Canada Consumer Insolvency Trends
Ken Rowan
September 1, 2023
Full site: debtsgo.ca
Data to July
2023. For data source see notes following.
Canada
Monthly Filings
A five-year chart of nation-wide consumer filings. Consumer insolvencies in July 2023 totaled 9,467 and were down 11.0% from June.
Consumer Proposals
Consumer proposal filings in July 2023 represented 79.1% of all consumer filings.
Annual File Growth
To measure growth we compare total filings in the 12 months ending July 2023 to those in the 12 months ended July 2022.
Provincial
Annual File Growth
We break down national figures by province.
Regions / Municipal Areas
Mean and Current Monthly Filings
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.
| CMA.Region | July2023 | Mean | July2023.over.Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal - CMA | 962 | 1328.2 | 72.4% |
| Toronto Region | 715 | 660.2 | 108.3% |
| Vancouver Metro | 478 | 401.9 | 118.9% |
| Edmonton - CMA | 458 | 354.9 | 129.1% |
| Calgary - CMA | 410 | 363.3 | 112.9% |
| Peel Region | 354 | 326.1 | 108.6% |
| Ottawa-Gatineau - CMA | 332 | 349.8 | 94.9% |
| Hamilton - CMA | 204 | 152.9 | 133.4% |
| London - CMA | 203 | 187.9 | 108.0% |
| York Region | 197 | 164.0 | 120.1% |
| Winnipeg - CMA | 192 | 136.5 | 140.7% |
| Quebec City - CMA | 189 | 197.5 | 95.7% |
| Durham Region | 187 | 137.1 | 136.4% |
| Kitchener - Cambridge -Waterloo - CMA | 159 | 145.3 | 109.5% |
| St. Catharines - Niagara - CMA | 134 | 103.0 | 130.1% |
| Halifax - CMA | 124 | 135.5 | 91.5% |
| Barrie - CMA | 108 | 101.7 | 106.2% |
| Windsor - CMA | 97 | 89.6 | 108.2% |
| St. John’s - CMA | 94 | 90.1 | 104.4% |
| Halton Region | 84 | 84.5 | 99.4% |
| Regina - CMA | 74 | 58.0 | 127.6% |
| Greater Sudbury - CMA | 72 | 89.5 | 80.4% |
| Moncton - CMA | 67 | 71.1 | 94.3% |
| Trois Rivieres - CMA | 62 | 59.3 | 104.6% |
| Belleville-Quinte West - CMA | 59 | 55.4 | 106.5% |
| Saskatoon - CMA | 58 | 60.2 | 96.4% |
| Sherbrooke - CMA | 57 | 86.0 | 66.3% |
| Kelowna - CMA | 54 | 53.5 | 101.0% |
| Peterborough - CMA | 53 | 49.5 | 107.2% |
| Victoria - CMA | 53 | 81.6 | 64.9% |
| Saint John - CMA | 51 | 57.0 | 89.5% |
| Kamloops - CMA | 45 | 42.8 | 105.2% |
| Brantford - CMA | 43 | 32.7 | 131.5% |
| Kingston - CMA | 43 | 43.7 | 98.3% |
| Lethbridge - CMA | 41 | 33.3 | 123.1% |
| Abbotsford - CMA | 36 | 38.0 | 94.7% |
| Nanaimo - CMA | 34 | 28.8 | 118.1% |
| Fredericton - CMA | 29 | 41.7 | 69.6% |
| Guelph - CMA | 28 | 29.5 | 95.0% |
| Thunder Bay - CMA | 28 | 33.6 | 83.3% |
| Chilliwack - CMA | 21 | 20.6 | 101.9% |
Cities
Most Active This Month
We rank cities by the number of consumer insolvencies filed in the most recent month.
| City | Province | July2023 | Mean | July2023.over.Mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto | ON | 630 | 585.0 | 107.7% |
| Calgary | AB | 368 | 326.0 | 112.9% |
| Edmonton | AB | 350 | 269.9 | 129.7% |
| Winnipeg | MB | 189 | 134.8 | 140.2% |
| Mississauga | ON | 167 | 155.2 | 107.6% |
| Brampton | ON | 163 | 147.9 | 110.2% |
| Hamilton | ON | 155 | 113.2 | 136.9% |
| London | ON | 135 | 118.7 | 113.8% |
| Montreal | QC | 134 | 162.8 | 82.3% |
| Surrey | BC | 126 | 98.7 | 127.7% |
| Vancouver | BC | 115 | 97.8 | 117.6% |
| Ottawa | ON | 107 | 88.1 | 121.4% |
| Oshawa | ON | 92 | 56.6 | 162.6% |
| Kitchener | ON | 82 | 68.0 | 120.6% |
| Windsor ON | ON | 79 | 68.9 | 114.7% |
| Regina | SK | 74 | 57.8 | 128.0% |
| Quebec City | QC | 73 | 73.4 | 99.5% |
| St. Catharines | ON | 63 | 44.4 | 142.0% |
| Longueuil | QC | 60 | 70.4 | 85.3% |
| Saskatoon | SK | 58 | 60.2 | 96.4% |
| Barrie | ON | 55 | 54.0 | 101.9% |
| Red Deer | AB | 55 | 41.7 | 131.8% |
| Halifax | NS | 52 | 49.2 | 105.6% |
| Moncton | NB | 52 | 49.7 | 104.6% |
| Gatineau | QC | 47 | 69.5 | 67.6% |
Highest Annual Growth Rates
Of approximately 650 cities we filter out those with less than 120 filings per year, leaving 190 more active cities. We rank the top 25 by rate of annual growth.
| City | Province | 12.mos.to.July2023 | 12.mos.to.July2022 | Change | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auteuil | QC | 90 | 49 | 41 | 83.7% |
| Penticton | BC | 150 | 87 | 63 | 72.4% |
| Mascouche | QC | 202 | 118 | 84 | 71.2% |
| Bowmanville | ON | 168 | 102 | 66 | 64.7% |
| Lower Sackville | NS | 218 | 139 | 79 | 56.8% |
| New Westminster | BC | 245 | 160 | 85 | 53.1% |
| Abbotsford | BC | 446 | 292 | 154 | 52.7% |
| Belleville | ON | 278 | 182 | 96 | 52.7% |
| Coquitlam | BC | 176 | 117 | 59 | 50.4% |
| Don Mills | ON | 153 | 102 | 51 | 50.0% |
| Cote-Saint-Luc | QC | 113 | 77 | 36 | 46.8% |
| Niagara Falls | ON | 401 | 274 | 127 | 46.4% |
| Charlesbourg | QC | 211 | 146 | 65 | 44.5% |
| St. John’s | NL | 419 | 291 | 128 | 44.0% |
| Richmond | BC | 379 | 266 | 113 | 42.5% |
| Brossard | QC | 236 | 166 | 70 | 42.2% |
| Jonquiere | QC | 265 | 188 | 77 | 41.0% |
| Oakville | ON | 319 | 227 | 92 | 40.5% |
| Oshawa | ON | 806 | 577 | 229 | 39.7% |
| Kanata | ON | 194 | 139 | 55 | 39.6% |
| Kelowna | BC | 437 | 313 | 124 | 39.6% |
| Saint-Laurent | QC | 231 | 166 | 65 | 39.2% |
| Port Coquitlam | BC | 254 | 183 | 71 | 38.8% |
| Markham | ON | 430 | 310 | 120 | 38.7% |
| Sainte-Sophie | QC | 101 | 73 | 28 | 38.4% |
Lowest Annual Growth Rates
We report 25 cities with the lowest annual growth rates.
| City | Province | 12.mos.to.July2023 | 12.mos.to.July2022 | Change | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Michel | QC | 137 | 158 | -21 | -13.3% |
| Leduc | AB | 170 | 192 | -22 | -11.5% |
| Val-d’Or | QC | 125 | 135 | -10 | -7.4% |
| Buckingham | QC | 111 | 118 | -7 | -5.9% |
| Saint-Pierre | QC | 111 | 118 | -7 | -5.9% |
| Rimouski | QC | 145 | 151 | -6 | -4.0% |
| Lachine | QC | 131 | 136 | -5 | -3.7% |
| Villeray | QC | 134 | 139 | -5 | -3.6% |
| Petite-Patrie | QC | 118 | 121 | -3 | -2.5% |
| Ville-Emard | QC | 96 | 97 | -1 | -1.0% |
| La Prairie | QC | 90 | 89 | 1 | 1.1% |
| Thornhill | ON | 170 | 168 | 2 | 1.2% |
| Riverview | NB | 87 | 85 | 2 | 2.4% |
| Chomedey | QC | 302 | 294 | 8 | 2.7% |
| Saint-Jerome | QC | 475 | 460 | 15 | 3.3% |
| Anjou | QC | 146 | 140 | 6 | 4.3% |
| Dollard-Des-Ormeaux | QC | 71 | 68 | 3 | 4.4% |
| Moncton | NB | 477 | 457 | 20 | 4.4% |
| St. Albert | AB | 200 | 190 | 10 | 5.3% |
| Prince George | BC | 248 | 235 | 13 | 5.5% |
| Maisonneuve | QC | 90 | 85 | 5 | 5.9% |
| Shawinigan | QC | 153 | 143 | 10 | 7.0% |
| Chicoutimi | QC | 237 | 219 | 18 | 8.2% |
| Longueuil | QC | 655 | 605 | 50 | 8.3% |
| Salaberry-de-Valleyfield | QC | 230 | 212 | 18 | 8.5% |
10-Year Monthly Highs and Lows
We determined the maximum and minimum monthly filings for each city since July 2013 and compared these to the current monthly filings to determine whether the city was experiencing a 10-year high or low number of consumer insolvencies.
New Highs
New Lows - none
Forward Sortation Areas
Most Active This Month
We list the 20 most active FSAs in the current month compared to their 10-year mean.
| FSA | FSA_Place_Name | City | Prov | July2023 | Mean | July2023.over.Mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J0K | Lanaudiere-Nord (Saint-Esprit) | Rural Area | QC | 45 | 72.6 | 62.0% |
| T2A | Calgary (Penbrooke Meadows / Marlborough) | Calgary | AB | 35 | 29.6 | 118.3% |
| K0K | Quinte Shores | Rural Area | ON | 31 | 26.6 | 116.4% |
| L1G | Oshawa Central | Oshawa | ON | 31 | 14.9 | 207.6% |
| L4N | Barrie South | Barrie | ON | 28 | 35.0 | 79.9% |
| L6Y | Brampton South | Brampton | ON | 28 | 19.8 | 141.8% |
| T0M | Central Foothills (Sundre) | Rural Area | AB | 27 | 18.8 | 143.3% |
| T5T | Edmonton West (West Jasper Place / West Edmonton Mall) | Edmonton | AB | 27 | 24.7 | 109.3% |
| E1A | Dieppe Moncton East | Moncton | NB | 26 | 20.9 | 124.3% |
| L6T | Brampton East | Brampton | ON | 25 | 15.8 | 158.2% |
| T4P | Red Deer North | Red Deer | AB | 25 | 15.1 | 165.5% |
| M2J | North York (Fairview / Henry Farm / Oriole) | Toronto | ON | 23 | 14.1 | 163.0% |
| T6W | Edmonton (Heritage Valley) | Edmonton | AB | 23 | 16.0 | 143.5% |
| G0S | Chaudiere-Nord (Saint-Joseph-De-Beauce) | Rural Area | QC | 22 | 20.2 | 108.7% |
| L4M | Barrie North | Barrie | ON | 22 | 17.6 | 125.1% |
| N5V | London (YXU / North and East Argyle / East Huron Heights) | London | ON | 22 | 12.8 | 172.4% |
| T3J | Calgary (Martindale / Taradale / Falconridge / Saddle Ridge) | Calgary | AB | 22 | 23.3 | 94.5% |
| J0S | Monteregie-Ouest (Saint-Anicet) | Rural Area | QC | 21 | 13.1 | 159.8% |
| L4T | Mississauga (Malton) | Mississauga | ON | 21 | 11.9 | 176.7% |
| T2Y | Calgary (Millrise / Somerset / Bridlewood / Evergreen) | Calgary | AB | 21 | 17.8 | 118.2% |
Highest Annual Growth Rates
We average over 10 years the monthly consumer insolvencies in (an amazing) 2,424 reported FSAs and we filter out those having less than 72 files annually, leaving 635 FSAs for further analysis. We compare the number of files in the 12-months ended July 2023 to those in the 12-months ended July 2022 to calculate growth. We show the top 30.
| FSA | FSA_Place_Name | City | Province | 12.mos.to.July2023 | 12.mos.to.July2022 | Change | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H4L | Saint-Laurent Inner Northeast | Saint-Laurent | QC | 93 | 45 | 48 | 106.7% |
| B2H | New Glasgow | New Glasgow | NS | 91 | 47 | 44 | 93.6% |
| L1K | Oshawa East | Oshawa | ON | 126 | 67 | 59 | 88.1% |
| A0K | Northwest Newfoundland/Eastern Labrador (Mary’s Harbour) | Rural Area | NL | 103 | 55 | 48 | 87.3% |
| B4C | Lower Sackville South | Lower Sackville | NS | 113 | 62 | 51 | 82.3% |
| A1A | St. John’s North | St. John’s | NL | 120 | 66 | 54 | 81.8% |
| L5M | Mississauga (Churchill Meadows / Central Erin Mills / South Streetsville) | Mississauga | ON | 196 | 108 | 88 | 81.5% |
| N6K | London (Riverbend / Woodhull / North Sharon Creek / Byron / West Westmount) | London | ON | 112 | 62 | 50 | 80.6% |
| B0S | West Annapolis County (Middleton) | Rural Area | NS | 70 | 39 | 31 | 79.5% |
| B5A | Yarmouth | Yarmouth | NS | 102 | 58 | 44 | 75.9% |
| S7K | Saskatoon North Central | Saskatoon | SK | 128 | 73 | 55 | 75.3% |
| M6H | West Toronto (Dufferin / Dovercourt Village) | Toronto | ON | 143 | 82 | 61 | 74.4% |
| L8H | Hamilton (West Kentley / McQuesten / Parkview / Hamilton Beach…) | Hamilton | ON | 144 | 83 | 61 | 73.5% |
| L3X | Newmarket Southwest | Newmarket | ON | 97 | 56 | 41 | 73.2% |
| L6Z | Brampton West Central | Brampton | ON | 102 | 59 | 43 | 72.9% |
| V2A | Penticton | Penticton | BC | 150 | 87 | 63 | 72.4% |
| G4X | Gaspe | Gaspe | QC | 74 | 43 | 31 | 72.1% |
| B6L | Truro | Truro | NS | 51 | 30 | 21 | 70.0% |
| M6B | North York (Glencairn) | Toronto | ON | 113 | 67 | 46 | 68.7% |
| V2S | Abbotsford Southeast | Abbotsford | BC | 202 | 120 | 82 | 68.3% |
| J8B | Sainte-Adele | Sainte-Adele | QC | 74 | 44 | 30 | 68.2% |
| P7A | Thunder Bay Northeast | Thunder Bay | ON | 109 | 65 | 44 | 67.7% |
| K0J | Renfrew County and Lanark Highlands Township (Deep River) | Rural Area | ON | 77 | 46 | 31 | 67.4% |
| B4H | Amherst | Amherst | NS | 90 | 54 | 36 | 66.7% |
| L2H | Niagara Falls West | Niagara Falls | ON | 103 | 62 | 41 | 66.1% |
| V5X | Vancouver (SE Oakridge / East Marpole / South Sunset) | Vancouver | BC | 88 | 53 | 35 | 66.0% |
| H7X | Sainte-Dorothee | Sainte-Dorothee | QC | 58 | 35 | 23 | 65.7% |
| G1K | Quebec City Mid-Riverbank | Quebec City | QC | 106 | 64 | 42 | 65.6% |
| H3W | Cotes-des-Neiges Southwest | Cote-des-Neiges | QC | 86 | 52 | 34 | 65.4% |
| J6Y | Terrebonne Southwest | Terrebonne | QC | 66 | 40 | 26 | 65.0% |
Lowest Annual Growth Rates
And we show the bottom 30.
| FSA | FSA_Place_Name | City | Province | 12.mos.to.July2023 | 12.mos.to.July2022 | Change | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M9A | Etobicoke (Islington Avenue) | Toronto | ON | 92 | 116 | -24 | -20.7% |
| P0H | Nipissing North (Callander) | Rural Area | ON | 73 | 91 | -18 | -19.8% |
| H1Z | Saint-Michel West | Saint-Michel | QC | 89 | 110 | -21 | -19.1% |
| G6G | Thetford Mines | Thetford Mines | QC | 70 | 85 | -15 | -17.6% |
| N5P | St. Thomas North | St. Thomas | ON | 80 | 96 | -16 | -16.7% |
| E2K | Saint John North | Saint John | NB | 86 | 102 | -16 | -15.7% |
| J2W | Saint-Luc | Saint-Luc | QC | 62 | 73 | -11 | -15.1% |
| J1H | Sherbrooke Central | Sherbrooke | QC | 145 | 170 | -25 | -14.7% |
| J5L | Saint-Jerome West | Saint-Jerome | QC | 85 | 99 | -14 | -14.1% |
| H4C | Saint-Henri | Saint-Henri | QC | 50 | 58 | -8 | -13.8% |
| G5L | Rimouski Central | Rimouski | QC | 104 | 118 | -14 | -11.9% |
| T9E | Leduc | Leduc | AB | 170 | 192 | -22 | -11.5% |
| G7J | Chicoutimi West | Chicoutimi | QC | 62 | 70 | -8 | -11.4% |
| H2S | Petite-Patrie Southwest | Petite-Patrie | QC | 59 | 66 | -7 | -10.6% |
| K1K | Ottawa (Overbrook) | Ottawa | ON | 136 | 152 | -16 | -10.5% |
| H2E | Villeray Northeast | Villeray | QC | 64 | 71 | -7 | -9.9% |
| K1L | Ottawa (Vanier) | Ottawa | ON | 73 | 81 | -8 | -9.9% |
| K9V | Lindsay | Lindsay | ON | 91 | 101 | -10 | -9.9% |
| G7B | La Baie | La Baie | QC | 57 | 63 | -6 | -9.5% |
| N2A | Kitchener East | Kitchener | ON | 77 | 85 | -8 | -9.4% |
| J8M | Masson-Angers | Masson-Angers | QC | 62 | 68 | -6 | -8.8% |
| C0A | Charlottetown | Rural Area | PE | 120 | 131 | -11 | -8.4% |
| J0G | Bois-Francs-Nord (Odanak) | Rural Area | QC | 55 | 60 | -5 | -8.3% |
| J7P | Saint-Eustache Northeast | Saint-Eustache | QC | 96 | 104 | -8 | -7.7% |
| J9P | Val-d’Or | Val-d’Or | QC | 125 | 135 | -10 | -7.4% |
| G0V | Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean (Alouette) | Rural Area | QC | 53 | 57 | -4 | -7.0% |
| J0P | Vaudreuil-Soulanges (Coteau-du-Lac) | Rural Area | QC | 96 | 103 | -7 | -6.8% |
| J6S | Salaberry-de-Valleyfield North | Salaberry-de-Valleyfield | QC | 111 | 119 | -8 | -6.7% |
| N0P | Kent (Blenheim) | Rural Area | ON | 140 | 150 | -10 | -6.7% |
| T0G | North Central Alberta (Slave Lake) | Rural Area | AB | 116 | 124 | -8 | -6.5% |
Notes
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 July 2023, https://open.canada.ca/ , debtsgo.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 CPA-CA, CA
Questions or Comments? Email debtsgo.ca