In an attempt to accurately measure low income and poverty, Statistics Canada has made an online survey available to gather input from citizens in provinces across Canada.

Debbie Posey, Community Wellness Manager for the Town of Okotoks, says the more participants that take the survey help immensely with determining qualification guidelines for social funding.

"I hope everyone will participate in this, it is a bit of a change in how we measure low income and poverty. I don't think there's any measure that is 100 per cent accurate," she said.

Posey says the Market Basket Measure targets what people are spending on basic needs to further income guidelines for benefits and funding.

"The Market Basket Measure tends to tell us a better picture in terms of what people are spending on a typical basket of goods, housing and food and things like that," she said.

The survey opened October 15th and will be available until January 31st, 2019 to gather as much input as possible to determine the validity of the Market Basket Measure, and affordability of basic needs across the country.

Participation in the survey will support Statistics Canada's ability to accurately measure low income and poverty levels.

More information and a link to the survey can be found at https://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/consultation/mbm

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