OTTAWA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 30 percent of Canadians lived in households struggling to meet basic financial needs in October 2026, with the highest rates recorded in major automotive and steelmaking hubs, Statistics Canada said Friday.
According to the national statistical agency, 29.7 percent of Canadians aged 15 and older lived in households that had difficulty meeting their financial needs, including transportation, housing, food, clothing and other necessities over the previous four weeks. This marked the first annual increase in financial hardship since 2022.
The proportion increased by 2 percentage points in the 12 months ending in October 2026, reversing a three-year downward trend during which it fell from 35.5 percent in October 2022 to 27.7 percent in October 2025, the agency said.
Among Canada's 15 largest census metropolitan areas, the share of people living in households facing financial difficulties remained highest in Southern Ontario, according to the agency.
Oshawa, a major manufacturing and automotive hub, topped the list with 38.4 percent of residents reporting household financial strain. It was followed by Windsor, a key border city and automotive industry center, at 36.9 percent, and Hamilton, a traditional industrial and steelmaking hub, at 35.9 percent.
Statistics Canada noted that all three cities recorded unemployment rates above the national average in October 2026. ■
