Newfoundland and Labrador
Market Basket Measure (NLMBM)
December 2009

Thanks to an anonymous newsletter subscriber for pointing out that Newfoundland and Labrador's new customized Market Basket Measure doesn't appear on the Antipoverty Links page of this website. In my haste to share the link to the (PDF - 4MB, 76 pages, December 2009) last week, I skimmed past the section on the NLMBM in that report. According to my subscriber's email, "... NL has developed their own variation on the market basket measure, the NLMBM, which uses tax data rather than surveys, and therefore purports to capture the entire population. They've also developed a NLMBM of Housing Affordability. Part of what's interesting is that they've got gender analysis embedded in the NLMBM data that's being developed - not a claim that can be made about any of the other poverty measures."
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I can't find any technical information on the NLMBM online at this point in time (Dec. 22/09),
but I've pulled together a few tidbits of information from NL reports that might pique your curiosity if you're interested in poverty measurement.

The Newfoundland and Labrador
Market Basket Measure (NLMBM):

In the 2006 Action Plan:
[ (PDF file - 1.6MB, 60 pages), 2006]
...a commitment was made to improve capacity to measure and track progress in poverty reduction.
[Excerpts] A major innovation has been the development of the Newfoundland and Labrador Market Basket Measure (NLMBM). This new measure uses a similar approach to the federal government's Market Basket Measure (MBM). Like the MBM, it compares the incomes of families to the cost of a basket of goods and services necessary to live a productive and socially inclusive life. Unlike the MBM and all other available measures of low-income that use surveys to estimate low-income levels, the NLMBM uses tax-filer data and other sources to provide more accurate income and expense information for all tax-filers. This allows for the reporting of low-income levels in communities and neighbourhoods, as well as results for other subgroups such as different age groups or family types. This is important because it allows for the tracking of progress for different parts of the province as well as for different vulnerable groups so that it can be ensured that PRS is working for all. The NLMBM is available on Community Accounts [ ]

The NLMBM is developed and maintained by the .
In future years, NLMBM depth, persistence and other indicators of low income will be reported as they become available.

NOTE: For more info on the NLMBM, see Appendix II of the (PDF - 4MB, 76 pages, December 2009) or
request information from

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MAY ) UPDATE:

The N&L Market Basket Measure was released in January 2010 into the Community Accounts [ ] data. On the Community Accounts page, the NL MBM shows as the “Incidence of Low Income” under the “Income, Consumption & Leisure” accounts. For most geographies it can be broken down by family type. Currently available for 2005.

Newfoundland and Labrador Market Basket Measure Maps are presented by Rural Secretariat Region. These maps show incidence of low income for communities by Rural Secretariat Region. They also display a Remoteness Index which is a spacial measurement of access to essential government and community services.

Related link:

The Poverty Reduction Strategy is a Government-wide approach to transform Newfoundland and Labrador from a province with the most poverty to one with the least over a ten year period. The strategy includes initiatives and programs which target the groups most vulnerable to poverty.
- includes * Poverty Reduction Initiatives * Guiding Principles * Documents and News Releases * Partner Departments and Agencies
Source:

March 29, 2010
- main budget page, incl. the following budget papers:

"(...)Investments in Poverty Reduction:
* Total investment of $134 million this year, a total of $482.7 million since 2006.
* $2.5 million to increase the income thresholds under the Newfoundland and Labrador Prescription Drug Program Access Plan, a total investment of $139.6 million.
* $310,000 to enhance the Family Justice Services Division.
* $519,000 for the continuation of the Family Violence Intervention Court.
* $2.4 million in funding for the Supportive Living Community Partnership Initiative, doubling the amount of $1.2 million provided last year.
* $125,000 to provide community-based supports for Inuit women in Labrador to receive guidance on how to make the most of the Poverty Reduction Strategy, the Aboriginal Training Initiative, Victim Services and emerging economic activities.
* $100,000 in sustaining funding for the Newfoundland Aboriginal Women’s Network.
* Investment of $6.8 million this year in the federal-provincial Affordable Housing Program to build an additional 230 rental housing units for seniors, persons with disabilities and persons requiring supportive services.
* $17.6 million and leveraging additional federal funds to modernize more than 2,300 housing units.
* An additional $1.4 million to raise the Housing Corporation’s annual maintenance budget to $10.2 million.
* Providing $1.2 million to raise the heating allowance for the Housing Corporation’s low-income tenants.
* $70,000 in additional funding for transitional employment support services for victims of violence and $44,000 in additional funding for Women’s Centres.
* $200,000 for the continuation of the Home Heating Oil Tank Storage Replacement Assistance Program."

- click this link to access the following releases:
* Budget 2010: The Right Investments – For Our Children and Our Future
* Strengthening the Economy for a Prosperous Future: $1 Billion Slated for Infrastructure Spending in Budget 2010
* A Secure Future through Education: Budget 2010 Invests in Our Children and Youth
* Business Expansion and Positive Dividends for Future Generations Targeted in Budget 2010
* Budget 2010: The Right Investments to Strengthen Provincial Healthcare
* For Children, Youth and Families – Budget 2010 Positions New Department for Change and Revitalization
* Building a Solid Foundation: Budget 2010 Continues Substantial Investments in Education Infrastructure
* Managing Our Natural Resources – For Our Children and Our Future
* Seniors, Small Business and Others to Benefit from Tax Relief Measures
* Long-Term Care and Community Supports Strengthened Through Budget 2010
* Making the Right Investments to Support Self-Reliance
* Securing Labrador’s Future through the Northern Strategic Plan

Source:

Related links:

March 29, 2010
Newfoundland and Labrador will run a deficit in the coming fiscal year, even though it will also cut taxes for many wage earners, the finance minister said Monday. Tom Marshall unveiled a budget that increases spending in many government programs, including an ambitious infrastructure program designed to shore up the province's economy against the ravages of the international recession. The broad-ranging budget includes record spending on health care and a new focus on child welfare. On the business side, it boasts tax cuts that the government says are necessary to lure new professionals and stay competitive with the other Atlantic provinces.
Source:

May 2009
(PDF - 652K, 49 pages)
By Fran Locke with Penelope Rowe, Community Services Council Newfoundland and Labrador

Source:

Social Development Report Series, 2009

Source:

NOTE: To avoid duplication as much as possible, I've moved poverty reduction links
for Newfoundland and Labrador to the Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page of this site:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm

2007 provincial election:

- from the
- incl. links to the following articles:
* Former minister calls Liberal collapse 'catastrophic'
* Efford keeping keen eye on Liberal leadership
* Williams leads Tory landslide in N.L.
* Heartbreak for Liberals as Grit vote collapses
* Humber West voters love Williams
* Liberal Leader Reid loses home district by 7 votes
* NDP Leader Michael alone again
* Tories defy energy critics in Labrador
* Metro St. John's still blue