Provincial or territorial social assistance programs typically provide basic benefits for cost-of-living expenses, such as food and clothing, and for shelter and shelter-related costs such as heating or home insurance. These amounts may be calculated and delivered separately or combined into a single flat rate. In some instances, benefits for some of these costs are provided through “additional” benefits (see the Methodology section for more information) or through separate programs administered outside of social assistance.

Table A5 below indicates which jurisdictions provide cost-of-living and shelter components as separate allowances and which provide them as one combined benefit, depending on the program. Specifics about additional cost-of-living benefits that our example households received are included in the footnotes.

Note that the benefits discussed in the table below are only those that correspond to the methodology used to determine inclusion in this report for our example households. Other benefits for various costs may be available depending on the jurisdiction and the specific situation of each recipient. See the Methodology section for more information.

Table A5: Breakdown of cost-of-living and shelter components of provincial/territorial social assistance benefits, 2023

56. “ETW” refers to the Expected to Work category and “BFE” refers to the Barriers to Full Employment category of Alberta’s Income Support program.

57. The couple with two children in Alberta also received a School Expenses allowance.

58. “AISH” refers to Alberta’s Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped program.

59. All households in British Columbia also received a Winter Supplement. The unattached single with a disability also received the Transportation Supplement, which can be provided as cash or an in-kind bus pass. The couple with two children also received a School Supplement.

60. The Manitoba households in this report are living in private rental accommodation; the shelter allowance is provided as a Rent Assist benefit for these households. Rent Assist is also available to eligible low-income Manitoba households who do not receive social assistance benefits.

61. “MBFE” refers to the Medical Barriers to Full Employment category in Manitoba’s Employment and Income Assistance program. The unattached single with a disability receiving MBFE benefits also received two supplementary allowances (i.e., the additional basic amount and the additional amount for an adult with a disability) as well as an Income Assistance for Persons with Disabilities benefit. The single parent with one child also received three supplementary allowances (i.e., the additional basic amount, the additional amount for the first child in a single-parent household, and the additional allowance for a child six or under in a single-parent household). The couple with two children also received a School Supplies allowance.

62. The unattached single with a disability who receives Manitoba Supports for Persons with Disabilities benefits also received a Monthly Income Support benefit as well as a Basic Supplement.

63. The unattached single with a disability in New Brunswick also received a Monthly Disability Supplement; the supplement has been incorporated into the basic rate for disability households as of December 2023. The two households with children also received an Income Supplement Benefit.

64. All households in Newfoundland and Labrador except the unattached single with a disability also received a Fuel Supplement and Additional Rent Assistance. The unattached single with a disability received a Personal Care Allowance and top-up amounts for rent and utilities, which are administered outside social assistance by NL Health Services.

65. Note that the Northwest Territories pays actual accommodation costs for households with dependants as well as actual fuel and utilities costs for all households. As well, the unattached single with a disability received a Disabled Allowance and an Incidental Allowance. All four households continued to receive the Furnishings Allowance in 2023, which is a holdover from policy decisions made in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

66. The unattached single with a disability in Nova Scotia received an “enhanced” basic needs benefit. The couple with two children also received a School Supplies Supplement.

67. Note that the majority of households receiving social assistance live in public housing in Nunavut and that benefit amounts included in this report are based on public housing rents and subsidized utilities amounts. As well, the unattached single with a disability also received an Incidental Allowance.

68. The unattached single with a disability in Prince Edward Island also received a Community Living Expense benefit. As well, all households received a Communication Rate and the couple with two children received a School Allowance.

69. New entrants to Quebec’s Social Assistance/Aim to Employment program can select to undertake employment-related education and training that makes them eligible for allowances from either the program itself or from Quebec’s Manpower Training program. The unattached single considered employable (AIM), the single parent with one child, and the couple with two children (AIM) received the basic program allowance as well as a Participation Allowance for each adult and a Monthly Adjustment amount. The unattached single with a disability, the single parent with one child, and the couple with two children (AIM) also received a separate Shelter Allowance as an additional benefit. The unattached single considered employable and the couple with two children (MAN) received a Manpower Training allowance but no other benefits from the Social Assistance program. As well, all households received a Monthly Adjustment. The couple with two children received a benefit for children aged 12 and over as well as a School-Related Allowance. The unattached single considered employable and the couples with two children received a Participation Allowance, and the single parent with one child received a Temporarily Limited Capacity Allowance.

70. The unattached single with a disability in Saskatchewan also received a Disability Income Benefit. Note that Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) clients have a choice of receiving flat-rate or actual utilities amounts, and that amounts for utilities, laundry, and telephone for this household were included as an average actual amount in our calculations.

71. The unattached single with a disability in the Yukon also received a Supplementary Allowance, and all households received allowances for Christmas, Winter Clothing, Telephone, Transportation, and Laundry Service. The couple with two children also received a School Supply Allowance.