Canada doesn't have an official poverty line, but the Low Income Cut Off (LICO) is used by Statistics Canada to identify those who are ``substantially worse off than average.'' A family at or below this point spends more than 55% of its income on food, shelter, and clothing. For a two parent family with one child in Hamilton in 1997, this would represent an annual income of $27, 063. For one adult, in 1997, the low income measure quoted in an August 1999 report is $12,914.