http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/050105/d050105b.htm

Summary

Housing conditions improved considerably in Canada's 27 largest urban areas
during the late 1990s after deteriorating earlier in the decade. But
despite this improvement, one out of every six households in metropolitan
areas lived below one or more housing standards in 2001, and was considered
to be in "core housing need."

The report Evolving Housing Conditions in Canada's Census Metropolitan
Areas, 1991 to 2001, assessed how well Canadians were housed using three
standards: whether the dwelling needed major repairs; whether it had enough
bedrooms for the size and composition of household members; and whether it
cost the household 30% or more of its total before-tax income.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation defined households in "core housing
need" as, first, those whose housing did not meet at least one of the three
standards, and, secondly, those who could not pay the median rent for
alternative housing in the urban centre without spending 30% or more of its
total before-tax income.

Between 1991 and 2001, the proportion of households in metropolitan areas
that met these criteria edged up from 14.3% to 16.6%. The main hurdle for
these households, especially renters, was affordability.

More than three-quarters of households in core housing need were in need in
2001 for one reason only — their housing did not meet the affordability
standard.

In contrast, less than 10% of households in need were in need only because
their dwellings required major repairs or were too crowded.

The rate of home-ownership increased throughout the 1990s in almost all
metropolitan areas. A variety of factors, including accelerating income
growth and low and declining mortgage rates, prompted stronger gains in
home-ownership between 1996 and 2001 than earlier in the decade.