Tracking the SDGs in Canadian Cities: SDG 1

This briefing note by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 1 (ending poverty) across 13 Canadian cities. Using four specific indicators derived from UN recommendations and available data, the report finds that while child poverty is declining and social assistance coverage is broad, overall poverty rates have been volatile and are slowly increasing in most tracked cities, deviating from the 2030 target.

• Overall poverty rates, measured by the after-tax Low Income Measure, have been volatile and slowly increasing for most cities over the last 20 years, moving away from the 2030 target of reducing poverty by at least half. The Canadian average rose from 12.1 per cent in 1995 to 14.2 per cent in 2015. Specific city trends between 1995 and 2015 include growth rates of people with low income increasing by 70.8 per cent in Toronto and 37.8 per cent in Winnipeg, while Vancouver increased from 11.8 per cent to 16.1 per cent. Edmonton recorded the lowest proportion at 6.1 per cent, and Montreal saw the highest recent increase from 13.3 to 18.9 per cent between 2014 and 2015.
• Child poverty rates in Canadian cities have generally declined since 2000, although they remain higher than general poverty rates. The Canadian average for children below the Low Income Measure was 17.4 per cent in 2015. Quebec City showed significant improvement, dropping from 13.1 per cent in 2000 to 7.7 per cent in 2015, the lowest among measured cities. Conversely, Winnipeg has had the highest child poverty rates since 2010, with rates dropping only 4.9 per cent between 2000 and 2015.
• The proportion of the population receiving social assistance (including employment insurance, old age security, and pension plans) increased across all tracked cities between 2001 and 2015, except for Saskatoon. The national average rose from 51.9 per cent in 2001 to 59.7 per cent in 2015. In 2015, Quebec City had the highest proportion of recipients at 67 per cent, while Calgary had the lowest at 44.9 per cent.
• Municipal budget allocations for social services vary significantly based on priorities and jurisdictional responsibilities. In 2013, Toronto dedicated 30.8 per cent of its total budget to social spending and Ottawa dedicated 26.5 per cent. In contrast, Calgary contributed 5.8 per cent and Edmonton 2.5 per cent. Quebec City and Saskatoon both allocated less than 1 per cent of their total budgets to social services in 2013.

APA

Temmer, J. (2017). Tracking the SDGs in Canadian Cities: SDG 1. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tracking-sdgs-canadian-cities-sdg-1.pdf

Chicago

Temmer, Jennifer. Tracking the SDGs in Canadian Cities: SDG 1. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2017. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tracking-sdgs-canadian-cities-sdg-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Temmer |first1=Jennifer |title=Tracking the SDGs in Canadian Cities: SDG 1 |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=October 2017 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tracking-sdgs-canadian-cities-sdg-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{temmer2017tracking, author = {Temmer, Jennifer}, title = {{Tracking the SDGs in Canadian Cities: SDG 1}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2017}, month = oct, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tracking-sdgs-canadian-cities-sdg-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }