'London left behind': Report finds median household incomes stagnant over 15-year span
London, Ont. has seen a recent boom of nearly 50,000 jobs, however the years before that were lean.
A study of 36 metropolitan areas in Canada by the Fraser Institute showed the Forest City go 13th to 28th place in terms of median household income.
“London barely grew between 2005 and 2019,” said Steve Lafleur, a senior fellow with the Fraser Institute. “While the rest of the country was growing southwestern Ontario really got left behind.”
The study shows data from a 15-year period, just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each of these large CMAs went from having median household incomes that placed them amongst
While some cities’ overall inflation-adjusted median household income increased by 11.1 per cent, London flat lined, gaining just 0.5 per cent.
“In 2008 to 2009, we lost a lot of jobs,” said King’s University College demographer Don Kerr.
“Ford closed down in St. Thomas. Caterpillar closed down and Kellogg's closed down. We're losing a lot of good paying jobs in the city, and it's taken some time to recover from that.”
However there has been a bounce back with new factories including the Maple Leaf plant opening in southeast London.
“Recently, there's been this big announcement out in in St. Thomas again attracting major investment with the car battery plant,” said Kerr. “That sounds encouraging so we'll see what comes of that.”
While London dropped 15 spots, Windsor plummeted from 11th to 33rd. With adjusted inflation, they declined seven per cent.
Manufacturing jobs have moved south to places like Tennessee, and both cities are too far to commute to major Canadian centres for higher paying jobs.
"London and Windsor are fairly large cities,” said Lafleur. “They are comparable frankly to some provinces. Southwestern Ontario is roughly equivalent to the Atlantic provinces. If we saw a decline like that in Atlantic Canada over 15 year period, that'd be pretty big news story.”
Kerr said the results of the report are consistent with what London has seen for a long time.
“Until recently, if you look at the proportion of young adults [that are] working age between the ages of 25 and 54, we're lagging behind most other census metropolitan areas in Canada,” said Kerr. “We lost a lot of good jobs, and we're getting a lot of job creation most recently so let's hope that some of these jobs or that are being created are going to compensate for that.”
The complete report can be found at the following link.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.