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Gap between rich, poor widening
By GAY ABBATE
SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA
Friday, July 19, 2002 – Print Edition, Page A6
The disparity between rich and poor families is widening and the number of families that are worse off financially is growing, statistics show.
The new data, released yesterday by Statistics Canada, show that the median (mid-point) income of all families rose 2.2 per cent in 2000 to $51,000 -- just slightly below the level in 1990 after adjusting for inflation in the years between.
The median net worth of the top 25 per cent of Canadian families jumped 14 per cent between 1984 and 1999 -- and their financial wealth exploded by 40 per cent over the same period.
But over the same 15 years, the bottom 75 per cent of families experienced no gains either in their net worth or their financial wealth.
Social-policy analysts described the trends as alarming and called for federal and provincial government action on issues such as affordable housing and income support for families with young children.
"There are long-term consequences of young families struggling financially," said Robert Glossop of the Vanier Institute of the Family in Ottawa.
Although the Canadian economy bounced back from a recession and was much stronger toward the end of the 1990s, "if you were sitting at a kitchen table trying to balance your chequebook at the end of every month, you really wouldn't have felt a lot more secure, you wouldn't have felt a lot richer."
The data showed that the typical low-income family in 1999 had only $300 in savings to protect it against unexpected financial hardships. Some families had less than $6,000 in assets that could be liquidated in an emergency.
Financial hardship was not just for the poorest. In 1998, one in every six Canadian families was at least two months behind in making payments on their debts. And single female parents were 1.3 times as likely as couples with children to have fallen behind in payments.
Statscan compiled the family-income data for the first of yesterday's two studies from income-tax returns filed in the spring of 2001. The study on the financial hardships of low-income families drew on information from 1984 and 1999 surveys of assets and debts.
The two studies show that:
The average income of single-parent families rose 5.7 per cent in 2000, more than twice the growth rate of 2 per cent for two-parent families;
The average income of two-parent families was $56,700 in 2000, up from $55,600 the previous year;
<b>The amalgamated city of Ottawa had the highest median income of any capital city at $69,000, in part due to its high-tech sector;
Toronto had a median income of $46,300, well under the $55,800 Ontario median.</b>
Mr. Glossop said that the ramifications of the widening income gap include lower birthrates because young people may not have children, and health-problems related to increased stress.
Frances Lankin, head of the United Way of Greater Toronto, said that yesterday's figures mirror the findings of her own group about the increasing depth of poverty in Toronto.
Median income
Historical income* figures for families, 1990-2000. Figures have been adjusted to reflect inflation, all amounts are expressed in 2000 dollars.
Husband-wife families: $56,700
Single-Parent families: $25,400
All families: $51,000
-*Includes income of all family members and includes income from taxable and non-taxable sources, such as employment, investments, private pensions and government transfers.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
Gap between rich, poor widening
By GAY ABBATE
SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA
Friday, July 19, 2002 – Print Edition, Page A6
The disparity between rich and poor families is widening and the number of families that are worse off financially is growing, statistics show.
The new data, released yesterday by Statistics Canada, show that the median (mid-point) income of all families rose 2.2 per cent in 2000 to $51,000 -- just slightly below the level in 1990 after adjusting for inflation in the years between.
The median net worth of the top 25 per cent of Canadian families jumped 14 per cent between 1984 and 1999 -- and their financial wealth exploded by 40 per cent over the same period.
But over the same 15 years, the bottom 75 per cent of families experienced no gains either in their net worth or their financial wealth.
Social-policy analysts described the trends as alarming and called for federal and provincial government action on issues such as affordable housing and income support for families with young children.
"There are long-term consequences of young families struggling financially," said Robert Glossop of the Vanier Institute of the Family in Ottawa.
Although the Canadian economy bounced back from a recession and was much stronger toward the end of the 1990s, "if you were sitting at a kitchen table trying to balance your chequebook at the end of every month, you really wouldn't have felt a lot more secure, you wouldn't have felt a lot richer."
The data showed that the typical low-income family in 1999 had only $300 in savings to protect it against unexpected financial hardships. Some families had less than $6,000 in assets that could be liquidated in an emergency.
Financial hardship was not just for the poorest. In 1998, one in every six Canadian families was at least two months behind in making payments on their debts. And single female parents were 1.3 times as likely as couples with children to have fallen behind in payments.
Statscan compiled the family-income data for the first of yesterday's two studies from income-tax returns filed in the spring of 2001. The study on the financial hardships of low-income families drew on information from 1984 and 1999 surveys of assets and debts.
The two studies show that:
The average income of single-parent families rose 5.7 per cent in 2000, more than twice the growth rate of 2 per cent for two-parent families;
The average income of two-parent families was $56,700 in 2000, up from $55,600 the previous year;
<b>The amalgamated city of Ottawa had the highest median income of any capital city at $69,000, in part due to its high-tech sector;
Toronto had a median income of $46,300, well under the $55,800 Ontario median.</b>
Mr. Glossop said that the ramifications of the widening income gap include lower birthrates because young people may not have children, and health-problems related to increased stress.
Frances Lankin, head of the United Way of Greater Toronto, said that yesterday's figures mirror the findings of her own group about the increasing depth of poverty in Toronto.
Median income
Historical income* figures for families, 1990-2000. Figures have been adjusted to reflect inflation, all amounts are expressed in 2000 dollars.
Husband-wife families: $56,700
Single-Parent families: $25,400
All families: $51,000
-*Includes income of all family members and includes income from taxable and non-taxable sources, such as employment, investments, private pensions and government transfers.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net