Losing Ground

The persistent growth of family poverty in Canada's largest city

full report (pdf - 1 MB)
executive summary (pdf - 705 KB)

Losing Ground press conference video

Watch the news conference video (Requires Windows Media Player)

CBC radio's Metro Morning series on poverty

Losing Ground, a research report released by United Way Toronto in November 2007, documents how Toronto families with children 17 years of age and under are faring financially compared to families in the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), in the province, and across Canada. By examining median incomes, rates of low income, depth of poverty and warning signs of poverty, the report's key findings have led to eight recommendations.

This report builds on and updates the findings of several groundbreaking reports:

The persistent rise in poverty in the City of Toronto in the first half of this decade, after the huge increase in the 1990s is disturbing. These trends must be turned around if Toronto is to remain a strong and healthy place for families to live, work and raise their children. For this reason, United Way welcomes the Government of Ontario’s commitment to build a poverty reduction strategy for Ontario. In releasing Losing Ground, United Way is making a number of recommendations that it believes are critically important for ensuring that the poverty reduction strategy is as effective as possible.

Losing Ground: The persistent growth of family poverty in Canada's largest city

© United Way Toronto, 2007
National Library of Canada, ISBN 978-0-921669-34-0

Read the media release: United Way poverty report reveals 1 in 4 Toronto families struggling in poverty