Covid in Toronto – About 30% are struggling to pay essentials, like rent, food, and utilities

The Toronto Fallout Report captures seven months in the life of the COVID-19 pandemic in our city. This report applies an equity lens to data, issues and the analysis of the research. It documents the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on marginalized populations and the organizations that serve them. At the same time, it surfaces the knowledge and expertise of community leaders whose lived and professional experiences shed light on the fallout from the pandemic. Their perspectives and leadership will point the way to a more fair and just social and economic recovery in Toronto.We hope this report will spur action from funders, policymakers, community organizations, and residents, to drive a recovery with community-driven solutions at the forefront.

Summary

The pandemic has been devastating for already-vulnerable workers, and about 30% of people in Toronto are struggling to pay essentials, like rent, food, and utilities.

• In the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), those in the bottom 25% of hourly earners (making less than $17.48 per hour) have seen their total work hours reduced by 30%, while those in the top 25% (making more than $36.07 per hour) have seen their total work hours increased by 21%.
• More than eight million Canadians unable to work due to the pandemic received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). The widespread take-up of this program has led to renewed calls for a universal basic income and more robust social safety nets.
• The individual monthly $2,000 CERB payments were significantly higher than the $1,169 that people receive on the Ontario Disability Support Program and the $733 that people receive from Ontario Works — underscoring the difficulty of living on existing social assistance programs.
• The challenges brought by COVID-19 are reinforcing decades of growing inequality. For example, between 1980 and 2015, the average inflation- adjusted income for white Torontonians increased by 60%, while the average income for racialized individuals increased by only 1%.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story @ Fallout Report – Your Philanthropy Matters. | Toronto Foundation