Toronto's Working Poor

In the Toronto area, an increasing number of people are employed but living in poverty. “They are, on average, just about as educated as other workers, but they make less money. They are a little younger than the average Canadian worker and more of them are single. They tend to be renters, rather than homeowners. An overwhelming number are immigrants.” The Metcalf Foundation’s study uses data from the Census of Canada and statistical tools to identify who the working poor are, and where they live. Demographic trends for this group are examined, “and illustrate their gradual geographical shift toward the eastern part of the city and into the suburbs and surrounding cities of the Toronto Region.”

Metcalf Foundation, 2012: “The “Working Poor” in the Toronto Region: Who they are, where they live, and how trends are changing”, by John Stapleton; Brian Murphy, Yue Xing. Summary Report (PDF, 28 pages) Full Report (PDF, 52 pages)

CBC Metro Morning’s Matt Galloway talks with Rene Adams, a Toronto Community Housing resident and a community advocacy worker, and Lydia, a Scarborough Village resident and community worker. 
CBC, Metro Morning, February 14, 2012: Working Poor. Podcast  (9:10 minutes)

The Globe and Mail, February 10, 2012: “Interactive Map: Explore the data behind Toronto's working poor”, by Anna Mehler Paperny

The Globe and Mail, February 11, 2012: “The poor in Toronto: They’re working but not getting any richer”, by  Anna Mehler Paperny