These profiles were developed by Vibrant Communities Calgary and the Canadian Poverty Institute to equip the community with poverty-specific data related to Calgary’s 14 wards. This information can be used to stimulate debate and highlight poverty as an issue in our city.

Items marked with an asterisk (*) are defined in the glossary below. 


To learn more about individual wards, click on the interactive map to view each ward's statistics page, or start at Ward 1 and continue from there.

Income inequality is not restricted to age and sex. However, census data only captures these two demographics at the ward level. City-wide data helps us to see that income inequality intersects with many factors.

Average total income in Calgary
$67,741/year (9% are low income)

Average total income for racialized* populations in Calgary
$47,869/year (13% are low income)

Average total income for recent immigrant populations in Calgary
$39,201/year (18% are low income)

Average total income for those with Indigenous identity* in Calgary
$49,475/year (18% are low income)

Emergency Food Hampers distributed city-wide by the Calgary Food Bank* in a year
67,879 (2020)

211
A helpline and online database of Alberta’s community and social services.

Affordable Housing Units
This includes Calgary Housing Company and Non-Market Housing Units.

Calgary Food Bank
The figure shared of the Emergency Food Hampers distributed city-wide in a year is data from the Calgary Food Bank and does not include other emergency food hampers from other providers.

Community Centres
This does not include private community centres.

Energy Poverty
Households spending 6% or more of after-tax income on home energy as a percentage of all households (i).

Food Bank Expenses
Included are medical expenses, sitter/daycare, rent/mortgage, gas/electric/water, child support, internet/phone, and credit/lease payments.

Government Cash Benefits (Government Transfers)
All cash benefits from federal, provincial, territorial or municipal governments (ii). Some examples are Old Age Security pension, Guaranteed Income Supplement, CPP, EI, Working Income Tax Benefit, and Social Assistance benefits.

Indigenous identity
Based on the Census definition of “Aboriginal Identity.”

LIM-AT
The low-income measure after tax refers to a fixed percentage (50%) of median adjusted after-tax income of private households (iii).

Payday Loan
Any advancement of money with a principal of $1,500 or less and a term of 62 days or less made in exchange for a post- dated cheque, a pre-authorized debit or a future payment of a similar nature, but not for any guarantee, suretyship, overdraft protection or security on property and not through a margin loan, pawnbrokering, a line of credit or a credit card (iv).

Racialized
Based on the Census definition of “visible minority.”

i. Canadian Urban Sustainability Practitioners (2019). Energy Poverty and Equity Explorer Tool
ii. Statistics Canada (2017). Dictionary, Census of Population, 2016: Government Transfers
iii. Statistics Canada (2017). Dictionary, Census of Population, 2016: Low-Income Measure, After Tax (LIM-AT)
iv. Government of Alberta (2021). Payday loan business licence

Census Data
This may not reflect current figures, as the census data available is from 2016. Each ward profile only includes data that is available at a community level.

Food Security
The Calgary Food Bank is not the only service provider in the areas identified in each ward profile. Additionally, not all people experiencing food insecurity also request food bank services. The data shared in this report is not representative of the entire food insecure population.

Online Questionnaire
To engage with the community, an informal online questionnaire was distributed. The “What We Heard” section of each ward profile reflects only the information provided by residents completing the questionnaire and does not reflect the entire ward.

211 Data
Some individuals who contact 211 do not provide their postal code. As a result, the actual number of contacts may be higher, since the 211 data only reflects those who provided a postal code.

This project used a mixed-method research approach to explore poverty at the ward level. Both quantitative (numerical data) and qualitative (descriptive data) methods were used to provide context and narrative to the subject of poverty. 

Publicly-available data
Information attributed to community names or postal codes in Calgary was aggregated by ward. This is based on the new municipal ward boundaries that take effect in October 2021. 

Informal community questionnaire
Residents of each ward participated in an online questionnaire designed to capture local perceptions of poverty indicators. This information provided insights into what is working well and what solutions are needed to help eliminate poverty in each ward. 

Semi-structured interviews
In each ward, a “key informant” (a person actively involved in the community) was interviewed virtually. These individuals were selected based on their lived experiences and/or participation in community resource centres, associations and faith groups. The key informants were not assumed to represent the entire ward, but rather to provide local insights about issues related to poverty. 

Data was collected from the Calgary Food Bank, The Distress Centre (211 Data), Statistics Canada (2016 Census of Population), the City of Calgary Fair Entry program, the City of Calgary Affordable Housing and Calgary Housing Company, the City of Calgary Open Data Portal, the City of Calgary Ward Profiles for the 2021 Election, Calgary Housing Company, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and the Canadian Urban Sustainability Practitioners’ Energy Poverty and Equity Explorer Tool.

Thank you to everyone that completed the informal online questionnaire, as well as the participants who took the time to be interviewed for this project.

Ward 1 is located in northwest/southwest Calgary and includes the following communities: 

Bowness, Crestmont, Greenwood/Greenbriar, Haskayne, Rocky Ridge, Royal Oak , Royal Vista, Scenic Acres, Silver Springs, Tuscany, Varsity, Valley Ridge 

Highlighting the experiences of poverty in all 14 wards of Calgary

Calgary Poverty Profiles

Highlighting the experiences of poverty in all 14 wards of Calgary

Calgary Poverty Profiles

Income inequality

Appendix

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