By the Numbers: Growing income inequality in Ontario

Toronto – August 19, 2017 – A new economic report authored by the Canadian Centre of Policy Alternatives (CCPA) reveals that low-income families in Ontario are earning less than they were in 2000, while richer families have seen their income grow in the same time span.   

19%

The bottom half of families raising children in Ontario saw their share of earnings fall to 19 percent of the total labour market income between 2000 and 2015.

81%

The wealthiest families in Ontario have increased their share of the income pie by three percentage points, earning 81 percent of total labour market income in the province.

$1,536

Between 2000 and 2015, the poorest 10 percent of families in Ontario saw their average real work income drop by $1,536 – down 42 percent.

24%

Families in the second poorest decile had their average real earnings drop by 13 percent, and those in the fourth decile saw a 6 percent drop in average real earnings.

190%

The richest 10 percent of families earn 190 percent of the average of Ontario families' earnings.

The Ontario government is currently pursuing once-in-a-generation reforms of the province's outdated labour and employment laws. Throughout the process, UFCW Canada and Local Unions in Ontario have made a number of recommendations to help build fairness and strengthen the province's economy.

Join the fight to ensure that all workers in Ontario are treated fairly at work and are able to enjoy a decent quality of a life. Send a letter to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and her cabinet and let them know that you want to see positive changes to Ontario's labour laws. Click here to participate.

Source:"Losing Ground," Canadian Centre of Policy Alternatives.