Mixed results for Manitobans as federal grocery rebate still leaves some struggling with rising costs

Millions of Canadians woke up on Wednesday with a bit more money in their pockets thanks to the federal grocery rebate, but some Manitobans are saying they are still struggling and would like to see something more consistent from the government.

The one-time payment is meant to help offset rising food costs for low-income families. Those who qualify will see the money arrive on Wednesday or the next couple of days.

While the rebate is helping some catch up on bills for others food inflation is still too high and the money is just a drop in the bucket.

“There’s no decline of the prices, right? So, it’s certainly helpful,” said Arthur Yuen of Winnipeg. “I am very thankful for it, absolutely.”

Meanwhile, Winnipegger Cory Krivosheh said the one-time payment is not what Canadians need right now. “It’s garbage. It doesn’t do it. It gives you a one-time feeding and then it’s over, Yeah, they got to do something else.”

The rebate is targeted to those with lower and mid-incomes, and it’s calculated using people’s 2021 tax return and their family status in January of this year.

And Josh Brandon with the Social Planning Council said not everyone is getting what they are entitled to.

“The concern is that not all low-income families receive their tax credits that they’re eligible for, and we need to do much better in Canada making sure that there are tax filing clinics for low-income families,” he said.

Brandon said the money the government is offering does make a difference however it needs to be consistent to really make a huge difference in the lives of Canadians.

“It needs to be predictable for families and they can budget that in and ultimately, we need to see more competition in the grocery industry. We need to see higher incomes, better policies to ensure that families have the incomes they need to be able to afford groceries on a regular basis, not just once, once a year or once every once in a while when the government decides to provide a rebate like this.”

Additionally, Vince Barletta with Harvest Manitoba said half of the clients who use the food bank are newcomers who didn’t live in Canada in 2021 so they don’t qualify for help but they aren’t able to afford food today.

“There are still many individuals and families of low income who use food banks who will not be able to benefit from this program.”

Barletta said Harvest Manitoba supports over 360 food agencies all across the province and last month it served 47,000 Manitobans.

“Many Canadians are facing rising prices, not just for groceries, but for fuel and housing and all the other necessities of life,” he said. “The ongoing uncertainty that’s been created by the lingering impacts of the pandemic that are still with us, there’s a lot of challenges for many, many families, and we’re seeing a record number of people use food banks here in the province of Manitoba.”

— With files from Global’s Iris Dyck