Pension plans are the best way to ensure that Canadians are secure in retirement. What is often underappreciated is how valuable pension income is to government revenues, the national economy and local communities. We broke down that data for communities across the country—read the full report here.
The map below illustrates the importance of pension income to local communities, right down to the postal code level. The map shading compares pension income to three similar income types: EI/Social assistance income, entrepreneurs’ income and other private retirement income like RRIF withdrawals. In nearly all communities, pensions were larger than at least one of those categories. In a majority, they were larger than two of them. And in a sizable amount, pensions represented the largest income stream.
When workers fight to defend and expand pensions, they’re also fighting to keep income in their communities. If you want to see how much of that income is in your community, check out the map below. Zoom in using the buttons, your mouse or by selecting your city from the dropdown list.
