Gap widens between financially stable Canadians and those struggling with debt, says report

Inderjeet Singh and his family are in an unusual situation. The couple owns a home in Toronto, but after interest rates ballooned to five per cent, they put the house up for rent and moved to Montreal where they thought things would be more affordable. 

A year and a half later, they're still struggling under the weight of their monthly mortgage payments — and living in a more affordable city hasn't made things easier for their family.

"It's like people are stuck, and we are one of those who are stuck," said Singh during an interview with CBC News.

The number of Canadians in debt is on the rise across the country and, according to a new report, there's a growing gap between those who have benefited from declining interest rates, and those who have fallen behind from the higher costs. 

Credit reporting agency Equifax said on Tuesday that total consumer debt across the country hit $2.56 trillion in the final quarter of 2024, a 4.6 per cent increase compared to the same period a year earlier.

The increase was partly driven by a rise in car loans from non-bank lenders. But financially stressed homeowners in B.C. and Ontario are also missing payments at higher rates, the report said, continuing a pattern of higher debt in regions with pricier housing.

Ontario in general saw a higher rate of missed payments at the end of 2024, the report said, coming in 50 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels.

"At one end of the spectrum, we do have individuals who are weathering any kind of macroeconomic storm quite well. On the other end, you have a group who really are still struggling," said Rebecca Oakes, vice-president of analytics at Equifax Canada. 

"We still have a long way to go before we can start to see some sort of levelling or stabilization," she added. 

Fixed rate mortgage holders who locked in low rates during or before the pandemic are also facing the prospect of much higher rates when they renew. About a million mortgages due for renewal in 2025 could be affected by those changes, according to the report.

"Therefore, as you're coming up for renewal, there are going to be some payment increases likely to happen. And that's putting some additional stress," said Oakes.

WATCH | Thousands of Canadians falling behind on mortgages despite rate cuts: 

Thousands of Canadians falling behind on mortgages despite rate cuts

10 hours ago

Duration 2:00

Thousands of Canadians are missing mortgage payments — especially in Ontario and B.C. — as the affordability crisis stretches household budgets to the limit despite multiple interest-rate cuts.

Homeowners outside of Ont., B.C., faring better

Tuli Parubets, a mortgage broker in Toronto, said that higher delinquency rates in Ontario and B.C. go hand-in-hand with bigger mortgages — and these payments, combined with high credit limits and discretionary expenses, are now piling up for some consumers.

"Know what's coming your way," Parubets said, referring to mortgage holders who have renewals coming up this year and next. 

"Don't shock your system further by not knowing what your payment would be like. Reach out to your bank. If your mortgage renewal is next year and it's going to be four or five per cent, know what that payment looks like now," she said.

The Equifax report notes that some homeowners, mostly outside of Ontario and B.C., are faring better than they were a few years ago. Missed mortgage payments among this group "are much lower" than they were pre-pandemic, according to Oakes.

"They're not really increasing at too fast a rate," said Oakes. That includes homebuyers in provinces like Alberta and the Prairies, which had some of the country's lowest delinquency rate changes in late 2024 compared to a year earlier, and were far outpaced by Ontario.

Missed credit, auto payments on the rise

Meanwhile, missed payments on credit cards, credit lines and auto loans are on the rise among non-homeowners who are young, lower-income, or renting or living with family. 

The average non-mortgage debt per person reached nearly $22,000 last quarter, according to Equifax — and even as the Bank of Canada cuts rates, the threat of tariffs could pose yet another obstacle to Canadians struggling during an affordability crisis.

"We all know that there is a lot of macroeconomic uncertainty coming in 2025. There's the talk of tariffs and some of the impact that might have on business and investment and, potentially, employment," said Oakes. 

"Our concern is … you already have this widening gap. And is that going to get worse?"