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In this section you will find:
Components of welfare incomes
In the Yukon, households that qualify for basic social assistance payments also qualify for:
- Recurring additional social assistance payments from the territory,
- Federal and territorial child benefits for households with children, and
- Federal and territorial tax credits and/or benefits.
Together, these components form a household’s total welfare income. Households may receive less if they have income from other sources, or more if they have special health- or disability-related needs.
In 2023, all example households in the Yukon received additional payments from both the territorial and federal governments related to the increased cost of living due to high inflation. These payments are included where applicable in the table below.
Table 1YT shows the value of the welfare income components of the four example household types in the Yukon in 2023. All four households are assumed to be living in Whitehorse, receiving territorial social assistance starting January 1 and for the entire year, and earning no employment income. The child in the single-parent household is two years old and the children in the couple household are ten and 15. Other assumptions for calculating incomes are in the methodology section.
Table 1YT: Components of welfare incomes for all example households in the Yukon, 2023
Total annual welfare incomes in 2023 ranged from $22,097 for the unattached single considered employable to $61,391 for the couple with two children. The income of the unattached single with a disability was $25,751 and that of the single parent with one child was $41,386.
Basic social assistance: The Yukon’s basic social assistance rates are indexed to inflation with automatic increases taking effect on November 1 each year.
Additional social assistance: All households received the following additional benefits, all of which remained unchanged in 2023:
- The Yukon Supplementary Allowance of $250 per month for the unattached single with a disability.
- The Special Christmas Allowance of $30 annually per person.
- The Winter Clothing Allowance of $75 annually for people under 14 years old and $125 for people 14 years or older.
- The Telephone Allowance of $37 per month per household, paid to those who have been receiving assistance for at least six consecutive months, or paid immediately (without a six-month wait) to those who are excluded from the labour force.
- The Transportation Expense Allowance of $62 per month per adult, paid to those who have been receiving assistance for at least six consecutive months, or paid immediately (without a six-month wait) to people who are excluded from the labour force, and $40 per month for each dependent child between the ages of two and 18 (paid immediately).
- The Laundry Service Allowance of $10 per month per person, paid to those who have been receiving assistance for at least six consecutive months, or paid immediately (without a six-month wait) to those who are excluded from the labour force and to children.
All four households also received time-limited inflation relief payments in the amount of $100 per individual in each household including children, paid each month between April and December. The two unattached single households received $900, the single parent with one child received $1,800, and the couple with two children received $3,600.
Federal child benefits: Both households with children received the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), which increased with inflation in July 2023 from $583.08 to $619.75 per month for a child under six years of age and from $491.91 to $522.91 per month for a child aged six to 17.
Territorial child benefits: Both households with children received the Yukon Child Benefit, which increased in July for the first time since 2015. Between January and June, the maximum benefit was $68.33 per child per month ($820 per child per year) and between July and December the maximum benefit was $73 ($876 per child per year); this benefit was reduced by 5 per cent for those with incomes more than $35,000. The single parent with one child received the maximum amounts, for a total of $848 in 2023, while the couple with two children received reduced monthly amounts of $120 between January and June and $122 between July and December due to their prior year income, for a total of $1,453.
Federal tax credits/benefits: All four households received the GST/HST credit, which increased in July 2023 with inflation. The unattached single considered employable and the unattached single with a disability received $315.50 in basic GST/HST credit, while the single parent with one child received $631 and the couple with two children received $963.
Three households also received the GST/HST credit supplement: the unattached single considered employable, the unattached single with a disability, and the single parent with one child each received the maximum amount of $166.
All households also received the Grocery Rebate, which was an additional one-time GST credit payment related to the increased cost of living due to high inflation, paid in July 2023. Both unattached single households received $233.50, the single parent with one child received $386.50, and the couple with two children received $467.
Territorial tax credits/benefits: All four households received the Yukon Government Carbon Price Rebate, which was introduced in 2019 to help offset the cost of the federal carbon pollution pricing levy. In 2023, two payments of $80 per individual (including dependent children) were made in January and April and two payments of $93 each per individual (including dependent children) were made in July and October. The two unattached single households each received $346, the single parent with one child received $692, and the couple with two children received $1,384.
Cost-of-living payments
As mentioned earlier, all four households received payments from both the territorial and federal governments related to the increased cost of living resulting from high inflation in 2023. The territorial Inflation relief payments of $100 per month for each individual in the household were paid between March and December. Although these are not strictly one-time payments, we are including them in the table below as they are time-limited and will only continue until the provincial government completes its review of social assistance rates. The federal Grocery Rebate was paid in July 2023 and was equivalent to the two regular GST credit (and credit supplement if applicable) payments received in the first half of 2023. These amounts are included in, and are not in addition to, the benefits described in the Components section above.
Table 2YT: Cost-of-living payments for all example households in the Yukon, 2023
Changes to welfare incomes
Figures 1YT and 2YT show how the total welfare incomes for each of the four example household types in the Yukon have changed over time.
Note that the values are in 2023 constant dollars, not current dollars, calculated using the Canada CPI. Using constant dollars takes into account the effect of inflation given that inflation reduces current dollar values over time. Also note that using the CPI for the Yukon would result in a slightly different trendline.
Figure 1YT: Welfare incomes for example unattached single households in the Yukon 1986–2023, in 2023 constant dollars
The welfare incomes of the two unattached single households followed a similar pattern: increasing gradually across the time series but with steeper rises in 1997 and 2008–2009. A period of relative stagnation followed between 2009 and 2019. Although the increase in 2020 was partly due to benefit indexation, it was primarily the result of federal COVID-19 pandemic-related payments. The decline in 2021 was primarily due to the loss of those pandemic-related payments, and the additional decline in 2022 was largely due to the impact of high inflation. The increase in 2023 was primarily the result of notable inflation-related social assistance payments.
In 2023, the welfare income of the unattached single considered employable was $22,097, which is a 5 per cent increase compared to 2022 and a 79 per cent increase since the start of the time series in constant 2023 dollars. The welfare income of the unattached single with a disability was $25,751, which is a 4 per cent increase compared to 2022 and a 53 per cent increase since the start of the time series in constant 2023 dollars.
Figure 2YT: Welfare incomes for example households with children in the Yukon 1986–2023, in 2023 constant dollars
The total welfare incomes of the two households with children followed a similar pattern across the time series. Characterized by a general increase, the incomes were punctuated by steep rises and periods of both gradual decline and gradual increase. Sizable increases in 1997 and 2008–2009 were followed by gradual declines. Steady increases from 2011 to 2018–2019 were largely the result of additional social assistance benefits and federal child benefit changes. In 2020 — which saw the peak income of the single parent with one child — the welfare incomes of both households increased, largely due to federal COVID-19 pandemic payments. The decline in 2021 was primarily due to the loss of these pandemic-related payments, and the additional decline in 2022 was largely due to the impact of high inflation. The increase in 2023, which was the high point for the income of the couple with two children, was largely the result of notable inflation-related social assistance payments and territorial child benefit increases.
In 2023, the welfare income of the single parent with one child was $41,386, which is a 5 per cent increase compared to 2022 and a 67 per cent increase since the start of the time series in constant 2023 dollars. The welfare income of the couple with two children was $61,391, which is an 7 per cent increase compared to 2022 and a 57 per cent increase since the start of the time series in constant 2023 dollars.
Adequacy of welfare incomes
The adequacy of a household’s total welfare income can be assessed by comparing it to established thresholds of poverty. The Market Basket Measure (MBM) was adopted as Canada’s Official Poverty Line in 2018; however, to recognize the specificity of various aspects of life in the North, the Government of Canada subsequently designated the Northern Market Basket Measure (MBM-N) as the official Poverty Line for the territories.
We use two measures of poverty to assess the adequacy of total welfare incomes in the Yukon:
- The Northern Market Basket Measure (MBM-N), Canada’s Official Poverty Line for the territories, identifies households whose disposable income is less than the cost of a “basket” of goods and services that represents a basic standard of living.
- The Deep Income Poverty (MBM-N-DIP) threshold identifies households in the territories whose disposable income is less than 75 per cent of the MBM-N.
Note that MBM-N thresholds vary by territory and community size. As such, we use the thresholds for the territory’s largest city, Whitehorse, in the analysis below.
Note also that although we use the Low Income Measure (LIM) and the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) for adequacy comparisons in the provinces, they do not appropriately reflect life in the North. Thus, as in past reports, we do not use those measures to provide adequacy comparisons for households in the territories.
As well, note that none of the poverty measures currently in use in Canada accounts for the higher cost of living faced by people with disabilities and that these additional costs are not reflected in our analysis.
More information about the thresholds is available in the methodology section.
A table containing comparisons of the welfare incomes of the four example household types in the Yukon with the two poverty thresholds is available for download.
Poverty threshold comparisons
In 2023, the welfare incomes of all four example household types in the Yukon were below Canada’s Official Poverty Line (MBM-N) in 2023, meaning that all four households were living in poverty. The income of one of the four households was also below the Deep Income Poverty threshold (MBM-N-DIP), which means that one household was living in deep poverty in 2023.
Figures 3YT and 4YT compare 2023 welfare incomes of the four example household types to the 2023 MBM-N and MBM-N-DIP thresholds for Whitehorse.
Figure 3YT: Welfare incomes and poverty thresholds for example unattached single households in the Yukon, 2023
The unattached single considered employable had the least adequate income relative to the poverty thresholds. Their income was $1,236 below the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $9,013 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 95 per cent of the MBM-N-DIP and 71 per cent of the MBM-N.
The unattached single with a disability had an income that was $2,418 above the Deep Income Poverty threshold but $5,359 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 110 per cent of the MBM-N-DIP but 83 per cent of the MBM-N.
Note that the poverty experienced by people with disabilities is underrepresented because neither the MBM-N nor the MBM-N-DIP account for the additional costs associated with disability. See the methodology section for more information.
Figure 4YT: Welfare incomes and poverty thresholds for example households with children in the Yukon, 2023
The income of the single parent with one child was $8,388 above the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $2,611 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 125 per cent of the MBM-N-DIP but 94 per cent of the MBM-N.
The couple with two children had an income that was the most adequate relative to the poverty thresholds among the four households. Their welfare income was $14,726 above the Deep Income Poverty threshold but $829 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 132 per cent of the MBM-N-DIP and 99 per cent of the MBM-N.
Changes to adequacy of welfare incomes
Figures 5YT and 6YT show the total welfare incomes of each of the four example household types in the Yukon as a percentage of the MBM-N, starting in 2018.
The black line at the top of the graphs (i.e., the 100 per cent threshold) represents the MBM-N, which is Canada’s Official Poverty Line for the North. This means that the graphs show the relationship between the four households’ total welfare incomes and the Poverty Line in each of the past 6 years.
The grey line indicates the Deep Income Poverty threshold, which is 75 per cent of the MBM-N. The graphs therefore also show the relationship between total welfare incomes and deep poverty in each of the past 6 years.
The trendlines in these graphs demonstrate changes in the example households’ level of poverty across the six-year time series. A rise in the trendline indicates an improvement in their level of poverty while a decline indicates a deepening of their poverty.
Note that MBM-N thresholds vary by territory and community size. The MBM-N thresholds used here are for Whitehorse. More information is in the methodology section.
Figure 5YT: Welfare incomes as a percentage of the MBM-N for example unattached single households in the Yukon, 2018–2023
The total welfare income of the unattached single considered employable started the time series at 69 per cent of the Poverty Line in 2018, moved to the high point of 72 per cent in 2020, declined to 68 per cent in 2022, but increased to 71 per cent at the end of the time series in 2023.
Overall, the income of the unattached single considered employable increased by 2 percentage points relative to the Poverty Line across the six-year time series. This means that although they would have lived in poverty for the past six years, the depth of their poverty has improved slightly over that time. However, because their income was below the Deep Income Poverty threshold across the entire time series, they would have not only lived in poverty for the entire six-year period, but in deep poverty.
The total welfare income of the unattached single with a disability started the time series in 2018 at the higher level of 83 per cent of the Poverty Line, increased to 86 per cent in 2020, declined to 81 per cent in 2022, and increased to 83 per cent at the end of the time series in 2023.
Overall, the income of the unattached single with a disability was the same in 2023 relative to the Poverty Line as it was in 2018, indicating no improvement in this household’s level of poverty. In contrast to the income of the unattached single considered employable, however, the income of this household was above the Deep Income Poverty threshold across the entire time series, meaning that although they were living in poverty for the entire six-year period, they were not living in deep poverty.
Figure 6YT: Welfare incomes as a percentage of the MBM-N for example households with children in the Yukon, 2002–2023
The total welfare income of the single parent with one child started the time series at 92 per cent of the Poverty Line, moved to a high of 97 per cent in 2020, declined in 2022 to 90 per cent, and increased to 94 per cent at the end of the times series in 2023.
Overall, the income of the single parent with one child increased slightly relative to the Poverty Line — by 2 percentage points — over the six-year period, which indicates a slight improvement in the level of their poverty. This household’s total income was above the Deep Income Poverty threshold in all of the six years, which means that although they were living in poverty, they were not living in deep poverty.
The total welfare income of the couple with two children started the time series at 97 per cent of the Poverty Line in 2018, moved to a high of 100 per cent in 2020, declined to 93 per cent in 2022, then increased to 99 per cent at the end of the times series in 2023.
Overall, the income of the couple with two children increased relative to the Poverty Line by 2 percentage points over the six-year period. This indicates a slight improvement in the level of their poverty. It is notable that this household’s total income was also above the Deep Income Poverty threshold for the past six years, and at the Poverty Line for one of those years. This means that although they were living in poverty or just at the Poverty Line, they were not living in deep poverty.
Access to data
The data for the Yukon is available for download, including:
- Components of welfare income for all households, with a breakdown of cost of living-related payments.
- Welfare incomes in 2023 constant dollars over time for all households.
- Welfare incomes in current dollars over time for all households.
- Adequacy of welfare incomes: Comparisons of the welfare incomes of each household with the two poverty thresholds applicable in the North.
- Adequacy over time: Welfare income relative to the Official Poverty Line (MBM-N) for each household from 2018–2023.