Survey on the Market Basket Measure of Poverty

Why are we conducting this survey?

Recently, the Government of Canada launched the third comprehensive review of the Market Basket Measure (MBM), which is Canada's Official Poverty Line. As part of this review, Statistics Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) are conducting engagement activities to gather input from all Canadians on how to improve poverty measurement in Canada.

The MBM is a measure of low income, based on the cost of a basket of goods and services that individuals and families require to meet their basic needs and achieve a modest standard of living. Individuals and families living across the country who cannot afford the cost of this basket of goods and services are considered to be living below Canada's Official Poverty Line. This survey will ask about the costs of this basket of goods and services (for example, food, shelter, transportation).

Your participation in this crowdsourcing survey will help Statistics Canada accurately measure poverty, and provide feedback on how we can improve poverty measurement in Canada.

Authorization and confidentiality

Data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19. Your information will be kept strictly confidential.

Record linkages

To enhance the data from this survey and to reduce the response burden, Statistics Canada may combine the information you provide with other survey or administrative data sources.

Contact us if you have any questions or concerns about record linkage:

Email: infostats@statcan.gc.ca

Telephone: 1-877-949-9492

Mail:
Chief Statistician of Canada
Statistics Canada
Attention of Director, Centre for Income and Socio-Economic Well-being Statistics
150 Tunney's Pasture Driveway
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0T6

Find out how much a family would need to live above the poverty line

Canada's Official Poverty Line reflects the combined costs of a basket of goods and services that individuals and families require to meet their basic needs and achieve a modest standard of living. The basket includes items such as healthy food, appropriate shelter and home maintenance, clothing, and transportation. It also includes the costs of other goods and services that allows for a level of social inclusion in one's community, particularly for children, youth, parents and seniors.

The cost of each item in the basket is directly linked to the prices of these items in communities across Canada. If an individual or family cannot afford the cost of this basket for their particular community and for their family size, they are considered to be living below Canada's Official Poverty Line—that is, living in poverty.

By selecting your province or territory, city, family size and housing tenure information, you can find out how much money a family would need in order to live above the poverty line in your community. You will also be able to interact with these amounts to see how they relate to your family.

Q1 - Select the province or territory where you live.

Province or territory

1. Newfoundland and Labrador
2. Prince Edward Island
3. Nova Scotia
4. New Brunswick
5. Quebec
6. Ontario
7. Manitoba
8. Saskatchewan
9. Alberta
10. British Columbia
11. Yukon
12. Northwest Territories
13. Nunavut

Find out how much a family would need to live above the poverty line

Q2 - Select the city or town where you live.

If your city is not listed, select the city closest to yours. If there is still no appropriate city listed, please select the "rural" option.

City or Town

Province selected	City list provided
Newfoundland and Labrador	Bay Roberts Corner Brook Gander Grand Falls - Windsor Rural, Newfoundland and Labrador St. John's
Prince Edward Island	Charlottetown Rural, Prince Edward Island Summerside
Nova Scotia	Cape Breton Halifax Kentville New Glasgow Rural, Nova Scotia Truro
New Brunswick	Bathurst Campbellton (New Brunswick part) Edmundston Fredericton Miramichi Moncton Rural, New Brunswick Saint John
Quebec	Alma Baie-Comeau Campbellton (Quebec part) Cowansville Dolbeau-Mistassini Drummondville Gatineau Granby Hawkesbury (Quebec part) Joliette Matane Montréal Québec Rimouski Rivière-du-Loup Rouyn-Noranda Rural, Quebec Saguenay Sainte-Marie Saint-Georges Saint-Hyacinthe Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Sept-Îles Shawinigan Sherbrooke Sorel-Tracy Thetford Mines Trois-Rivières Val-d'Or Victoriaville Lachute
Ontario	Arnprior Barrie Belleville Brantford Brockville Carleton Place Centre Wellington Chatham - Kent Cobourg Collingwood Cornwall Elliot Lake Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury Guelph Hamilton Hawkesbury (Ontario part) Ingersoll Kawartha Lakes Kenora Kingston Kitchener - Cambridge - Waterloo Leamington London Midland Norfolk North Bay Orillia Oshawa Ottawa Owen Sound Pembroke Petawawa Peterborough Rural, Ontario Sarnia Sault Ste. Marie St. Catharines - Niagara Stratford Thunder Bay Tillsonburg Timmins Toronto Wasaga Beach Windsor Woodstock Port Hope
Manitoba	Brandon Portage la Prairie Rural, Manitoba Steinbach Thompson Winkler Winnipeg
Saskatchewan	Estevan Lloydminster (Saskatchewan part) Moose Jaw North Battleford Prince Albert Regina Rural, Saskatchewan Saskatoon Swift Current Weyburn Yorkton
Alberta	Brooks Calgary Camrose Canmore Cold Lake Edmonton Grande Prairie High River Lacombe Lethbridge Lloydminster (Alberta part) Medicine Hat Okotoks Red Deer Rural, Alberta Strathmore Sylvan Lake Wood Buffalo Wetaskiwin
British Columbia	Abbotsford - Mission Campbell River Chilliwack Courtenay Cranbrook Dawson Creek Duncan Fort St. John Kamloops Kelowna Nanaimo Nelson Parksville Penticton Port Alberni Powell River Prince George Prince Rupert Quesnel Rural, British Columbia Salmon Arm Squamish Terrace Vancouver Vernon Victoria Williams Lake
Yukon	Whitehorse Outside of Whitehorse
Northwest Territories	Yellowknife Outside of Yellowknife
Nunavut	Iqaluit Outside of Iqaluit

If the rural option is selected for a province.

Do you consider your community to be more remote than rural?
The concept of remote communities can be a little subjective. Your answer will help us determine if we are conceptualizing them correctly.

1. Yes, more remote than rural
   Please do not enter any personal information in your response. If any personal information is entered, it will be disposed of and not used.

   Specify your municipality's name

   Long Answer Length = 72

2. No, more rural than remote

Q3 - How many family members currently live in your household?

Include those related to you by blood, marriage, common law, adoption or a foster relationship, and living with you full-time.

Number of family members

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. 5
6. 6
7. 7
8. 8 or more

Q4 - What is the age of the highest income earner in your family?

Age

Min = 0; Max = 999

Q5 - Is the dwelling you live in owned by a member of your family?

A dwelling is defined as a set of living quarters and refers to a separate set of living quarters with a private entrance either from outside the building or from a common hall, lobby, vestibule or stairway inside the building. The entrance to the dwelling must be one that can be used without passing through the living quarters of some other person or group of persons.

A member of your family is defined as those related to you by blood, marriage, common law, adoption or a foster relationship, and living with you full-time.

1. Yes
   Is there a mortgage on this dwelling?
   1. Yes
   2. No
2. No
   Is the rent for your dwelling subsidized by the government, an employer, or a relative?
   1. Yes
   2. No

Your thoughts on living costs in your community

The information you provide in this section will help us evaluate expenses used to determine if an individual, or a family lives in poverty according to Canada's Official Poverty Line.

Q6 - Based on your family size and region, a monthly amount of about $[the respondent's poverty threshold] would be required to cover a family's basic needs. Is this amount enough?

This amount is intended to cover expenses related to shelter, food, clothing and footwear, transportation, and other necessities (e.g., toilet paper, hygiene products, etc.).

1. This value is more than enough to cover a family's basic needs

   What do you consider as the monthly amount needed?

   Monthly amount

   Min = 0; Max = 99999

   i.e., we would like to know an amount below which a family would not be able to meet its financial needs in terms of transportation, housing, food, clothing and other necessary expenses.

2. This value is just enough to cover a family's basic needs
3. This value is not enough to cover a family's basic needs

   What do you consider as the monthly amount needed?

   Monthly amount

   Min = 0; Max = 99999

   i.e., we would like to know an amount below which a family would not be able to meet its financial needs in terms of transportation, housing, food, clothing and other necessary expenses.

Q7 - According to you, thinking of a family with monthly expenses of $[the respondent's poverty threshold or amount entered in Q6] what percentage of a family's budget should be spent on the following categories in order to achieve a modest, basic standard of living?

Shelter:

Percentage

Min = 0; Max = 100

For homeowners, this amount should include mortgage payments, utilities, property taxes, and a basic homeowner insurance. For renters, this amount should include rent, utilities, and a basic renter insurance.

Food:

Percentage

Min = 0; Max = 100

Food purchased from stores. Exclude food purchased online or in-person from restaurants. Exclude alcoholic beverages.

Clothing and footwear:

Percentage

Min = 0; Max = 100

Include replacement of clothing and footwear only.

Transportation:

Percentage

Min = 0; Max = 100

Includes both private and public transportation.

Other necessary typical expenditures:

Percentage

Min = 0; Max = 100

e.g., household items, personal care, reading materials, telecommunication services and equipment, etc.

Exclude: medical expenses, debt repayments or child care.

Total:

Percentage

Min = 0; Max = 999

How your percentages are reflected in monthly expenditures

Q8 - Using your previously provided percentages, it would mean that the monthly amount of $[the respondent's poverty threshold or amount entered in Q6] that you feel reflects poverty for a family of your size in your community would be divided in the following way:

Shelter $[the respondent's poverty threshold or amount entered in Q6, multiplied by the shelter percentage in Q7]

For homeowners, include mortgage payments, utilities, property taxes and basic insurances. For renters, include rent, utilities, and basic insurances.

1. This value is more than what a family would need to spend
2. This value is around what a family would need to spend
3. This value is less than what a family would need to spend

Food $[the respondent's poverty threshold or amount entered in Q6, multiplied by the food percentage in Q7]

Food purchased from stores. Exclude alcoholic beverages and meals purchased in restaurant.

1. This value is more than what a family would need to spend
2. This value is around what a family would need to spend
3. This value is less than what a family would need to spend

Clothing and footwear $[the respondent's poverty threshold or amount entered in Q6, multiplied by the clothing and footwear percentage in Q7]

Include replacement of clothing and footwear only.

1. This value is more than what a family would need to spend
2. This value is around what a family would need to spend
3. This value is less than what a family would need to spend

Transportation $[the respondent's poverty threshold or amount entered in Q6, multiplied by the transportation percentage in Q7]

Includes both private and public transportation.

1. This value is more than what a family would need to spend
2. This value is around what a family would need to spend
3. This value is less than what a family would need to spend

Other necessary typical expenditures $[the respondent's poverty threshold or amount entered in Q6, multiplied by the other necessary typical expenditures percentage in Q7]

e.g., household items, personal care, reading materials, telecommunication services and equipment, etc.

Exclude: medical expenses, debt repayments or child care.

1. This value is more than what a family would need to spend
2. This value is around what a family would need to spend
3. This value is less than what a family would need to spend

Where your family is in the income distribution

Q9 - What is your best estimate of your total annual family income, before taxes and deductions, from all sources during the year ending December 31, 2022?

Income can come from various sources such as from work, investments, pensions or government. Examples include Employment Insurance, social assistance, child benefits and other income such as child support, spousal support (alimony) and rental income. Capital gains should not be included in the personal income.

Less than $[provincial-level 1st decile]

$[provincial-level 1st decile] to less than $[provincial-level 2nd decile]

$[provincial-level 2nd decile] to less than $[provincial-level 3rd decile]

$[provincial-level 3rd decile] to less than $[provincial-level 4th decile]

$[provincial-level 4th decile] to less than $[provincial-level 5th decile]

$[provincial-level 5th decile] to less than $[provincial-level 6th decile]

$[provincial-level 6th decile] to less than $[provincial-level 7th decile]

$[provincial-level 7th decile] to less than $[provincial-level 8th decile]

$[provincial-level 8th decile] to less than $[provincial-level 9th decile]

$[provincial-level 9th decile] and over

Unavoidable deductions

Q10 - The following expenses are considered to be unavoidable and are thus subtracted from after-tax income before determining if a person or family is above or below the poverty line:

• Employment Insurance (EI) contributions
• Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) contributions
• Registered pension plan contributions
• Union dues and professional membership dues
• Child care expenses incurred in order to hold a paid job
• Support payments paid
• Public health insurance premiums
• Direct medical expenses, including private insurance premiums.

Are there other unavoidable deductions that should also be subtracted from your after-tax income?

1. Yes

   Please do not enter any personal information in your response. If any personal information is entered, it will be disposed of and not used.

   Specify any other unavoidable deductions

   Long Answer Length = 72

2. No

Subjective poverty

In 2018, the Government of Canada released Opportunity for All – Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy. The Strategy set poverty reduction targets based on Canada's Official Poverty Line: a 20 percent reduction in poverty by 2020 and a 50 percent reduction in poverty by 2030, relative to 2015 levels.

Q11 - In the past 12 months, how difficult or easy was it for your family to meet its financial needs in terms of transportation, housing, food, clothing and other necessary expenses?

Would you say

1. Very difficult
2. Difficult
3. Neither difficult nor easy
4. Easy
5. Very easy

Q12 - In your opinion, in [the respondent's selected city], what proportion of the total population is currently living in poverty?

Percentage

Min = 0; Max = 100

Subjective poverty

According to Canada's Official Poverty Line, in 2020, the poverty rate in [the respondent's selected city] was [the respondent's selected city's poverty rate]%.

Q13 - In your opinion, what kind of assistance is most needed for people living in poverty in your community?

Please do not enter any personal information in your response. If any personal information is entered, it will be disposed of and not used.

Kind of assistance

Long Answer Length = 72

Demographic questions

The following questions are about sex at birth and gender.

Q14 - What was your sex at birth?

Sex refers to sex assigned at birth.

1. Male
2. Female

Q15 - What is your gender?

Gender refers to current gender which may be different from sex assigned at birth and may be different from what is indicated on legal documents.

Is it:

1. Male
2. Female
3. Or please specify

Long Answer Length = 72

Q16 - Please verify that all of the information is correct.

If all the information is correct, press the Next button.

To make changes, press the Previous button.

Your information

Sex assigned at birth:

Gender:

Q17 - Are any family members currently living in your household members of a racialized group?

Racialized group is derived directly from the concept of visible minority. A visible minority refers to whether a person is a visible minority or not, as defined by the Employment Equity Act. This act defines visible minorities as "persons, other than Indigenous peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour." The visible minority population consists mainly of the following groups: South Asian, Chinese, Black, Filipino, Arab, Latin American, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean and Japanese.

1. Yes
2. No

Q18 - Do any family members currently living in your household have a disability?

Only difficulties or long-term conditions that have lasted or are expected to last for six months or more should be considered.

1. Yes
2. No

Q19 - Are any family members currently living in your household First Nations (North American Indian), Métis or Inuk (Inuit)?

First Nations (North American Indian) includes Status and Non-Status Indians. If "Yes", select the responses that best describes this person now.

1. No
   Or
2. Yes, First Nations (North American Indian)
3. Yes, Métis
4. Yes, Inuk (Inuit)

Feedback questions

Q20 - Before answering this survey, had you heard of Canada's Official Poverty Line (or, Market Basket Measure)?

The Market Basket Measure was adopted as Canada's Official Poverty Line in June 2019.

1. Yes
   Was it:

   1. Through work or volunteering

      Please do not enter any personal information in your response. If any personal information is entered, it will be disposed of and not used.

      Specify where you work or volunteer

      Long Answer Length = 72

   2. Some other way

      Please do not enter any personal information in your response. If any personal information is entered, it will be disposed of and not used.

      Specify how you heard of Canada's Official Poverty Line (or, Market Basket Measure)

      Long Answer Length = 72

2. No

Q21 - Thank you for taking the time to participate in our crowdsourcing survey. If you have any feedback on this survey or on how the Government of Canada can improve poverty measurement, please use the comment box below:

Please do not enter any personal information in your response. If any personal information is entered, it will be disposed of and not used.

Enter your comments

Long Answer Length = 300