The Gap Between Rich and Poor - Supplementary Information

For nearly two decades, the Canadian economy experienced vibrant growth. However, the benefits of this growth have not been equally shared by all Canadians. Striking differences in income have caused "the wealth gap" to widen; in addition, it appears that wealthy people live longer, and that they're healthier at every stage of their lives.

• The Poverty Rate
• The Child Poverty Rate
• The Elderly Poverty Rate
• Average Monthly Social Assistance Caseload
• The Median Family Income of Lone Parent Families
• The Median Family Income of All Families
• The Ratio of Money Income in the Top and Bottom Deciles
• Other

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, references to "Kitchener" refer to the Kitchener Census Metropolitan Area (CMA).

The Poverty Rate

Table I-2-b: Pre-Tax Overall Poverty Rate Based on LICO for Economic Families in Vital Signs Communities, 1995 and 2000

Source: Statistics Canada Census 1996 and 2001.
http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/standard/themes/RetrieveProductTable.cfm?Temporal=2001&PID=69102&APATH=
7&GID=431515&METH=1&PTYPE=55440&THEME=54&FOCUS=0&AID=0&PLACENAME=0&PROVINCE=0&SEARCH=0&GC=99&GK=NA&VID=
0&VNAMEE=Income%20Status%20%284%29&FL=I&RL=0&FREE=0

Table I-2-c: Overall Incidence of Poverty Based on LICO in Vital Signs CMAs, Pre-Tax, 1980, 1985, 1990 and 2000-2005

Note: Based on pre-tax data using SLID.
Source: Statistics Canada. "Income Trends in Canada 1980-2005". Table 202-0802 titled "Persons in low income, Canada, provinces and select CMAs". Retrieved from a CD May 18, 2007.

National Comparisons (PDF)

• Table I-2-a: Pre-Tax Overall Poverty Rate for Vital Signs Communities, (LIM), 2000-2005
• Table I-2-b: Pre-Tax Overall Poverty Rate Based on LICO for Economic Families in Vital Signs Communities, 1995 and 2000
• Table I-2-c: Overall Incidence of Poverty Based on LICO in Vital Signs CMAs, Pre-Tax, 1980, 1985, 1990 and 2000-2005

The Child Poverty Rate

Table I-3-a: Pre-Tax Poverty Rate for Children (0-17 years of age) for Vital Signs Communities, (LIM), 2000-2005

Low Income Measures (LIMs) are a relative measure of low income. LIMs are a fixed percentage (50%) of adjusted median family income where adjusted indicates a consideration of family needs. The family size adjustment used in calculating the Low Income Measures reflects the precept that family needs increase with family size. A census family is considered to be low income when their income is below the Low Income Measure for their family type and size.

Source: Statistics Canada. Small Area Administrative Data. Family characteristics, Low Income Measures (LIM), by family type and family type composition, annual. Table 111-0015 Cansim series: v21388892, v21388981, v21390278, v21390367, v21390509, v2139. CA data retrieved through Statistics Canada special request.

Table I-3-b: Incidence of Child Poverty in Vital Signs Communities Using LICO, 1995 and 2000

Note: "child" refers to persons aged 15 and under.
Source: Statistics Canada, Census data.
http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/standard/themes/RetrieveProductTable.cfm? Temporal=2001&PID= 69102&APATH=7&GID=431515&METH=1&PTYPE=55440&THEME=54&FOCUS=0&AID=0&PLACENAME=0&PROVINCE= 0&SEARCH= 0&GC=99&GK=NA&VID=0&VNAMEE=Income%20Status%20%284%29&VNAMEF=Cat%C3%A9gorie%20de%20revenu%20%284%
29&FL=I&RL=0&FREE=0

Table I-3-c: Incidence of Child poverty in Vital Signs CMAs Using LICO, Pre-Tax, 1980, 1985, 1990 and
2000-2005

*Note: The % change in child poverty from 1980-2005 is actually the % change from 1985-2005 for Kitchener.
Note: Based on pre-tax data using SLID.
Source: Statistics Canada. "Income Trends in Canada 1980-2005". Table 202-0802 titled "Persons in low income, Canada, provinces and select CMAs". Accessed through CD.

Appendix Table I-3-b: Incidence of Child Poverty Based on Pre-Tax LICO in Vital Signs CMAs, 1980 and 2000

Source: Statistics Canada paper "Low Income in Census Metropolitan Areas, 1980-2000". Based on Census data. Andrew Heisz and Logan McLeod. 2004.
Source for provincial and national data: Statistics Canada Table 202-0802, series V1560779, V1561425, V1561557, V1561693, V1562089, V1562221, V1562353.

National Comparisons (PDF)

o Table I-3-a: Pre-Tax Poverty Rate for Children (0-17 years of age) for Vital Signs Communities, (LIM), 2000-2005
o Table I-3-b: Incidence of Child Poverty in Vital Signs Communities Using LICO, 1995 and 2000
o Table I-3-c: Incidence of Child poverty in Vital Signs CMAs Using LICO, Pre-Tax, 1980, 1985, 1990 and 2000-2005
o Appendix Table I-3-b: Incidence of Child Poverty Based on Pre-Tax LICO in Vital Signs CMAs, 1980 and 2000

The Elderly Poverty Rate

Note: elderly refers to persons aged 70 and older. Data is notably available for those aged 95-69.

Table I-5-a: Pre-Tax Poverty Rate for Persons aged 65 and over for Vital Signs Communities, (LIM), 2000-2005

Low Income Measures (LIMs) are a relative measure of low income. LIMs are a fixed percentage (50%) of adjusted median family income where adjusted indicates a consideration of family needs. The family size adjustment used in calculating the Low Income Measures reflects the precept that family needs increase with family size. A census family is considered to be low income when their income is below the Low Income Measure for their family type and size.

Source: Statistics Canada. Small Area Administrative Data. Family characteristics, Low Income Measures (LIM), by family type and family type composition, annual. Table 111-0015 Cansim series: v21388893, v21388983, v21390279, v21390369, v21390510, v2139. CA data retrieved through Statistics Canada special request.

Table I-5-b: Incidence of Poverty for the Elderly in Vital Signs Communities for 1995 and 2000, Per Cent

Source: Statistics Canada census data.
http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/standard/themes/RetrieveProductTable.cfm?Temporal=2001&PID=
69102&APATH=7&GID=431515&METH=1&PTYPE=55440&THEME=54&FOCUS=0&AID=0&PLACENAME=0&PROVINCE=0&SEARCH=
0&GC=99&GK=NA&VID=0&VNAMEE=Income%20Status%20%284%29&VNAMEF=Cat%C3%A9gorie%20de%20revenu%20%284%
29&FL=I&RL=0&FREE=0

Table I-5-c: Incidence of poverty based on LICO for the elderly in Vital Signs CMAs, Pre-Tax, for 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995 and 2000-2005, Per Cent

Note: Based on pre-tax data using SLID.
Source: Statistics Canada. "Income Trends in Canada 1980-2005". Table 202-0802 titled "Persons in low income, Canada, provinces and select CMAs". Accessed through CD Rom

Appendix Table I-5-b: Incidence of Poverty for the Elderly in Vital Signs CMAs, Per cent, 1980 and 2000

Source: Statistics Canada paper "Low Income in Census Metropolitan Areas, 1980-2000". Based on Census data. Andrew Heisz and Logan McLeod. 2004.
Source for national and provincial data: Statistics Canada Table 202-0802, series V1560787, V1561433, V1561565, V1561701, V1562097, V1562229, V1562361.

National Comparisons (PDF)

• Table I-5-a: Pre-Tax Poverty Rate for Persons aged 65 and over for Vital Signs Communities, (LIM), 2000-2005
• Table I-5-b: Incidence of Poverty for the Elderly in Vital Signs Communities for 1995 and 2000, Per Cent
• Table I-5-c: Incidence of poverty based on LICO for the elderly in Vital Signs CMAs, Pre-Tax, for 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995 and 2000-2005, Per Cent
• Appendix Table I-5-b: Incidence of Poverty for the Elderly in Vital Signs CMAs, Per cent, 1980 and 2000

Average Monthly Social Assistance Caseload

Average Monthly Social Assistance Caseload per 100,000 Households, 2005

Waterloo Region: 3,863

Source: OMBI 2005 Performance Benchmarking Report

The Median Family Income of Lone Parent Families

Median Family Income – Lone Parent Families, 2001

Waterloo Region: $33,947

Source: Statistics Canada Community Profiles, http://www12.statcan.ca/english/Profil01/CP01/Index.cfm?Lang=E

The Median Family Income of All Families

Median Family Income – All Families, 2001

Waterloo Region: $63,703

Source: Statistics Canada Community Profiles, http://www12.statcan.ca/english/Profil01/CP01/Index.cfm?Lang=E

The Ratio of Money Income in the Top and Bottom Deciles

Table I-1-a: Ratio of Gap between highest decile and the lowest decile (90:10) of Census Family total income, 2005 and 2001

Note: families with negative income have been excluded from the calculation of deciles and ratios of the gap.
In 2005, Kitchener had a ratio of the ninetieth over tenth percentile census family money income of 6.23. This was up 4.4 per cent from 2001.

Table I-1-b: Adult Equivalent Money Income Ratio of the 90th Over the 10th Percentile in Vital Signs CMAs, 1990, 1995 and 2000

Note: "Equivalent income" is derived through For the adjusted family size, the first adult is counted as 1 person, each additional adult as 0.4 person, and each child aged 17 years or younger as 0.3 person (except in the case of a family with one adult and children; here, the first child is counted as 0.4 person). This accounts for the economies of scale present in increasing family size.
Source: Statistics Canada. Heisz, Andrew and Logan McLeod. Trends and Conditions in Census Metropolitan Areas Low-income in Census Metropolitan Areas, 1980-2000, pages 20 and 22.

http://www.statcan.ca/english/research/89-613-MIE/2004001/89-613-MIE2004001.pdf

In Kitchener the ratio of money income of the 90 th over the 10 th percentile for census families was 4.9 in 2000. While down from 5.2 in 1995, the ratio was up from 4.5 in 1990, the earliest year for which data are available. Over the period 1990-2000, this represented a 17.2 per cent increase

Ratio of Gap between highest decile and the lowest decile (90:10) of Census Family total income, 2005 and 2001

* families with negative income have been excluded from the calculation of deciles and ratios of the gap

National Comparisons (PDF)

• Table I-1-a: Ratio of Money Income of the 10th and 90th Percentile and highest and lowest decile for Census Families for Vital Signs Communities, 2001 and 2005 (Current Dollars)
• Table I-1-b: Adult Equivalent Money Income Ratio of the 90th Over the 10th Percentile in Vital Signs CMAs, 1990, 1995 and 2000

Other

National Comparisons (PDF)

• Table I-4: Use of Food Banks for Select Vital Signs Communities, 1997, 2005 and 2006