Ottawa Wellbeing Report – Living Standards This is part of a series of reports that provide a snapshot of community wellbeing for Ottawa. Following the Canadian Index of Wellbeing framework, each report presents data from the eight domains of wellbeing. These domains are: Community Vitality, Democratic Engagement, Education, Environment, Healthy Populations, Leisure and Culture, Living Standards, and Time Use. This report presents data for the Living Standards domain. Due to gaps in available data at the local level, data are presented on selected indicators within the eight domains of wellbeing. Furthermore, some of the indicators found in Ottawa reports differ from those in the Canadian Index of Wellbeing. In this report, the data are presented for the City of Ottawa or the Ottawa-Gatineau Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), where specified. Where possible, data for Ottawa are compared to those for Ontario and/or Canada.
Key Messages • • • •
Poverty continues to be a concern for residents of Ottawa, with the young being most vulnerable. In Ottawa, the employment rate observed an overall increase and the unemployment rate an overall decrease between 1987 and 2013. One in five Ottawa families spends 30% or more of their household income on shelter-related expenses. Food insecurity is a public health issue that affects 8% of Ottawa’s households.
The Living Standards domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing is a comprehensive examination of the economic wellbeing of a population. It consists of indicators that measure income levels and distribution, economic security, poverty, employment and unemployment rates, job quality, and access to basic necessities such as housing and food. This report presents selected indicators from the Living Standards domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (see Table A1 of the Appendix). What is the current data telling us? Income Levels and Distribution An individual’s income and social status have significant influences on their health status (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2013). High income earners generally have better control and discretion of the living conditions that determine their health, such as housing and ability to buy sufficient good food. Recent studies suggest that income distribution in a population may be a more important indicator of health than the amount of income earned by individuals in that population (Sharpe, 2011). Income distribution tells us how evenly economic growth is shared among individuals in a population. Large income gaps can lead to diminished economic growth, social and political instability, and poorer overall health in the 1