Algoma Public Health is calling on the province to help community members who can't afford to eat healthy food.
In a resolution passed by the board of health last night, APH asked the province to recognize household food insecurity as a primarily income-based issue and to set targets – such as “progressive economic policies” to increase household income – to address the issue.
“Evidence shows that income-based policies and programs like adequate social assistance rates . . . basic income, are effective solutions to this issue, and others as well,” said Dr. Jennifer Loo, the medical officer of health.
Last night’s motion highlighted that 17.6 per cent of Algoma households experienced food insecurity between 2021 and 2023, and that close to one quarter of Ontario residents – including one in three children – experienced food insecurity in 2023.
The board said Ontario Works rates have not increased since 2018, noting over half of households that received social assistance in 2022 were food insecure.
“When you have someone who is on an Ontario Works . . . or other social assistance, after accounting for their basic expenses and a nutritious food basket, there's very little left over,” Loo said.
Food insecurity is an issue that local service providers similarly view as primarily driven by income.
At St. Vincent Place, close to half of the food bank’s clients receive social assistance, said marketing manager Sara McCleary.
“Social service rates are not keeping up with inflation,” she told SooToday.
“Almost 50 per cent of our clients are on ODSP, so obviously that's an indicator that something needs to be fixed.”
So far this month, the food bank has seen 427 clients – the most in over a year – and while a number of factors can contribute to food insecurity, McCleary said the primary driver she has seen locally is income.
“We hear, a lot of (how) rent is just so expensive. By the time they're done paying their rent and their other bills, there's not enough left,” she said.
David Thompson, the director at Harvest Algoma, agrees.
“(Ontario Works) in the Sault is still $20,000 below the poverty line, even after the support of what charities really can provide,” he told SooToday.
Part of Harvest Algoma’s work is its food rescue efforts, which saw the organization collect roughly 140,000 pounds of food for local non-profits so far this year.
“That's 50 per cent more than the same point of last year, and yet every partner agency that I'm speaking to on the ground says demand is still rising, so you haven't even met demand yet,” Thompson said.
He agrees that the government should step up to tackle this issue, given people have had to rely on food banks in Canada for decades.
“We've been here since the ‘80s, and that's when I was born. You're talking about 40 years of this ongoing challenge,” he said.
“This was never meant to be an ongoing solution.”