Full site: debtsgo.ca
Data to May 2023.
For data source see notes following.
A five-year chart of BC-wide consumer insolvency filings.
BC consumer proposals as a percentage of new filings.
To measure growth we compare total filings in the 12 months ended May 2023 to those in the 12 months ended May 2022.
We consider census metropolitan areas and regions and compare current volumes with the 10-year historical mean. Showing the current month as a percentage of the mean reveals the degree to which current filings exceed the mean.
We rank cities by the number of consumer insolvencies filed in the most recent month.
We filter out cities having less than 120 filings per year and report the 15 having the highest annual growth.
| City | 12.mos.to.May2023 | 12.mos.to.May2022 | Change | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esquimalt | 168 | 104 | 64 | 61.5% |
| Penticton | 137 | 86 | 51 | 59.3% |
| Abbotsford | 432 | 285 | 147 | 51.6% |
| New Westminster | 225 | 152 | 73 | 48.0% |
| Highlands | 186 | 132 | 54 | 40.9% |
| Port Coquitlam | 247 | 179 | 68 | 38.0% |
| Kelowna | 414 | 308 | 106 | 34.4% |
| Delta | 213 | 159 | 54 | 34.0% |
| Burnaby | 457 | 342 | 115 | 33.6% |
| Surrey | 1313 | 984 | 329 | 33.4% |
| Coquitlam | 156 | 117 | 39 | 33.3% |
| Victoria | 156 | 117 | 39 | 33.3% |
| Chilliwack | 303 | 229 | 74 | 32.3% |
| Vernon | 215 | 164 | 51 | 31.1% |
| Langley | 367 | 284 | 83 | 29.2% |
We report the 10 cities with the lowest annual growth rates.
| City | 12.mos.to.May2023 | 12.mos.to.May2022 | Change | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince George | 248 | 232 | 16 | 6.9% |
| Nanaimo | 298 | 262 | 36 | 13.7% |
| Kamloops | 297 | 260 | 37 | 14.2% |
| North Vancouver | 252 | 210 | 42 | 20.0% |
| Saanich | 226 | 188 | 38 | 20.2% |
| Maple Ridge | 224 | 178 | 46 | 25.8% |
| Richmond | 340 | 267 | 73 | 27.3% |
| Vancouver | 1268 | 989 | 279 | 28.2% |
| Langley | 367 | 284 | 83 | 29.2% |
| Vernon | 215 | 164 | 51 | 31.1% |
We determined the maximum and minimum monthly filings since 2013 and compared these to the current monthly filings to determine whether the city was experiencing an historic high or low number of filings.
The 20 most active FSAs in the current month and their monthly mean since 2013.
| FSA | FSA.Place.Name | City | May2023 | Mean | May2023.over.Mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V3S | Surrey East | Surrey | 24 | 18.2 | 131.9% |
| V2S | Abbotsford Southeast | Abbotsford | 21 | 12.3 | 170.8% |
| V3A | Langley City | Langley | 21 | 10.8 | 194.4% |
| V0E | Central Okanagan and High Country (Revelstoke) | Rural Area | 19 | 12.8 | 148.5% |
| V2B | Kamloops Northwest | Kamloops | 19 | 10.7 | 177.1% |
| V2P | Chilliwack Central | Chilliwack | 19 | 10.6 | 179.8% |
| V3T | Surrey Inner Northwest | Surrey | 19 | 11.7 | 162.3% |
| V9B | Highlands | Highlands | 19 | 16.3 | 116.7% |
| V9W | Campbell River Central | Campbell River | 19 | 8.0 | 237.7% |
| V3R | Surrey North | Surrey | 18 | 15.4 | 116.6% |
| V0R | Central Island (Chemainus) | Rural Area | 17 | 14.2 | 119.7% |
| V4N | Surrey Northeast | Surrey | 17 | 12.9 | 132.2% |
| V1X | Kelowna East Central | Kelowna | 16 | 9.6 | 167.2% |
| V0N | North Island | Rural Area | 15 | 10.3 | 145.1% |
| V2R | Chilliwack West | Chilliwack | 15 | 9.2 | 163.0% |
| V3M | New Westminster Southwest (Includes Annacis Island) | New Westminster | 15 | 11.1 | 135.6% |
| V3B | Port Coquitlam Central | Port Coquitlam | 14 | 10.0 | 140.6% |
| V3W | Surrey Upper West | Surrey | 14 | 17.4 | 80.7% |
| V9L | Duncan | Duncan | 14 | 9.3 | 150.5% |
| V2A | Penticton | Penticton | 13 | 10.5 | 123.3% |
We average over 10 years the monthly consumer insolvencies in FSAs and we filter out those having less than 72 files annually. We compare the number of files in the 12-month period ended May 2023 to those in the 12-month period ended May 2022 to calculate growth. We show the top 20.
| FSA | FSA_Place_Name | City | 12.mos.to.May2023 | 12.mos.to.May2022 | Change | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V9A | Esquimalt | Esquimalt | 168 | 104 | 64 | 61.5% |
| V5X | Vancouver (SE Oakridge / East Marpole / South Sunset) | Vancouver | 80 | 50 | 30 | 60.0% |
| V2A | Penticton | Penticton | 137 | 86 | 51 | 59.3% |
| V1C | Cranbrook | Cranbrook | 87 | 55 | 32 | 58.2% |
| V2S | Abbotsford Southeast | Abbotsford | 188 | 120 | 68 | 56.7% |
| V3V | Surrey Outer Northwest | Surrey | 146 | 94 | 52 | 55.3% |
| V2V | Mission East | Mission | 121 | 78 | 43 | 55.1% |
| V3M | New Westminster Southwest (Includes Annacis Island) | New Westminster | 141 | 94 | 47 | 50.0% |
| V9W | Campbell River Central | Campbell River | 133 | 90 | 43 | 47.8% |
| V8V | Victoria South | Victoria | 72 | 49 | 23 | 46.9% |
| V2R | Chilliwack West | Chilliwack | 142 | 98 | 44 | 44.9% |
| V1Y | Kelowna Central | Kelowna | 137 | 96 | 41 | 42.7% |
| V9B | Highlands | Highlands | 186 | 132 | 54 | 40.9% |
| V3S | Surrey East | Surrey | 250 | 178 | 72 | 40.4% |
| V3B | Port Coquitlam Central | Port Coquitlam | 126 | 90 | 36 | 40.0% |
| V3R | Surrey North | Surrey | 189 | 137 | 52 | 38.0% |
| V8Z | Saanich Central | Saanich | 63 | 46 | 17 | 37.0% |
| V4N | Surrey Northeast | Surrey | 169 | 124 | 45 | 36.3% |
| V2X | Maple Ridge West | Maple Ridge | 156 | 116 | 40 | 34.5% |
| V4C | Delta Northeast | Delta | 108 | 81 | 27 | 33.3% |
And we show the bottom 15.
| FSA | FSA_Place_Name | City | 12.mos.to.May2023 | 12.mos.to.May2022 | Change | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V0H | South Okanagan (Summerland) | Rural Area | 99 | 111 | -12 | -10.8% |
| V9N | Courtenay Central | Courtenay | 98 | 99 | -1 | -1.0% |
| V0R | Central Island (Chemainus) | Rural Area | 144 | 139 | 5 | 3.6% |
| V3W | Surrey Upper West | Surrey | 171 | 163 | 8 | 4.9% |
| V3C | Port Coquitlam South | Port Coquitlam | 72 | 65 | 7 | 10.8% |
| V1J | Fort St. John | Fort St. John | 102 | 92 | 10 | 10.9% |
| V3N | Burnaby (East Big Bend / Stride Avenue / Edmonds / Cariboo-Armstrong) | Burnaby | 96 | 84 | 12 | 14.3% |
| V4T | Westbank | Westbank | 91 | 79 | 12 | 15.2% |
| V3A | Langley City | Langley | 144 | 124 | 20 | 16.1% |
| V2B | Kamloops Northwest | Kamloops | 162 | 139 | 23 | 16.5% |
| V2N | Prince George South | Prince George | 72 | 60 | 12 | 20.0% |
| V0N | North Island | Rural Area | 123 | 102 | 21 | 20.6% |
| V9R | Nanaimo South | Nanaimo | 129 | 106 | 23 | 21.7% |
| V2M | Prince George West Central | Prince George | 95 | 78 | 17 | 21.8% |
| V0E | Central Okanagan and High Country (Revelstoke) | Rural Area | 165 | 135 | 30 | 22.2% |
FSA and Forward Sortation Area are protected terms for the benefit of Canada Post Corporation.
Data source: The Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy (“OSB”), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, data sets 2013 to May 2023, https://open.canada.ca/
We report on only consumer bankruptcies and consumer proposals as defined by the OSB. For definitions, see https://open.canada.ca/
Ken Rowan is a retired Licensed Insolvency Trustee and a retired CA, CPA.
Questions or Comments? Email debtsgo.ca