What is poverty? We define poverty as the condition of a person who does not have sufficient economic and other resources needed to live with the dignity, choices and power which support full participation in society.

Canada does not have an official poverty line. In the absence of a universally agreed upon definition and measure of poverty, the Government of Canada developed the Low Income Cut-Offs (LICO). Statistics Canada’s 2008 after-tax LICO for a single Calgarian is $18,373; for a family of three LICO is $27,844.

Minimum wage in Alberta is $8.80 per hour. Working a standard work week of 35 hours per week, 52 weeks a year, an individual employed at minimum wage would have an after-tax annual income of only $15,072 (including holiday pay).

• During the first six months of 2009, 60,100 Calgarians held jobs paying less than $12 an hour
• The 2008 Count of Homeless Persons in Calgary enumerated 4,060 Calgarians, including 100 children
• 124,713 Calgarians visited the Calgary Food Bank during the 2008/2009 fiscal year; 41% were children (Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank Fast Facts)

Additional Research

• Additional Research – Poverty
• Additional Research – Affordable Housing
• Additional Research – Supports for Women and Children
• Additional Research – Economic Well-Being