Basket
Measure region, component and base year
4 Poverty in Calgary 2019
Incidence of Low Income among Children some changes to the Canada Child Benefit
in 20167 resulting in a 50% reduction to child
Alberta now has the lowest child poverty
poverty rates in Alberta.8
rate in the country. The Alberta Child Benefit
provided $158 million in 2017-2018 to 135,000 Policy Recommendation: Maintain or enhance
low-income families across the province6. the Alberta Child Benefit.
Additionally the Federal Government made
Employment Income and Living Wages which is $10,704 over the MBM threshold
for a single person in Calgary10. However, it’s
In October of 2018, The Government of
important to note that minimum wage work
Alberta increased the minimum wage to
is often part-time and unpredictable. More
$15 per hour. Calgary’s 2018 living wage
Albertans are earning a minimum wage:
decreased to $16.45 per hour9 making the
6.4% of Albertans are earning a minimum
gap the smallest it’s ever been at a historic
wage in 2018, this is up compared to 5.7%
low of only 8% as indicated in table 3.
in 201711. Alberta is trending towards a living
Alberta now has the highest minimum wage wage. In 2018, the average hourly wage in the
in Canada at $15 per hour. A single individual accommodation and food services industry
working fulltime at 40 hours per week will in Alberta was $15.46, an increase from
receive a gross annual salary of $31,200
6
Information on the Alberta child benefit can be found here https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/57586894-5f36-4db8-8534-
c797893b1a36/resource/219abb34-efe9-488b-86e1-8523afd31232/download/ped_tax_v4.pdf
7
low and middle-income families get higher payments, while families making $150,000 or more per year will receive less
than what was previously given. For more information refer to https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/
campaigns/canada-child-benefit.html
8
Statistics Canada. Table 11-10-0135-01 Low income statistics by age, sex and economic family type
9
For more information about Calgary’s living wage refer to Vibrant Communities Calgary 2018 living wage report found here
http://vibrantcalgary.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/LivingWage_2018.pdf
The MBM threshold for a single person in Calgary is $20,496 and is based on 2016 levels and sourced from Tweddle, A., Battle,
10
K. and Torjman, S. (2017) Canada Social Report: Welfare in Canada, 2016. Ottawa: Caledon Institute of Social Policy.
11
According to the minimum wage profile for Alberta https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/3027b65e-16f4-4442-bfa4-0ea73a73ec49/
resource/da61cc5e-4357-484f-9e89-211c2bd91e6f/download/alberta-minimum-wage-profile.pdf
Poverty in Calgary 2019 5
40%
Hourly Wage $15.00
Percentage
30%
$10.00
20%
$5.00
10%
$0.00 0%
2009 2011 2012 2014 2015 2017 2018
Year
Source: Minimum wage rates retrieved from Statistics Canada, Historical Minimum
Wage Rates in Canada https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/390ee890-59bb-4f34-
a37c-9732781ef8a0. Living Wage rates retrieved from VCC archives
$14.10 in 2016 (9.6% increase)12. In the arts, Income Support were also indexed to inflation
recreation and entertainment industry, the to keep pace with the future cost of living
average hourly wage increased from $17.74 to increases in our province14. The earnings
$19.57 from 2017 to 2018 (10%) increase. In the exemption rate also increased for AISH
current context, the Government of Alberta recipients, allowing them to earn more of their
has reduced the minimum wage for youth to employment earnings without reducing their
$13.00 per hour13. benefit15. However, those receiving Income
Support are still subject to a high benefit
Recommendation for Employers: Commit to
reduction after a small amount of earned
paying a living wage for both direct and contract
income. A person receiving income support
employees. A living wage can lead to increased
who is also deemed eligible to work and
morale, a decrease in turnover, and contributes
employed, would not earn enough to reach
to a healthy and thriving community.
the poverty line (using the MBM threshold)
Changes to Social Assistance before their benefit is reduced to zero16.
The provincial government modestly Social assistance caseloads have gone up in
increased Assisted Income for the Severely Alberta since previously reported from 55,361
Handicapped (AISH) and Income Support in December 2017 to 59,940 as of January
levels in 2019. Benefit levels for AISH and 201917. This represents an increase of 7.6%.
12
Statistics Canada. Table 14-10-0206-01. Average hourly earnings for employees paid by the hour, by industry, annual
13
Read more about this on the Government of Alberta website https://www.alberta.ca/minimum-wage.aspx
For more information on Bill 26: An act to combat poverty and fight for Albertans with disabilities visit http://www.assembly.
14
ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=bills_status&selectbill=026&legl=29&session=4
15
For more information on the AISH earning exemption rates refer to https://www.alberta.ca/social-benefit-rate-increases.aspx
For income support benefit reduction rates refer to https://cfr.forms.gov.ab.ca/Form/EMP0433.pdf. This is compared to the
16
According to caseload data from the Government of Alberta Income Support Caseload. Retrieved from https://open.alberta.ca/
17
opendata/income-support-caseload-alberta
6 Poverty in Calgary 2019
According to caseload data from the Government of Alberta Income Support Caseload. Retrieved from https://open.alberta.ca/
17
opendata/income-support-caseload-alberta
The MBM threshold for a single person is based on 2016 levels and sourced from Tweddle, A., Battle, K. and Torjman, S. (2017)
18
The MBM threshold for a family is based on the 2017 Market Basket Measure threshold for the reference family in Calgary, Ab
19
of $40,207. Statistics Canada. Table 11-10-0066-01 Market Basket Measure (MBM) thresholds for the reference family by Market
Basket Measure region, component and base year.
Poverty in Calgary 2019 7