Investing in economic development and reduction of poverty in a region is a wise strategy to help individuals, companies and families to prosper. Mobilizing assets, while effectively identifying and addressing needs will strengthen approaches to enhancing region-wide prosperity. The gap between the rich and poor is widening and deepening...

Niagara’s collaborative approach to poverty reduction began in 2002 with the formation of Opportunities Niagara. A  report entitled A Legacy of Poverty: Addressing cycles of poverty and the impact on child health in Niagara was prepared  for the Region by Arai (2007) and action was initially reccommended in 4 areas:...

Bankruptcies in Niagara:  The number of personal consumer and business bankruptcies in a region is a measure of whether individual or business finances are healthy and able to withstand difficult times.  Personal consumer bankruptcy rates for our area went up from 2009 to 2010 and down in the first quarter...

NOTE:  The social safety net in Niagara is comprised of those core funding services providing income through Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Service Program (ODSP). Additionally, there is an infrastructure network of many community agencies providing food, clothing, places for social connection and help with employment for those...

HungerCount 2010 information – Niagara Region:  The annual HungerCount Survey provides national, provincial and regional-level snapshots of food bank use in Canada. The total number of separate individuals who receive groceries from food banks and other food programs are recorded during the month of March. March is chosen because it...

Food security:  Citizens need to have secure access to food. Food bank use by separate individuals went up significantly in 2008-2009 and down considerably in 2009-2010, while still remaining higher than provincial and national use. Source: Food Banks Canada  2010 Like food banks, school nutrition programs can be seen as...

The Market Basket Measure (MBM):  This measure  includes the cost of food, shelter, clothing, transportation and other costs of living related to a household and recreation and what proportion of the market basket that an individual living on Ontario Works (OW) is able to afford. Source: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/cs/sp/sdc/pkrf/publications/research/2002-000662/page04.shtml The cost of...

The gap between the rich and the poor:  This gap is widening in Niagara, as in all parts of Canada. According to the National Council of Welfare (2006), for every $1 earned by the poorest 10% of families with children, the richest 10% of families with children earned $14.48.  The...

The Low Income Cut-Off (LICO):  LICO is a measure based on total income, before or after tax. It is expressed as the percentage of families or persons 15 years and over who live below the LICO level and in poverty. LICO represents levels of income where people spend a disproportionate...

The 2011 Census will update information on earnings for Niagara. In 2006, the average earnings for those with a university education was $45,559, compared to $22,422 with less than high school; $25,189 for those with high school and some post-secondary education; $32,555 with a college education; and $36,063 with a...

Overall economic activity:  The CIBCWM Metropolitan Economic Activity Index (2007) is a measure designed to rank economic development in Canada’s largest census metropolitan areas (CMAs). Nine macroeconomic variables and drivers of economic growth comprise the index: population growth, employment growth, unemployment rate, full-time share in total employment, personal bankruptcy rate,...