More women family breadwinners; Stats Can census

New numbers from 2016 census CTV’s Joanne Schnurr reports on new information on how much money Canadians have made over the last 10 years.

There’s new information on how much money Canadians have made over the last 10 years.

Wages are higher even if buying power isn't.  Part of the data reveals a much wealthier Canada, where the average income households jumped ten percent in a decade to more than 70-thousand dollars a year.

On the low income side, there are still close to 5 million Canadians living in poverty; a quarter of them, or 1.2 million are children.

And another story tonight; in more homes than ever, women are the main income earner.

Five years ago, Shelley True took a leap of faith and opened her own strategic design business; a trail blazer for other professional women.

“It's very encouraging,” says True, President of TRUEdotDESIGN, “I have come across more female entrepreneurs such as me, more getting involved in starting businesses and taking more leadership roles networking with each other.  It’s all very encouraging.”

And the statistics bear that out. While men are still the main breadwinners in most households, in 17% of the cases, women are the primary earners that number has doubled in recent years.

“We've seen over the decades a decrease in men's employment,” says Nora Spinks with The Vanier Institute of the Family, “in things like manufacturing, things typically male dominated so many have less work or more precarious work and as a result, women are becoming the primary breadwinners.”

That's had an overall impact.  Fewer children are living in low-income households; still, though, more than a million.

And household incomes are up about 10% with the average being $70,000.  In Ontario, Ottawa leads the way with the highest household income at $86,000 a year.

The good news is that fewer children are living in low income families as our incomes rise across Canada by about $7000 over a decade.  What those figures don't show though is how much more it's costing us to live.  But people in Ottawa certainly notice that.

“I see it and feel it,” says one woman, about wages rising, “but at the same time, we are spending more money than we were spending 10 years ago.”

“Gas price goes higher, food goes up,” says another man, “but the salary stays the same.”

And among seniors, 14% of Canadians over 65 earn less than the low-income measure.  That's an increase of 12%.

“Today, I cannot pay an apartment with a living,” says a senior man, “We may be earning more money in dollar but not in value,” he adds.