Debt Relief Experts
Ontarians continue to carry record levels of personal debt and for many residents, a consumer proposal or a personal bankruptcy becomes the only way out of financial trouble.
We update this page for monthly data trends as they are released by the Office of the Superintendent of Ontario.
JUST RELEASED: Joe Debtor Annual Bankruptcy Study
Monthly Trends 2020 Consumer Insolvency Filings
These statistics are updated monthly based on data released by The Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy. The OSB data is released at the end of the month and is generally two months in arrears.
Consumer insolvencies continue to rise as we enter 2020. Total Ontario insolvencies rose 17.5% in January compared to the same month last year, while Canadian consumer insolvencies increased 10.6%.
In Ontario, double-digit growth began in January of last year, so what are seeing is continued growth on a larger base. There were 3,660 consumer insolvencies in January, the highest raw number for January since 2010. Consumer proposals rose 23.0% year-over-year while personal bankruptcies increased 5.9%.
Canadian consumer insolvencies increased 10.6% with proposals up 21.0% and bankruptcies down 4.8%.
January is the start of the busiest consumer insolvency cycle, which tends to run from January through March or April. To understand how annual and economic cycles affect consumer insolvencies, see our article on the seasonality of consumer insolvencies.
Consumer proposals accounted for 71% of consumer insolvencies in Ontario, up from 67.8% in January 2018.
Sustained household earnings in a low unemployment environment, combined with high levels of consumer debt, make consumer proposals the debt relief of choice for insolvent debtors. High income that results in additional surplus income payments in a bankruptcy, and home equity, are the two primary reasons why heavily indebted consumers are increasingly choosing a proposal over bankruptcy.
Our 2019 year-end review provides some perspective on why insolvencies are increasing so rapidly.
The majority of consumer insolvencies in Ontario continue to be filed by non-homeowners as seen by the relatively flat trend in our Homeowners Bankruptcy Index. Non-homeowners with high consumer debt are increasingly unable to sustain their monthly debt payments yet do not have the equity capacity of homeowners to refinance.
Ontarians are burdened by too much personal debt, and their individual ability to manage that debt is now being impacted by rising interest rates, changing home equity and individual factors that affect their ability to maintain their interest payments and access further credit.
A prolonged period of low-interest rates and rising home equity have combined to help most Ontarians keep ahead of their debt payments. This has led to a prolonged decline in consumer insolvencies in the province to date.
Higher overall debt levels, however, remain a concern, and a change for the worse in any of these economic conditions will lead to increased loan default and, ultimately, higher insolvency rates.
Low-interest rates and strong employment have helped restrain consumer insolvencies in Ontario over the past year. As housing prices have increased, the attractiveness of debt consolidation over insolvency as a debt restructuring mechanism has helped temper the growth in Ontario consumer insolvencies despite record debt levels. However, even a small negative change in economic conditions could trigger a shift towards a stronger growth trend for consumer insolvencies in Ontario as we saw happen in several western provinces in Canada in 2016.
Consumer Insolvency Statistics Ontario 2019
Total insolvencies filed by Ontario consumers rose 15.4% in 2019 according to data released by the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy.
In total, 44,852 hardworking individuals filed insolvency in Ontario in 2019.
Personal bankruptcies fell 0.6% while consumer proposals increased by 25.1%.
In 2019, 67% of consumer insolvencies filed in Ontario were consumer proposals. Heavily indebted consumers with high income and high asset values turn to a consumer proposal as a way to avoid high surplus income payments in a bankruptcy and keep their home. In 2019, homeowners were not a significant driver of consumer proposals. Instead, indebted homeowners have relied on their home equity to refinance their credit card and other debt through a second mortgage, HELOC or debt consolidation loan.
The increase in proposals in 2019 is more a reflection of strong employment conditions in Ontario. Insolvent debtors with a household income above the government-mandated thresholds limits are more likely to choose a consumer proposal as an alternative to bankruptcy in order to spread potential surplus income payments over a period of up to five years.
Below is a summary of insolvencies by geographic region as summarized by Hoyes Michalos based on insolvency statistics by FSA provided by the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy (OSB). Regional FSA allocations may differ slightly from annual economic region data provided by the OSB as the regional data summarized by Hoyes Michalos provides additional location details than is available by economic region.
You can learn more about how much debt it takes to file bankruptcy on our interactive graphic: Regional Consumer Debt & Bankruptcy which shows total insolvencies, average consumer debt levels, and debt-to-income by region.
REGION* |
Consumer Insolvencies | Total Growth | Growth Bankruptcy | Growth Proposal | % Proposals |
| Canada | 137,178 | 9.5% | -1% | 17.9% | 60% |
| Ontario | 44,852 | 15.4% | -0.6% | 25.1% | 67% |
REGION* |
|||||
| Barrie Region | 2,013 | 18% | 1% | 28% | 68% |
| Belleville Region | 883 | 15% | 9% | 17% | 68% |
| Brampton | 2,168 | 22% | 2% | 31% | 76% |
| Brantford Region | 756 | 15% | 3% | 21% | 69% |
| Brockville Region | 510 | -7% | -11% | -3% | 50% |
| Cambridge | 562 | 21% | 14% | 25% | 68% |
| Chatham Region | 452 | 9% | -4% | 19% | 60% |
| City of Toronto | 2,604 | 17% | -3% | 28% | 71% |
| Cornwall Region | 563 | 17% | 19% | 15% | 53% |
| Essex-Leamington Region | 282 | 21% | -11% | 54% | 62% |
| Etobicoke | 1,256 | 17% | 5% | 23% | 68% |
| Guelph | 440 | 13% | -11% | 37% | 60% |
| Hamilton Region | 1,923 | 18% | -4% | 32% | 68% |
| Huron Region | 427 | 6% | 4% | 9% | 49% |
| Kingston Region | 643 | 17% | -6% | 38% | 62% |
| KW-Wellington Region | 1,314 | 5% | 1% | 8% | 65% |
| London Region | 2,286 | 8% | -7% | 18% | 66% |
| Markham | 709 | 20% | 15% | 21% | 77% |
| Mississauga | 2,090 | 15% | 3% | 20% | 72% |
| Newmarket & Area | 861 | 27% | 13% | 35% | 68% |
| Niagara Region | 1,465 | 11% | 4% | 17% | 62% |
| North Bay Region | 596 | 11% | -6% | 21% | 66% |
| North York | 3,011 | 20% | 4% | 27% | 75% |
| Burlington-Oakville Region | 1,240 | 26% | 13% | 32% | 71% |
| Orangeville & Area | 353 | 15% | -3% | 25% | 72% |
| Oshawa-Bowmanville Region | 1,702 | 38% | 18% | 48% | 71% |
| Ottawa Region | 3,398 | 8% | -10% | 24% | 63% |
| Parry Sound-Huntsville Region | 420 | 6% | 0% | 8% | 69% |
| Pembroke Region | 348 | 4% | -19% | 28% | 58% |
| Peterborough Region | 770 | 8% | -15% | 22% | 70% |
| Pickering | 713 | 32% | 21% | 36% | 75% |
| Richmond Hill | 507 | 30% | -7% | 51% | 73% |
| Sarnia Region | 382 | 5% | -12% | 23% | 57% |
| Sault Ste. Marie Region | 459 | 11% | 1% | 30% | 39% |
| Scarborough | 2,299 | 21% | 6% | 27% | 74% |
| Stratford Region | 158 | -1% | -21% | 14% | 66% |
| Sudbury Region | 1,231 | 11% | -4% | 22% | 63% |
| Thunder Bay Region | 572 | 5% | -1% | 15% | 44% |
| Timmins Region | 610 | 19% | -4% | 33% | 68% |
| Vaughan | 421 | 18% | 23% | 7% | 71% |
| Windsor Region | 1,072 | 9% | -10% | 26% | 63% |
| Woodstock Region | 360 | 19% | 12% | 23% | 64% |
| *Region includes surrounding rural areas | |||||
Who files insolvency in Ontario?
The average insolvent debtor looks much like the average person in Ontario. They are working and struggling to make ends meet. To read more about what the average bankrupt looks like, see our bankruptcy research study: Joe Debtor.
Press Inquiries
For commentary and information about consumer insolvencies and debt issues in Ontario, contact:
J. Douglas Hoyes
CA, CPA, Licensed Insolvency Trustee
Email Doug
Ted Michalos
CA, CPA, Licensed Insolvency Trustee
Email Ted
