Canadians from coast to coast to coast are continuing to face food insecurity as income fails to keep pace with food price increases and advocates say the country is “failing” to meet some people’s human right to food.
Data from Statistics Canada showed about one in four Canadians was living in a food-insecure household last year.
The numbers were released the same month data showed food prices had increased 3.5 per cent year-over-year.
“It’s horrible,” said Marissa Alexander, executive director of Food Secure Canada. “The main issue is that folks do not have enough income to support their lifestyle because we are not getting paid fair wages or appropriate wages, the cost of housing has gone up, the cost of groceries have gone up.”
Most provinces saw a range of 23 to 28 per cent of people living in food-insecure households, with only Quebec falling outside this range at 18 per cent. In the territories, the numbers ranged 15 to 16 per cent, except for Nunavut which sees 56 per cent of residents living in food insecure homes.
In some places like Peterborough, Ont., it’s meant an increase for food banks and other organizations.
“This time of year, we have to buckle down and really stretch our dollars because the donations do go down,” said Ashley Anderson, executive director of Kawartha Lakes Food Source.
“A lot of talk is, we’re hearing people with full-time jobs, they have kids and the gas prices, those are a few conversations we have heard in the waiting room.”
Get weekly health news
The food bank has seen more than 1,000 visits every month.
Lakelands Public Health, which includes Peterborough, recently released data showing 22.3 per cent of households were food insecure from 2022 to 2024. This data included families on minimum wage, people under Ontario Works assistance or a single person on the Ontario Disability Support Program.
The cost of rent and food alone can leave some people with little to no extra money for other basics. A family of four on minimum wage in a three-bedroom apartment using 71 per cent of their income could still be left with $1,432, but that same type of family on Ontario Works could end up with negative $666 after using about 120 per cent of their income.
The numbers are different though depending where you live. In Windsor, Ont., a family of four making minimum wage could walk away from paying rent and food with $2,644 remaining for everything else, but a family on Ontario Works could end up with $545, according to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.
Alexander said those numbers could make it appear the family on minimum wage is in a better spot financially, but everyone is struggling.
- Advocates warn Quebec deportations are separating families, urge federal intervention
- Murder trial begins for man accused in death of Lumby resident Tatjana Stefanski
- Quebec man not retiring after winning $12.5 million Lotto Max jackpot
- City of Vancouver unveils Human Rights Framework for FIFA World Cup
“There used to be some problematic beliefs that it was just certain people could be food insecure, and it was due to their own personal failings or challenges,” she said. “We’ve been very clearly advocating that that is not the case. It’s not an individual failing, it’s a systemic failing.”
When people fall into food insecurity, it’s not only about feeding yourself but staying healthy, said Lauren Kennedy, registered dietician with Lakelands Public Health.
“We know that as household food insecurity rates go up, as the severity of household food insecurity goes up, so do health-care expenses,” Kennedy said. “When folks are facing household insecurity, it’s hard to eat enough, let alone healthy food.”
This can make it even more difficult for people with chronic diseases to ensure they have healthy food that could help them manage their health issues, while children in food insecure households are more likely to develop depression or have hyperactivity and inattention issues.
Food banks continue to make an effort to help Canadians, but with a report by Food Banks Canada showing nearly 2.2 million visits in a single month in 2025, advocates say governments can do more.
“When it comes to household food insecurity, we want to try to fix it with providing emergency food,” said Kennedy. “At the same time, we need to be careful that we don’t forget that we need to address the root causes of household food insecurity. It’s an income problem that requires income solutions.”
A number of options could help tackle the issue, Alexander said, whether it’s more benefits like the recent Groceries and Essentials Benefit rolled out earlier this spring, ensuring the Canada Child Benefit puts money directly “into the hands of those that need it,” or changing policies such as having a basic income “of some form.”
“What we’re noting is we know that food is a human right, and right now in Canada, we are failing to meet that human right,” she said.
—with files from Global News’ Madeleine McColl
ASK CARNEY IF HE GIVES a F/ K ???
High food prices are fundamentally driven by expenses, and the largest expenses are overpaid food processing workers and grocery clerks. Each time minimum wage increases it drives the costs higher. Minimum wage needs to be frozen and cease future inflationary increases for the betterment of the country, instead of constantly pandering to the working class. The liberal government needs to start doing what was promised five years ago and begin serving the middle class who pay all the taxes in this country.
There is no way a family of 4 can live on minimum wage. Im single and cannot take care of myself on $16.85/hr. Rent is 2000, insurance, utilities, maybe internet those are basics…. not happening. Do the calculation!
I don’t believe farmers across Canada do not produce enough food to feed all Canadians at reasonable prices.
The problem is opening our door to sell for profit, ending up with huge contracts overseas & USA (colateral). Then applying a loss to our own Nation ( deficits) then raising the cost of living 1% more every time our neighbour(USA) votes in stupid greedy con artists talkers like Trump.
That’s piss poor banking
If you can’t afford it you can always seek out MAID. The Liberals make it easy if you can’t hack it in this left wing Utopia. I love my government.
Canada is a complete sh* t hole. High cost of living, some of the highest taxes on the planet, high housing costs, no culture, no identity, 1/3 of the population is interested in leaving, boring, poor healthcare with ER’s always closing. What a total f *ucking 3rd world country.
I blame the corporations benefitting from this sabotage, their lobbying and political donations are quietly and continually altering consensus…and they control the media, falsify reporting, and manipulation the conversation to have us believe it’s just business as usual…..this is not ethical, acceptable or successful, except for widening the disparity between the people and the problem
Thanks to the LPC and the idiots who think they’re doing a good job.
How about go get a part time job like I did in the 70’s – it’s to pay the rent and feed the family
Hand.to mouth Ontario and Quebec folks decided to vote Liberal again. How is Elbows Up now?
elbows up, keep voting these dirtbag liberals in and this is what you get, higher costs for everything
Those who voted against a US president instead of voting for a Canadian politician are the ones who are to blame for giving the Liberals yet another chance to destroy Canada. Their TDS is so strong that it can be considered a mental illness, which has blinded them to the damage done by Trudeau with Carney as his financial advisor and they have been easily taken in by Carney as a result. WAKE UP to reality before it is too late.
Carney said Canadians had never had it so good !!! Huge historic increases in Canadians having to access food banks, food prices skyrocketing, rents out of control, homelessness has never been so rampant, people losing hope and becoming desperate. ALL of this is as a result of 11 years of failed Liberal policies, huge deficit spending, doubling of our national debt, servicing the national debt to the tune of $59 BILLION this year alone. Carney and the Liberals are doing a good job of destroying Canada and Canadian society.
Welcome to the land of excessive taxation and no representation
Well….as long as people’s equalities(pronouns, genders, etc) are first and foremost, nothing else should matter
Keeping voting Liberal if you don’t want anything to change.
Trudeau and Champagne promised lower grocery prices in 2023. Never realized
From Socks to Elbows, this country is an absolute disaster
Carney said to judge him by our grocery prices in a year.
Well Elbow Boy,you have failed miserably.
But it’s no surprise considering you are the Leader of the dysfunctional Liberal Party
Thanks liberal voter.
Grocers run on razor thin margins, less than 5%. Carney and his cronies need to held accountable.
@ Andy. How much did Canadas population grow last years. More food for new people
Elbows Up Canadians prefer to blame Trump instead of the Liberal Govt since 2015.
And the progressive liberal government is doing…… what?
I hear a lot of money going to other countries, like didn’t Ukraine get 25 billion ish in total from Canada? And we are sending them more.
Think about that
When Loblaws are posting Revenue earnings of 14 Billion, up 4%, its a hard pill to jamb down our throats and say ‘Income’ is the issue. Maybe examining the Food and Utility sectors profits before falling back on the good old, “its wages’ excuse. ( Enbridge gas are up nearly 8% over Q1 last year )
Good old shareholder greed is the real issue.
For all the Carney L i b t a r d s out there is this what you voted for ??? Over two million Canadians using food banks seriously do you think Carney and his family are hurting like the rest of us ? Who in their right mind would vote for a person that wouldn’t disclose his personal wealth and hides it in blind trusts. “ELBOWS UP “