hunger count 2009
TRANSCRIPT
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HUNGERCOUNT2009A comprehensive report on hunger and ood bank use in Canada,
and recommendations or change
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2 FOOD BANKS CANADA
Executive Summar ..................................................2
Resuts Food bank use during
the recession ..........................................................4
Food bank use is rising across the country .................. 4
Box: Use o meal programs is surging ............. ............. . 6
Who is turning to ood banks? ............ .............. ............. . 7
Primary sources o income o those
needing ood assistance ............ ............. .............. ............. . 8
Where do ood bank clients call home? ............. .......... 8
Food bank patterns in rural Canada ............ .............. ..... 9
Food banks are struggling too........................................10
Discussion and Poic
How do we turn the tide? .................................11
The acts about low income in Canada............... ........ 11
Box: Government leaders speak out........... .............. ... 12
Hunger in Canada looking beyond the recession 13
Lets build on recent progress ............ ............. .............. . 14
A ull-society approach to reducing
hunger in Canada ...............................................................14
Recommendations or individuals ............ .............. . 14
Recommendations or business ............. ............. ...... 15
Recommendations or provincial governments .. 15
Recommendations or the ederal government .16
Reports Provincia perspectives
on hunger .............................................................17
Map: Food bank use in Canada by the numbers .....18
British Columbia .................................................................20
Alberta ....................................................................................22
Saskatchewan .......................................................................24
Manitoba ...............................................................................26
Ontario ...................................................................................28
Quebec ...................................................................................30
New Brunswick....................................................................31
Nova Scotia ...........................................................................32
Prince Edward Island .........................................................34
Newoundland & Labrador ............................................35
Concusion Reducing hunger in Canada ...36
Reerences ........................................................... 37
Methodoog ...................................................... 39
Acknowedgements ......................................... 40
About Food Banks Canada
Food Banks Canada is the national charitable organization representing and supporting the
ood bank community across Canada. Our members and their respective agencies serve
approximately 85% o people accessing emergency ood programs nationwide. Our mission is
to meet the short-term need or ood, and to nd long-term solutions to hunger. Please visit
www.oodbankscanada.ca or more inormation.
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How man peope inCanada go hungreach month?
HUNGERCOUNT 2009 1
794,738 Canadians
walked into a ood bank looking or help during the month o March 2009 an increase o 18%
over March 2008. This is too many by any measure. Too many Canadians are struggling, and this
is unacceptable in a wealthy country such as ours. It is time to take action to create a new reality.
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2 FOOD BANKS CANADA
The need or ood banks has grown across the country.
Alberta (61% increase), Nova Scotia (20% increase)
and Ontario (19% increase) have been hit the hardest,
and no region has gone unscathed. Even Saskatchewan
and Manitoba, two provinces that escaped the worst
eects o the recession, saw increases in ood bank use
o 6% and 18%, respectively.
Because o the recession, many Canadians stepped
through the ront door o a ood bank this year or therst time. In the month o March alone, it was a new
and unwelcome experience or 9.1% o those helped
more than 72,000 people across the country.
Through a period o upheaval, one thing has not
changed inside Canadas ood banks: the need or
ood assistance exists across the social spectrum.
Thirty-seven percent o those helped are children, and
hal o assisted households are amilies with children.
Though the majority o households turning to ood
banks count pensions, disability-related income
supports, and social assistance as their primary source
o income, one-th are in the labour orce and still
unable to make ends meet.
A changing economic reait
The recession has brought wider attention to a
number o underlying problems in the Canadian
economy. Those who have been knocked out o
work in the past year are acing a job market that
has changed drastically over the last decade and
a hal. Well-paying jobs in the manuacturing and
orestry sectors are becoming more scarce, replaced
by those in other sectors particularly retail and
accommodation/ood services that pay signicantly
less and oer ew extra-wage benets such as dental,
prescription drug, and pension coverage.
For Canadas unemployed, and or those unableto work, the situation is no better. A large percentage
o those assisted by ood banks are orced to ask or
help because their pension, disability-related income
supports, or social assistance benets provide too
little to aord even the bare essentials.
In the past three decades, the majority o
Canadians have seen their incomes stagnate or
decline,1 and we can expect more o the same in
the coming years. Based on knowledge gained rom
recessions in 1981-82 and 1990-91, it is likely that
the current period o job losses is not over.2 For
the hundreds o thousands o Canadians who have
already lost their jobs, there will be a dicult struggle
to climb ba ck to pre-recession income levels.3
Canadian ederal and provincial governments
have done a great deal to counter the eects o the
recession. As they turn their ocus to the years ahead,
and to what it will take to get industries back to
ExecutiveSummar
In the month o March 2009, 794,738 peope were assisted b a ood bank in
Canada. This is an 18% increase compared to the same period in 2008 the
argest ear-over-ear increase on record.
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HUNGERCOUNT 2009 3
health and Canadians back to work, it is crucial that
the realities o those most vulnerable to hunger and
low income are incorporated into larger economic
plans. We must take this opportunity to address the
act that too many Canadians have aced hunger or
too long.
We can reduce hunger in Canada
We all individuals, the non-prot sector, business,
governments at all levels have a role to play in reducing
hunger and enabling economic inclusion in Canada.
The Discussion and Policy section o this report lays out
a number o ways that dierent sectors o society can
become involved. In the larger picture, governments
have the ultimate responsibility to ensure that all
Canadians are able to take advantage o the nations
economic wealth and potential. With specic reerence
to the ederal government, Food Banks Canada
recommends the ollowing:
1 Maintain planned levels o ederal transers,including the Canadia n Social Transer, toprovincial, territorial, and First Nations
governments.
2 Implement a ederal poverty prevention andreduction strategy, with measureable targetsand timelines.
3 Ensure that post-recession economicdevelopment takes account o the needs o low-income Canadians. Only by accounting or those most
vulnerable to hunger and poverty rom the beginning
can we arrive at an improved, inclusive social and
economic reality.
4 Continue to work to make the EmploymentInsurance system more air and inclusive,through changes to qualiying hours, benet levels,and benet length.
5 Increase the Canada Child Tax Benet to amaximum o $5,000 per child, per year (uprom about $3,300), to help ensure that parents are
adequately supported in raising their children.
6
Invest in a system o good-quality, aordable,
accessible child care an absolute necessity or
the economic health o amilies, and or healthy child
development.
7 Continue to increase uptake o the GuaranteedIncome Supplement (GIS) among low-incomeseniors. There remains a small but signicant number
o seniors who ace hunger and poverty. Attention to
GIS uptake would go a long way towards addressing
this issue.
8 Increase Guaranteed Income Supplementbenet levels. Though Old Age Security (OAS)and the GIS bring the majority o low-income seniors
above the ater-tax low income cut-o, the maximum
annual benet o about $14,000 is still quite meagre.
9
Invest in the improvement o housing in
rural areas by (a) increasing ederal unding orhousing repair and improvement in rural areas, and
(b) initiating a review o rural housing programs to
ensure they are eectively meeting objectives.
10 Continue to invest in aordable housing inCanadas urban areas.For too long, supports to vulnerable Canadians have
been interpreted by Canadian governments as simple
expenditures, and the dominant concern has been,
How much will it cost? A more accurate, healthy,
and hopeul interpretation is to understand these
supports as investments with long-term returns. The
ndings oHungerCount 2009 provide a compelling
answer to a slightly dierent question: How much is
the status quo costing us?
794,738peope turned to ood banks in March 2009
37%o those assisted are chidren
18%increase rom 2008 to 2009
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4 FOOD BANKS CANADA
This years HungerCount survey conrms what we all suspected: ood bank
use across the country has escalated as a result o the economic downturn.
More than 790,000 people walked into a ood bank in March 2009, 72,000 o
them or the rst time. Not surprisingly, ood banks themselves, running on
shoestring budgets and staed largely by dedicated volunteers, are struggling to
meet the demand. This years HungerCount portrays a country in need o change.
200
400
600
800
1000
97 98 9 9 0 0 01 02 0 3 0 4 0 5 06 07 08
FIGURE 1: Number of people assisted by food banksin Canada: 1989-2009 (March of each year, in thousands)
0989
In March 2009, 794,738 separate individuals were
assisted by a ood bank or aliated ood program in
Canada. This is an increase o 18% compared to the
same period in 2008, and is the largest year-over-year
increase on record.
In 2009, ood bank use has nearly reached the
record levels experienced in 2004, and is 10% higher
than 10 years ago. Figure 1 provides inormation on
the number o individuals assisted by ood banks
and aliated ood programs4 or each year national
HungerCount data is available. This years ndings
reveal an abrupt reversal o the gradual downward
trend we had been observing since 2004.
SECTION 1: RESUlTS
Food bank
use duringthe recession
Food bank use is rising across the countr
18% increase in ood bank usein 2009
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HUNGERCOUNT 2009 5
Compared to the same period in 2008, three quarters
o Canadian ood banks experienced an increase in
the number o people they assisted in March o this
year. When the gures are considered by region,
nine provinces saw increases, and seven o those
experienced double-digit rises. Worst hit were Alberta(+61%), Nova Scotia (+20%), Ontario (+19%),
Manitoba (+18%), British Columbia (+15%), and
New Brunswick (+14%).
The bulk o the national increase was concentrated
in the three provinces most weakened by the
recession. Ontario ood banks helped an additional
56,250 individuals compared to last year, Alberta
helped an extra 20,396, and British Columbia helped11,785 more. Taken together, ood banks in these
three provinces were challenged by an 18% increase
in the number o clients receiving ood.
Figure 2 shows trends in individuals assisted, by
province, or March 1999, 2007, 2008, and 2009.
provinces saw doube-digit increases
in ood bank use
When considered as a share o the nationa l total,
ood banks in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia
accounted or 76% o ood bank use in Canada this
year down slightly rom 78% in 2008. Food bank
use in Alberta and Manitoba increased as a share o
the national total, with a notable jump in Alberta
rom 4.8% o the total in 2008 to 6.8% in 2009.
Measured as a percentage o the national
population, the number o individuals assisted by ood
banks increased to 2.4%, up rom 2.1% in 2008. Nine
o ten provinces saw an increase in use as a percentage
o their respective provincial populations. As in past
years, Newoundland & Labrador (5.9% o provincial
population), Manitoba (4%), and Ontario (2.9%)
assisted the highest proportion o provincial residents.5
Considered nationally, ood bank use a s a
percentage o the population is currently at the
same level aced a decade ago, in 1999. However, the
national view hides signicant disparities amongst
the provinces, as shown in Figure 3. Current levels
in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and
Ontario are signicantly higher than in 1999, whereas
ood banks in Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia,
and Newoundland & Labrador are now assisting a
smaller proportion o provincial populations.
100
300
200
400
BC AB SK MB ON QC N B NS NLPE
FIGURE 2: Food bank use in the provinces:1999, 2007-2009(March of each year, in thousands)
1999
2007
2008
2009
2
6
4
8
BC AB SK MB ON QC NB NS NLPE
FIGURE 3: Food bank use as a percentage ofpopulation, by province: 1999, 2007-2009 (percent)
1999
2007
2008
2009
7
2.4% o Canadians were hepedb ood banks in March
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6 FOOD BANKS CANADA
Province/Territory Total Assisted,
March 2009
Total Assisted,
March 2008
Change,
2008-2009
Percent Change,
2008-2009
Percent Children,
March 2009
British Columbia 89,886 78,101 11,785 15.1% 31.4%
Alberta 53,976 33,580 20,396 60.7% 43.2%
Saskatchewan 18,875 17,751 1,124 6.3% 44.4%
Manitoba 47,925 40,464 7,461 18.4% 48.7%
Ontario 374,230 314,258 59,972 19.1% 37.6%
Quebec 137,464 127,536 9,928 7.8% 33.9%
New Brunswick 17,889 15,638 2,251 14.4% 33.8%
Nova Scotia 20,344 16,915 3,429 20.3% 34.1%
Prince Edward Island 2,706 2,892 -186 -6.4% 35.8%
Newoundland & Labrador 30,014 27,260 2,754 10.1% 37.4%
Territories 1,429 1,340 89 6.6% 36.5%
Canada 794,738 675,7356 119,003 17.6% 37.2%
In March 2009, 9.1% o those turning to ood
banks or help were doing so or the rst time. This
amounts to 72,231 new clients in that month alone.
There was little variance in this gure across the
provinces, with the exception o Alberta, where new
clients accounted or 16% o the total.As in past years, children made up a signicant
percentage (37.2%) o those assisted by ood banks.
Children were particularly highly represented in
Manitoba (49%), Saskatchewan (44%), and Alberta
(43%). Overall, 293,677 children were assisted by a
ood bank in March o this year.
Tabe 1 presents the total number o individuals
assisted by ood banks in each province or 2008 and
2009, as well as the percentage o those assisted who
are children and youth under 18 years o age.
TABlE 1: Food bank use in Canada, b province
In addition to providing grocery hampers to their clients, many ood banks oer meals to those in need through soup kitchens,
school breakast and lunch programs, shelters, drop-in centres, and other venues. In March 2009, ood banks and aliated
agencies served a total o 3,252,134 meals across the country a slight increase o 5% over 2008, and an increase o 39% over
the same period in 2007.
Use o mea programs is surging
293,677chidren were assisted b ood banks
in March 2009
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HUNGERCOUNT 2009 7
In terms o household composition, ood bank use did
not change signicantly rom 2008 to 2009. Nearly
hal o assisted households were amilies with
children, split about evenly between two-parentand single-parent amilies. The proportion o single
people turning to ood banks or help edged up
slightly compared to 2008, rom 38.5% to 39.2% othe total. Figure 4 shows the household composition
o those assisted by ood banks nationally.7
Who is turning to ood banks?
FIGURE 4: Household composition of food bankclients: March 2009 (percent)
Single Person39.2%
Single Parent25%
Couple,No Children12%
Two Parents23.8%
In 2007, Food Banks Canada began asking ood banks
to report on two service groups or whom there exists
little ood bank-related inormation: new immigrants
and Aboriginal people.
Findings rom 2008 and 2009 show that new
immigrants make up a signicant percentage o
individuals assisted by ood banks, accounting or
more than 10% o those helped in each o the pa st
two years. In 2009, new immigrants accounted or
10.5% o those assisted, with the majority centred in
Canadas larger cities.8
Aboriginal people constitute a slightly larger
proportion o ood bank clients, making up more
than 11% o those assisted in 2008 and 2009. For the
most recent year, sel-identied First Nations, Mtis,
and Inuit people comprised 12% o those assisted by
ood banks. Provincial gures vary considerably, with
Aboriginal people accounting or 91% o ood bank
clients in the territories and 35% in the our western
provinces.9
Tabe 2 provides detailed inormation on the
number o Aboriginal people assisted by ood banks.
49%
12%
are amiies
with chidren
o those assisted
are Aborigina
Province/Territory Total Assisted,
March 2009
Percent
Identiying as
Aboriginal
British Columbia 89,886 19.2%
Alberta 53,976 32.6%
Saskatchewan 18,875 62.5%
Manitoba 47,925 55.4%
Ontario 374,230 6.5%
Quebec 137,464 n/a
New Brunswick 17,889 3.6%
Nova Scotia 20,344 5.2%
Prince Edward Island 2,706 6.8%
Newoundland & Labrador 30,014 0.02%
Territories 1,429 91.2%
Canada 794,738 11.6%
TABlE 2: Se-identifed First Nations, Mtis, and
Inuit peope assisted b ood banks: March 2009
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8 FOOD BANKS CANADA
This years HungerCount ndings show little
change in the primary source o income reported
by individuals and amilies turning to ood
banks. As in 2008, nearly one-th o assistedhouseholds reported income rom current or recent
employment. The percentage currently working
slipped slightly to 13.6% o the total, rom 14.5%
in 2008 though the actual numbero working
households assisted by ood banks rose this year,
along with the overall national increase.
As shown by Figure 5, those reporting incomerom social assistance remained steady, at 52% o
the total. The same is true or households receiving
the majority o their income rom disability-related
income supports (13%), and or those reporting
income rom a pension (6.3%).10
The vast majority (87%) o those assisted by ood
banks live in rental accommodations, with 60%
o households paying market rent and 27% living
in social housing. A small but signicant number
(6%) reported owning their own home. Nearly 5%
were homeless down rom 8% in 2008 with the
majority o these households (3%) staying with amily
or riends, as shown in Figure 6.11 These numbers
remain largely unchanged rom HungerCount results
or 2007 and 2008.
Primar sources o income o those needing ood assistance
Where do ood bank cients ca home?
19%
87%
report income rom current
or recent empoment
ive in rented
accommodations
Social Assistance 51.5%Employment 13.6%Disability 13.0%Pension 6.3%Employment Insurance5.3%No income 5.2%Other income 4.4%Student Loan 1.1%
FIGURE 5: Primary income source of assistedhouseholds: March 2009 (percent)
Market Rent 59.6%Social Housing 26.7%Own Home 6.1%With Familyor Friends 3.0%Band Housing 2.9%Shelter 1.0%On the Street 0.7%
FIGURE 6: Housing situation of food bank clients:March 2009 (percent)
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HUNGERCOUNT 2009 9
Canada has become a largely urban nation, with only
20% o Canadians now living in rural areas.12 From a
strictly demographic view, ood bank use is also largely
an urban phenomenon: ood banks located in just25 cities help more than hal o all people assisted by
ood banks in Canada. In 2009, ood banks in our small
towns and rural areas accounted or only 11% o those
who turned to ood banks or a helping hand.
Hunger in rural Canada is nevertheless a reality,
and communities have responded to the problem
by adopting the ood bank model. O the 781 ood
banks and ood programs that submitted a survey or
HungerCount 2009, 350 were located in areas with
populations o less than 10,000.
The situation o people assisted by ood banks insmall towns and rural areas diers signicantly rom
those in urban Canada. Individuals outside o Canadas
cities are less likely to be working, with only 12% o
households reporting income rom employment.
People using ood banks in rural areas are more likely
to be living on disability-related income supports
(14%) or a pension (9%).13
Figure 7 provides inormation on the primary
income source o households assisted by ood banks
in small towns and rural areas.
The housing situation o those assisted by ood
banks in Canadas small towns and rural areas also
diers signicantly rom their urban counterparts.
Roughly twice the proportion (nearly 15%) o assisted
households report living in a home they own, and
a much smaller number report renting. O those
who rent, 52% pay market rent and 15% live in
social housing. Similar to 2008 gures, 11% o those
assisted by ood banks in small towns and rural areas
reside in band-owned housing. Lastly, as shown in
Figure 8, signicantly more (6.2%) report that they
are living temporarily with amily or riends oten
reerred to as couch surng.14
Food bank patterns in rura Canada
11% o those heped ive in smatowns or rura areasSocial Assistance 50.8%Disability 14.0%Employment 11.0%Pension 9.3%Employment Insurance 7.2%No Income 3.8%Other Income 3.1%Student Loan 0.7%
FIGURE 7: Primary source of income in rural areas:March 2009 (percent)
Market Rent 51.9%Social Housing 15.0%Own Home 14.7%Band Housing 10.9%With Family
or Friends 6.2%On the Street 0.8%Shelter 0.5%
FIGURE 8: Housing situation of food bank clientsin rural areas: March 2009 (percent)
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10 FOOD BANKS CANADA
Food banks provide an essential service to their
communities, and signicant help to the people they
assist. At the same time, the help they provide is,
rom a larger perspective, limited. Two-thirds o oodbanks provide ve or ewer days worth o ood per
visit, and 28% oer three days worth or less. Though
a quarter are able to oer assistance more oten, the
majority (55%) oer help only once a month.
This year, with increased usage due to the severe
economic downturn, ood banks 49% o whom
have no paid sta are struggling to meet the need
or ood assistance. The battle to keep the doors open
and ood coming in is a constant: 35% o ood banks
lack adequate, good quality space; 22% lack necessary
equipment such as shelving and cold storage; 23%
strive, and ail, to recruit enough volunteers to ully
manage everyday operations.
These needs are, unortunately, part o the status
quo or ood banks in Canada. More pressing and
concerning is the act that 28% o ood banks
report lacking adequate unding, and 31% report nothaving enough ood to meet the need.
Lastly, it is common knowledge that many ood
banks buy certain types o ood such as milk, eggs,
meat, and peanut butter that are dicult to stock
through donations alone. However, this year 55%
o ood banks (up rom 32% in 2008) bought more
ood than usual to keep up with the need. Thirty-six
percent reported giving less ood than usual, up rom
15% in 2008. Thirteen percent o ood banks actually
ran out o ood in March, up rom 7% in 2008.
Food banks are strugging too
28%o ood banks ackadequate unding 31%o ood banks donot have enough oodto meet the need
36%o ood banks wereorced to give out essood than usua
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HUNGERCOUNT 2009 11
Since ate ast ear, Canadian media discourse and poic discussion have
understandab been dominated b tak o the recession. It is important
that we not et this distract us rom the act that, even beore the economic
downturn, ood banks and their afiated agencies had been assisting more
than 700,000 peope per month or most o the past decade. This is a status
quo that can, and must, change.
The acts about ow income in Canada
Low income, whether in the short or long term, is
the one thing all o those assisted by ood banks have
in common. It is the major cause o household ood
insecurity and hunger, and it is a serious problem
in Canada:
In 2007, 2,952,000 individuals (9.2% of the
population), including 637,000 children, had
annual incomes below the Statistics Canada ater-
tax low income cut-o (LICO); or a single person,
the ater-tax LICO in 2007 was $11,745.
Between 2002 and 2007, 20% of Canadians
experienced at least one year o low income.
Between 2002 and 2007, 8% of Canadians
experienced at least three years o low income.15
Compared to similar countries, Canada has
relatively high rates o poverty and inequality.
Notably, our country has the 19th highest rate
o poverty among 29 comparable developed
economies.16 With specic reerence to Canadas
employment situation, Statistics Canada recently
ound that our country has one o the highest
Three recessions in three decades 1981-82, 1990-91,
and 2008-09 have provided a regular dose o
economic pain or the country. The current recession
has led to the la rgest increase in ood bank use on
record, with many Canadians stepping through the
ront door o a ood bank or the rst time because o
it. The repercussions o the economic downturn will
be elt or years to come.
As the Canadian economy begins to grow again,
it is crucially important that we take stock o
the causes o Canadas hunger problem, and
that we address these causes directly. Food bank
use is the result o a number o complex issues
that, nevertheless, can be addressed through the
engagement o all sectors o society, and through
intelligent social and economic policy.
SECTION 2: DISCUSSION AND POlICy
How do we
turn the tide?
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12 FOOD BANKS CANADA
proportions o low-paid workers among similarly
industrialized countries.20 Further, the employment
earnings o middle- and lower-income Canadians have
been declining or stagnant since 1980:
The bottom 20% o earners made $19,367 in
1980, versus $15,375 in 2005 a decline o 21%. The midde 20% o earners made $41,348 in
1980, versus $41,401 in 2005 thus gaining no
earning power.
The top 20% o earners made $74,084 in 1980,
versus $86,253 in 2005 an increase o 16.4%.21
Many are working harder or less, thanks to a
decline in well-paying jobs (particularly in, but not
limited to, manuacturing and orestry) and an
increase in precarious employment i.e. employment
that pays less, is less likely to provide ull-time hours,
and is less likely to oer non-wage benets like
supplementary health, dental, prescription drug,
and pension coverage.
In 2007, the retail sector surpassed manua cturing
as the largest supplier o jobs in the country. The
average employee in the retail sector earned
$485.44 per week in March 2009, compared to
$934.82 in manuacturing. Wages in the growing
accommodation and ood services sector are even
lower, at an average o $333.15 per week. Together,
these two sectors employ more than 2.9 million
Canadians.22
It is clear that, rom a national perspective, the
labour market has become a more dicult place to
try to make a living, particularly or those with low
levels o education and literacy. It is a distressing
act that working amilies account or about 40% o
people living in low income in Canada.
For those unable to nd a job or unable to work,
and thereore relegated to turning to welare or a
basic income, the situation is arguably worse.
Social assistance benet levels are, as the NationalCouncil o Welare has pointed out, ar below what
most people would consider reasonable. [People on
welare] are so impoverished that they cannot access
the resources that many o us take or granted
resources such as adequate housing, employment and
recreational opportunities.23 A look at typical incomes
provided by welare supports this characterization.
In 2007:
A single person on welfare in New Brunswick had
to nd a way to live on $3,574 per year.
A single person with a disability on welfare in
Montreal where it costs $7,068 to rent a one-
bedroom apartment or 12 months24 received
$10,500 in benets or the entire year.
A single parent with one child on social assistance
in Manitoba had to pay or housing, heat and
electricity, ood, clothing, and other necessities
with an annual income o $14,664.
A couple with two children on social assistance in
British Columbia had $20,283 per year to make
ends meet.25
With these income levels, it is no wonder that
hal o households assisted by ood banks report that
social assistance is their primary source o income.
The program, almost without exception, provides ar
too little to survive on.
Recently, three highly-placed provincial
politicians have spoken out about the extreme
shortcomings o provincial welare programs.
British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell
stated in September that Income assistance
is clearly the last social saety net into which
any worker wants to all those who are
orced to go on welare risk entering a cycle
o dependency.17 Similarly, Ontario Premier
Dalton McGuinty said that, Unwittingly, we
have developed a policy that stomps you into
the ground.18 Most recently, New Brunswick
Minister o Social Development Kelly Lamrock
stated, For over 20 years, the changes to socia l
assistance have generally been ones driven by
the need or government to save money and
shrink the circle o those who qualiy.19
Government eadersspeak out
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HUNGERCOUNT 2009 13
8.8%o the popuation, or
2.7 miionpeope, wi experience househod oodinsecurit at some point during the ear
Hunger in Canada ooking beond the recession
Though ood bank use is an important indicator o
current economic hardship, it does not tell the whole
story about household ood insecurity and hunger.
While 2.4% o Canadians are assisted by a ood bankeach month, the most recent Canadian evidence
shows that 8.8% o the population 2.7 million
people will experience household ood insecurity at
some point during the year.26
This situation held beore the 2009 recession
hit Canada. At the tail end o the recession, we can
realistically predict that more Canadians will lose
economic ground, all into poverty, and be at risk o
hunger. Research on the ater-eects o the recessions
o the early 1980s and 1990s gives us some idea o
what to expect in the next ew years:
Job losses continued for 17 months after the
1981-82 recession, and or 29 months ater
the 1990-91 recession;27 we should expect, and
prepare or, the same or the current period.
We can expect that laid-off workers will experience
long-term in many cases permanent income
losses o up to 22% or men, and up to 31% or
women; long-tenured workers are likely to be
hardest hit by job losses during the recession.28
The recession will have signicant long-term
implications or individuals and amilies,
particularly those orced onto social assistance
because o job losses, ineligibility or Employment
Insurance, or exhaustion o EI benets.
In Canadas current social policy conguration, the
dominant approach to dealing with these problems,
and with the negative outcomes they produce, is to
address them ater the act. As a result, Canadianamilies, ood banks, shelters, social service agencies,
and hospitals bear the heavy burden created when
individuals all into poverty.
With prevention such a minor element in Canadian
social policy, poverty and household ood insecurity
can exact a severe toll on those who all victim to
them. Poverty and ood insecurity are major causes o
poor adult physical health, with strong links to chronic
disease such as arthritis, diabetes, heart problems,
cancer, and hypertension. They are also predictors o
low inant birth weight, increased inant mortality, and
overall poor child health and development.29
Recent reports rom the United Kingdom,30 the
United States,31 and Canada32 provide a orceul
accounting o how much these issues and the social
policy conguration in which they exist is costing
society as a whole. In Ontario alone it is estimated
that, through losses related to health care costs, the
justice system, social assistance, and orgone taxes,
current levels o poverty cost the equivalent o at
least $2,300 annually per household a total o at
least $10.4 billion per year. This works out nationally
to a yearly loss o $24.4 billion. In other words,
Canadas inability to address hunger and poverty to
the same degree as other, comparable countries, is
costing all o us.
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14 FOOD BANKS CANADA
lets buid on recent progress
During the past year, there has been progress on
addressing hunger and poverty at both the provincial
and ederal government levels.
At the provincial level, the range and evolutiono the services and supports available to low-
income Canadians is extensive, and several notable
developments have taken place in the past year.
The Government o Manitoba joined the group
o provinces now including Newoundland &
Labrador, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Ontario with
poverty reduction plans, and the Government o New
Brunswick has made several positive steps toward the
same goal. The Ontario government nearly doubled
the amount o the Ontario Child Benet available
to all amilies in the province regardless o their
source o income to a maximum o $1,100 per child,
per year. These are positive signs o openings andopportunities or orward momentum we must take
advantage while it lasts.
At the ederal level, we have seen limited but
important developments, including:
Investment in a strengthened Working Income Tax
Benet, which provides an important supplement
to the earnings o low-income working Canadians.
Ongoing investments in affordable housing
through ederalprovincial cash transers, and
through Budget 2009 spending on social housing,
targeted unding or supportive housing or low-
income seniors and people with disabilities, and
or First Nations and Northern housing. Changes to the National Child Benet
Supplement, allowing some low-income amilies to
earn more while maintaining eligibility or benets.
Changes to Employment Insurance, including a
temporary ve-week extension o benets, and
increased investments in training and benets or
long-tenured workers who have lost their jobs.
A u-societ approach to reducing hunger in Canada
This years recession has brought unprecedented
attention to the income-related struggles o
Canadians. As the economy strengthens and begins
to grow once again, it is crucially important that
all Canadians are able to gain a ooting. The policy
recommendations outlined below are designed to
help ensure this. The recommendations build on a
ew undamental ideas:
Insufcient income, both for employed and
unemployed Canadians, is the most important
cause o hunger.
Food banks can offer limited help to those in need
in the short term; we all social service agencies
and other non-prot organizations, governments,
the business community, individuals have a role
to play in reducing hunger in the long term.
It is the responsibility of governments at all levels
to ensure that vulnerable citizens whether they
need help in the short or long term have access
to the supports they need to build well-being and
contribute to their communities.
Government-supported efforts must be seen as
long-term investments in the well-being o those
living with low income, and in overall social well-
being. A view o social programs as simple budget
expenditures does not provide a ull a ccounting o
the benets o those programs.
Signicantly reducing hunger and poverty in
Canada requires the eort o all sectors o society.
Following are recommendations or individuals,
the business community, and provincial and ederal
governments.
Recommendations or individuas
It is easy to orget the dierence a single person can
make in someone elses lie. However, organizations
such as Pathways to Education and Vibrant
Communities have shown the power o individuals to
change communities, and o communities to change
themselves. There are many ways to get involved, o
which the ollowing are merely a ew:
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HUNGERCOUNT 2009 15
1Mentor an individual or amily that is strugglingeconomically. Maybe you have a lready overcomethe same challenges they are acing and have lessons
you can share.
2 Join the board of a community social service
agency or other non-prot organization. Andtell your riends and amily about it.
3 Volunteer at a community centre or ater-schoolprogram. I you dont already, contribute tobuilding your communitys capacity to support all its
members physically, socially, and economically.
Recommendations or business
For-prot organizations, both large and small, are
underappreciated as incubators o positive economic
and social change. It is crucial or businesses to
be open to a role as a platorm or the workorce
entry o people acing barriers to employment. For
example, businesses can:
1 Reach out to community social service agencies how can you work together to increaseeconomic opportunities or people experiencing
low income and hunger, and who ace barriers to
employment?
2 Look outside the usual avenues or volunteerinterns a good volunteer job can be the ticketto good paying work or those who are unemployed
or under-employed.
3 Look inward are your policies or practicescreating disadvantages or individuals who acebarriers to employment?
Recommendations or
provincia governments
Canadas 10 provincial governments carry the bulk
o responsibility or the unding and management
o social assistance, social services, education and
training, and health care. They also shoulder thegreatest responsibility or the well-being o those
experiencing low income and hunger. Though a ull
discussion o provincial social policy is beyond the
parameters o our recommendations, there is one
issue that cannot be avoided: welare, a provincial
program meant to bridge the gap between periods o
employment, serves instead to deplete households o
most o their wealth and make it exceedingly dicult
to become sel-sucient.33,34
There are two major shortcomings related to
welare, regardless o the province in which the
program is operating:
As outlined above, social assistance benet levels
are in the majority o cases not sucient to meet
even the most basic human needs housing, ood,
transportation, and clothing.
Social assistance program rules make it difcult
to access the program and what is surprising to
many to leave the program once in the system.
Those orced to rely on welare must deplete
nearly all sources o income and wealth beore
becoming eligible or the program. Once eligible
and in receipt o benets, people ace the act
that most income gained through employment,
student loans, or other sources is taxed back
through reductions in already rock-bottom benet
payments. This is a recipe or deep and long-
standing disadvantage.
Changing this entrenched system will not be
easy. However, positive steps have a lready been
taken in several provinces. For example, Ontario
has made positive changes to its welare program,
and Newoundland & Labrador has recently raised
benet levels or certain types o households. Someprovinces and territories have begun to take a more
supportive, capacity-building approach to social
assistance, or example by ocusing on eective
training and job placement or those able to work,
and more adequate benets or those acing serious
barriers to employment.
Leaders in many provinces have shown that they
understand change is necessary. The solutions to
welares problems must be province-specic, and
must be driven by input rom those most aected
by the programs shortcomings. At the same time,
adequate change is unlikely without a high level o
cooperation among municipal, provincial, and ederal
governments it is truly a national issue.
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16 FOOD BANKS CANADA
Recommendations or the
edera government
Canadians are the beneciaries o a progressive
system o ederal social benets, rooted in dening
programs like universal health care, the Canada
Pension Plan, and the Canada Child Tax Benet.Programs like these help ensure that the majority o
Canadians share in the national prosperity. It is crucial
that current and uture ederal governments maintain
and build upon these investments in our collective
well-being. The current ederal government can do
this through the ollowing steps:
1
Maintain planned levels o ederal transers,
including the Canadian Social Transer, to
provincial, territorial, and First Nations governments.
2Implement a ederal poverty prevention andreduction strategy, with measureable targets andtimelines, developed in consultation with municipal
and provincial governments, business, the non-prot
sector, and individual Canadians.
3Ensure that post-recession economic
development and rebuilding takes account o the
needs o low-income Canadians. Only by a ccounting
or those most vulnerable to hunger and poverty
rom the beginning can we arrive at an improved,
inclusive social and economic reality.
4Continue to work to make the EmploymentInsurance (EI) system more air and inclusive. Forworkers in regions o low unemployment, the current
structure o EI is a recipe or the urther growth o
low-wage employment. Manuacturing continues to
decline as a source o jobs, while low-wage servicesector employment is expanding. Unemployed people
without access to EI will be orced into jobs that are
more likely to be low-paying, part-time, temporary,
and without extra-wage benets.
5Increase investment in the Canada Child TaxBenet (CCTB). The changes to the CCTBcontained in Budget 2009 were welcome. However,
these changes will have no eect on the incomes o
parents earning less than $20,000 per year. As outlined
by the Caledon Institute,35 increasing the Canada
Child Tax Benet to a maximum o $5,000 per child,
per year (up rom about $3,300), will help ensure that
parents have incomes above the poverty line, and are
adequately supported in raising their children.
6
Invest in a system o quality, aordable, accessible
child care. The reality o the Canadian economy is
that it takes two wage earners to live well. Dependable
child care is an absolute necessity or the economic
health o amilies, and or healthy child development.
7Continue to increase uptake o the GuaranteedIncome Supplement (GIS) among low-incomeseniors. The end o poverty and o ood bank
use among seniors is close at hand. However, there
remains a small but signicant number o seniors
who live with incomes below the ater-tax LICO.
Attention to GIS uptake would go a long way to
addressing this issue.36
8Increase GIS benet levels. Though Old Age
Security (OAS) and the GIS bring the majorityo low-income seniors above the ater-tax LICO, the
maximum OAS/GIS payment o about $14,000 per
year is still quite meagre.37
9Invest in the improvement o housing in ruralareas. A recent report o the Senate StandingCommittee on Agriculture and Forestry makes the
case that ederal unding or rural housing repair and
improvement is seriously inadequate to need. Food
Banks Canada supports the Standing Committees
recommendations with regard to rural housing: (a)
increase ederal unding allocated to housing repair
and improvement in rural areas; and (b) initiate a
review o housing repair and improvement programs
to ensure they are eectively meeting objectives.38
10
Continue to invest in aordable housing
in Canadas urban areas. Current ederal
provincial aordable housing agreements, and
the housing-related announcements in the 2009
ederal Budget, are positive developments. However,
appropriate housing continues to be unaordable
or many households. The successul creation and
improvement o adequate levels o aordable housing
requires long-term, predictable ederal unding.
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HUNGERCOUNT 2009 17
SECTION 3: REPORTS
Provincia perspectives on hunger
Across the country, ndings rom this years HungerCount survey have much in common. An increase in demand, combined
with shared struggles to meet the rising need or ood assistance, is a pervasive theme.
The allout rom the downturn in Albertas economy is particularly notable. Eects are described by HungerCount
Provincial Coordinators within the province itsel, and also in several o the Atlantic provinces, where those who had let or
jobs in the West are now returning home as the jobs disappear.Reports rom Saskatchewan and Manitoba also bear close attention.
Media and economic reports oten make the case that these provinces
escaped the worst o the recession, but the evidence rom the ront
lines tells a dierent story.
Several o the ollowing 10 reports raise the concern that the worst
is not yet over, bringing attention to the act that, though the recession
may technically be over, its eects will be elt or the oreseeable uture.
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Food bank use in Canada
b the numbers
March, 2009
18 FOOD BANKS CANADA
British Coumbia89,886 people assisted31% are children
+15% change, 2008 to 2009
yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut1,429 people assisted
37% are children
+7% change, 2008 to 2009
Aberta
53,976 people assisted43% are children
+61% change, 2008 to 2009
Manitoba47,925 people assisted49% are children
+18% change, 2008 to 2009
Saskatchewan18,875 people assisted
44% are children
+6% change, 2008 to 2009
AB
SK MB
BC
yT
NT NU
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HUNGERCOUNT 2009 19
Quebec137,464 people assisted34% are children
+8% change, 2008 to 2009
Newoundand & labrador30,014 people assisted37% are children
+10% change, 2008 to 2009
Prince Edward Isand2,706 people assisted
36% are children
-6% change, 2008 to 2009
Nova Scotia
20,344 people assisted34% are children
+20% change, 2008 to 2009
New Brunswick17,889 people assisted
34% are children
+14% change, 2008 to 2009
Ontario374,230 people assisted
38% are children
+19% change, 2008 to 2009
ON
Nl
NS
PEQC
NB
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20 FOOD BANKS CANADA
Front line ood bank workers across British Columbia
are not surprised to hear that the 89,886 peopleassisted during the month o March was the highest
number on record or our province. Most ood banks
elt the pressure o more people coming through
their doors, undoubtedly a result o the economic
downturn. HungerCount results show that 81% o
ood banks in the province saw an increase in the
number o people assisted.
When asked his thoughts on the increased need
or help at the Harvest o Hope Food Bank in Gibsons,
ood bank Director Matthew Hardman stated simply,
Its because o the economy, the recession, temporary
closure o the pulp mill, and layos. His explanation
was echoed by many o B.C.s ood banks when asked
what contributed to the increased need: plant closures,
industry cutbacks, and resulting job losses were major
contributing actors to the rise in ood bank use.
In early 2009, British Columbia saw a decline in
most employment sectors. The provinces jobless ratereached a ve-year high o 7.4% in March, ollowing
seven consecutive months o job losses. The March
unemployment rate stood in stark contrast to the
2008 gure, when the unemployment rate hovered
near 4%. Joblessness among B.C. youth is now a
particularly serious problem, with unemployment
in this age group rising rom 6.9% in March 2008 to
13.5% in March 2009.39
According to the B.C. Ministry o Housing and Social
Development, the number o people on welare who
are able and expected to work has increased by 50%
over the last year. This number is remarkable, and is
almost certainly tied to increased ood bank use in the
province. Benet levels or welare in British Columbia
are not tied to any measure o low income, and they
are not indexed to infation. With ew rate increases
British CoumbiaSubmitted b Food Banks British Coumbia, Member o Food Banks Canada
Prepared by Heidi Gill, Abbotsord Community Services Food Bank
Highights
89,886 individuals were assisted, March 2009
+15% change since March 2008
31% are children
12% report employment income
6% receive Employment Insurance
44% receive social assistance
19% receive disability-related income supports81% o ood banks saw an increase
Plant closures, industry cutbacks, and resulting job losses
were major contributing actors to the rise in ood bank usein British Columbia.
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HUNGERCOUNT 2009 21
between the early 1990s and the present, amilies and
individuals on welare have lost purchasing power witheach passing year. 40
People who use ood banks in the province
generally pay a disproportionate amount o their
income towards rent, and B.C. continues to ace an
ongoing shortage o aordable housing. Very little
new aordable housing stock is being built, and
market rental housing availability has been eroded
through demolition, redevelopment, and conversion
of rental housing to condominiums. As of January
2009, there were 10,147 households on the provincial
waiting list or subsidized housing.41
Increasing aordable housing, reducing
homelessness, and helping the most vulnerablecitizens were voiced as key priorities o the provincial
government in 2009-10. The provinces budget or
aordable housing and shelters is $469 million or the
current scal year, which is signicantly more than in
previous years. This is a positive development, one
that could be joined by attention to the provinces
other major social problem: the high rate o child
poverty, which continues to be the highest in Canada.
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22 FOOD BANKS CANADA
AbertaSubmitted b Aberta Food Banks, Member o Food Banks Canada
Prepared by Richard Le Sueur, Alberta Food Banks
Highights
53,976 individuals were assisted, March 2009
+61% change since March 2008
43% are children
27% report employment income
5% receive Employment Insurance
32% receive social assistance
12% receive disability-related income supports78% o ood banks saw an increase
Since January of this year, there has been a
dramatic shit in Albertas economic situation.At the time o last years HungerCount report, the
provincial government was reporting a budgetary
surplus totalling $12 billion, and Alberta had a n
unemployment rate o 3.4%. As o September 2009,
reports indicate a $6.9 billion budget decit42 and an
unemployment rate that has reached 7.1%. More than
59,000 ull-time jobs were lost between September
2008 and 2009, and many Albertans have attempted
to ll the gap with part-time employment, which
increased by 6% during the same period.43
The downward pressure on Albertas economy,
largely a result o greatly reduced energy prices, has
led to the cancellation or postponement o a number
o major oil- and gas-related projects, which has in
turn resulted in layos in many areas o the province.
As well, Alberta has suered downturns in the
orestry and agricultural sectors.
Despite the economic downturn, lies basics
particularly housing continue to be expensivein the province, and more individuals and amilies
are struggling to bring in enough income to make
ends meet, leading to increased household ood
insecurity or many. The primary income sources o
those assisted by ood ba nks were airly consistent
with those reported in 2008, the exception being
a signicant increase (rom 2.7% to 4.9%) in those
receiving ederal Employment Insurance benets.
The ood bank sector is oten among the rst
to see the eects o negative social and economic
trends, a situation that is very evident in Alberta
this year. Across the province, ood banks have been
seriously stretched. Many are spending more on
ood purchases this year, and more than one-third
o ood banks ound it necessary to cut back on the
amount o ood they are able to oer to those they
help. An indicator o the dramatic increase in ood
Despite the economic downturn, lies basics particularly
housing continue to be expensive and more households
are struggling to bring in enough income to make ends meet,leading to increased household ood insecurity.
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HUNGERCOUNT 2009 23
bank use has been the signicant rise in the number
o volunteer hours required to service those needingood assistance.
In past years, Alberta HungerCount reports made
the point that the provinces booming economy had
a dark side: economic growth has been matched
by growth in the cost o living, which has made it
dicult even or many working people to keep their
heads above water. This problem continues in 2009
and is evident by the act that the percentage o
employed people utilizing ood banks in Alberta is
twice the national average. What is new this year is
that the working poor, those who are under- or
unemployed, and those struggling on xed incomes
have been joined by those who, believing they had a
stable income, stretched their expenses, only to see all
or part o that income disappear.
Last year, another area o concern was seniors,
who were having diculty keeping up with basicliving expenses on xed incomes. This concern
continues as the provincial government reviews
health and social programs with a view to expense
reduction and cost-cutting.
Once again, or the most part, communities in
Alberta support their local ood banks at a level
close to 2008. Unortunately, this support does not
always provide sucient resources or the provinces
ood banks. In addition to purchasing ood, they are
increasingly turning to other ood banks, or to the
provincial association or assistance.
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24 FOOD BANKS CANADA
SaskatchewanSubmitted b Food Banks o Saskatchewan, Member o Food Banks Canada
Prepared by Linda Robinson, Adult Centre or Employment Readiness and Training, Regina & District Food Bank
Highights
18,875 individuals were assisted, March 2009
+6% change since March 2008
44% are children
14.5% report employment income
3% receive Employment Insurance
59% receive social assistance
4.5% receive disability-related income supports82% o ood banks saw an increase
Canada is in recession, yet Saskatchewans population
is growing, and the provincial economy is said tobe booming. Unortunately, the overall benets are
reaching only a portion o Saskatchewan residents.
For many individuals and amilies, hunger and poverty
are still harsh realities o everyday lie.
According to the 2009 HungerCount survey, 82%
o Saskatchewan ood banks reported an increase in
ood bank use compared to 2008, with demand at
these ood banks increasing by an average o 40%.
The percentage o Aboriginal clients reached 63%
o the total this year, with the majority o smaller
ood banks reporting an increase in service to this
population. According to Bill Hall, Executive Director
o Food Banks o Saskatchewan, The crisis o
Aboriginal poverty continues to aect our province
and is indicated in the high percentage o First
Nations people who need to use ood banks. Lack o
resources or proper nutrition is also evident in the
number o our First Nations clients with special needs
due to illness such as diabetes.Though Saskatchewan has been widely
promoted or its lower cost o living and abundant
employment opportunities, not everyone migrating
to the province has been able to secure stable
employment or aordable housing. Those relocating
to arming communities oten nd that there are
ew job opportunities. Lack o a ormal education
prevents many capable individuals rom enteringthe skilled trades or specialized training programs.
Some job opportunities are only part-time or
seasonal. Immigrants and reugees, recruited or
their advanced education and skill levels, may ace
cultural and language barriers on top o diculties
with recognition o education and employment
experiences outside Canada.
In Saskatchewan, the cost o ood, ga s, real estate,
and rental properties is in many cases outpacing wage
increases, and more and more individuals and amilies
are becoming stereotyped as the working poor
holding down a job (or two) but unable to meet
their monthly expenses. Rising costs can also pose
serious problems or seniors, people on xed incomes
in general, and individuals acing health issues or
disabilities, who have had to leave their jobs early but
are unable to collect a pension and are not able to live
solely on a disability allowance.
Rising ood prices also present a challengeor amilies trying to make healthy ood choices,
particularly those on xed incomes, and or people
who require special diets. Many are orced to
purchase low cost, lower quality oods. Others simply
do not eat enough, and we know poor diets can lead
to health issues or people o all ages. Children cant
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HUNGERCOUNT 2009 25
Children cant learn on an empty stomach, nor can hungry
adults become engaged, productive contributors within
their communities.
learn on an empty stomach, nor can hungry adults
become engaged, productive contributors withintheir communities.
Unortunately, unding cutbacks in the province
have reduced many o the programming supports
that enable progress to higher education a nd
employment, and there are long waiting lists or
available programs. The shortage o aordable
child care is an additional barrier to educational
upgrading. Among those who meet the registration
requirements o these programs, and are able to
participate, many have been out o work or an
extended period, or have never worked, and require
added support to rebuild sel-condence, sel-esteem,
and motivation beore learning new skills, in order
to recognize that they too can succeed in becoming
productive, sel-sucient individuals.
As the national economy gets ba ck on track,
Saskatchewan will be ahead o the curve thanks to itsabove-average perormance through the recession.
However, the rise in ood bank use over the past year
shows that the outlook is not completely positive.
With such robust economic health, it is time to
invest in the economic well-being o all residents.
This includes investment in more supportive social
assistance programs, improved education and training
or low-income adults, and programs that support
the transition to work or those acing barriers to
employment. There is untapped potential in our
province, and it is time unlock that potential.
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26 FOOD BANKS CANADA
The province o Manitoba has not suered theeects o the recession to the same extent as other
provinces. In March o this year, the number o ull-
time jobs in the province actually grew slightly, as
scores o jobs continued to disappear in other parts
o the country. Nevertheless, two-thirds o Manitoba
ood banks experienced an increase in the number
o people turning to them or help in March 2009,
compared to the same period in 2008.
The year-over-year 18% increase in provincial
ood bank use seems to have been an eect o the
leading edge o the recession entering Manitoba.
These eects have become more clear recently, or
example in a weakening labour market employment
decreased by 2.4% rom August to September alone.
This weakness seems particularly evident in part-time
employment, which is an important source o income
or working people assisted by ood ba nks.44
As the labour market contracts, the rising cost o
living in Manitoba continues to present problems orthose living on low incomes. According to the Canada
Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the rental
housing vacancy rate in Winnipeg home to 60%
o the provincial population is at an all time low, at
around 1%.45 With a low vacancy rate comes higher
rents, a situation seen across the province, as housingavailability ails to keep up with the recent infux o
immigrants rom within and outside Canada.
Food bank sta see rsthand how unanticipated
circumstances can lead to the need or ood
assistance. For example, in one recent month, there
was a delay in social assistance payments to 5,000
individuals, which led to crises or many who rely on
welare to survive.
Another spike in requests or assistance came as a
result o people ailing to le their 2008 income tax
returns. I an individual ails to le their return by the
end o May, they do not receive a GST credit cheque
at the beginning of July a cheque on which many
clients rely as part o their household budgets.
O course, these spikes in need throughout the
year are a consequence o longer term economic and
social problems. In Manitoba, as in the rest o the
country, we are seeing the loss o well-paying jobs,
and an increase in the number o people working injobs that pay less, a re temporary, and provide ew
extra-wage benets such as supplementary health,
dental, prescription drug, and pension coverage.
People are working just as hard, or harder, than they
have in the past, but making less.
ManitobaSubmitted b the Manitoba Association o Food Banks, Member o Food Banks Canada
Prepared by Karen Flett, Winnipeg Harvest
Highights47,925 individuals were assisted, March 2009
+18% change since March 2008
49% are children
15.5% report employment income
3% receive Employment Insurance
54.5% receive social assistance
10% receive disability-related income supports
66% o ood banks saw an increase
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HUNGERCOUNT 2009 27
When aced with a delayed cheque, or a week o work
because o the fu or to care or a sick amily member,
economic struggle can very quickly turn to crisis.
For those unable to work, or to nd work, incomeassistance benet levels are ar too low to cover even
basic necessities. A single, employable person in
Manitoba on welare receives $5,827 annually more
than $12,000 below the ater-tax low income cut-o
(LICO). A single person with a disability receives $9,026
per year, nearly $9,000 below the ater-tax LICO.
Individuals and amilies living on these levels o
income scrimp and save, turn to ood banks and other
programs or help, and are still barely able to make
it to the next paycheque, Old Age Security cheque,
or income assistance payment. When aced with a
delayed cheque, or a week o work because o the fu
or to care or a sick amily member, economic struggle
can very quickly turn to crisis.
Understanding that low income is the mostimportant cause o hunger in Manitoba and across
the country, Manitoba ood banks highlighted three
primary policy recommendations to reduce hunger:
(1) increase social assistance benet levels; (2) raise
the provincial minimum wage; and (3) expand job
training or adults. The provincial governments
recently-announced poverty reduction strategy is a
welcome development, one that we will be ollowing
closely. It is crucially important that, as Canada climbs
out o recession, the province remains committed to
the goals set out in the All Aboard ramework.
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28 FOOD BANKS CANADA
It has been a very dicult year or ood banks and
amilies in Ontario. The economic storm that was
gathering a year ago touched down with brutal orce
in 2009. More than 200,000 ull-time jobs have been
lost in Ontario this year, leaving a record number
o households no option but to turn to their local
ood bank or support. Despite statements made by
economists about a technical end to the recession
and signs o growth, the situation on the ront line
is very dierent. Food banks are still struggling a s
unemployment and ood prices continue to rise,
demand or services soars, and donations decline.
Almost 300 ood banks rom Windsor to Ottawa
and Thunder Bay to Niagara Falls tracked data on
those they served during the month o March. The
message heard rom the ront line is that client
numbers have been increasing at an accelerated pace
over the past year. The breadth and depth o that
story is staggering. In March 2009, Ontarios ood
banks served 374,000 Ontarians 2.9% o Ontarios
population in hundreds o villages, towns, largeurban and smaller suburban centres. This represents
an increase o 19% over 2008. Almost 40% o those
served by Ontarios ood banks are children, equal to
more than 140,000 children every month. In addition,
nearly 740,000 meals were served in March by meal
programs supported by Ontarios ood banks.
As a result o this tremendous increase in demand,
38% o Ontarios ood banks do not have enough
ood to meet the needs o their clients. One in three
report that their ability to meet clients needs has
declined. These gures are the highest seen since
the Ontario Association o Food Banks began asking
these questions o its members in 2005. As a result,
ood banks are purchasing more ood than ever
beore. Seventy-three percent o ood banks are
spending more money on ood this year, and average
monthly ood expenditures have increased by 84%.
On average, Ontarios ood banks spend $2,670
per month $32,040 per year on ood purchases.
This has stretched their nancial capacity beyond its
limit. A majority (54%) o ood banks will be over
budgetary projections on ood purchases in 2009.46
Ontarios ood banks depend on donations
rom individuals, community groups, business, and
the ood industry. In Ontario, we have witnessed
an overall decline in ood donations this year, in
part due to the closure o more than 10 major
ood manuacturers who have suered the same
hardships as the provinces manuacturing sector
overall in the past 18 months. In total, we estimatethat ood donations in the province have declined by
about one million pounds.
Food banks in Ontario have been orced to
get creative. Relationships with local armers are
becoming more common; donations and the gleaning
o armers elds ater they have been harvested have
led to increased amounts o resh ruit and vegetables
making their way into Ontarios ood banks this
all. Unortunately, these generous donations do
OntarioSubmitted b the Ontario Association o Food Banks (OAFB), Member o Food Banks Canada
Prepared by Nicola Cernik and Adam Spence, OAFB
Highights
374,230individuals were assisted, March 2009
+19% change since March 2008
38% are children
13% report employment income
5% receive Employment Insurance
43% receive social assistance
22% receive disability-related income supports76% o ood banks saw an increase
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HUNGERCOUNT 2009 29
not qualiy as charitable gits, as the provincial
government does not yet have any kind o tax credit
to recognize and compensate donors. This is why
the OAFB is lobbying or an Ontario Producer and
Processor Donation Tax Credit in order to provide
an incentive or ood donations by the provinces
armers and processors.
Beyond providing immediate relie to those in
need, we must urge governments to ensure that
amilies have the right supports to manage through
the downturn. The provincial government must
engage in a comprehensive review and reorm o
social assistance that includes the elimination o
punitive rules, as well as a broader conversation
regarding the necessary system o supports required
to ensure economic security or all Ontar ians. Federal
government reorms to improve the adequacy and
accessibility o Employment Insurance will also help
immeasurably.
Though Ontarios ood banks are struggling
to respond to the damage caused by the global
economic downturn, we are resilient, and we will
weather the storm that hangs overhead. But we
cannot do it alone. We need our neighbours to give
generously this season, and we need our provincial
government to provide incentives or local producers
and processors to donate resh, local oods that will
increase our ability to meet Ontarians immediate
needs. We also need to be clear that ood banks are
not a substitute or good public policy. Both levels o
government must make investments in measures to
help Ontarians manage the impacts o the economic
downturn.
We must join together to work toward a hunger-
ree Ontario.
As a result o this tremendous increase in demand, 38% o
Ontarios ood banks do not have enough ood to meet theneeds o their clients.
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30 FOOD BANKS CANADA
In 2008 Quebec saw a signicant increase in the
need or ood assistance. The situation in 2009 is
more complex, as the economic recession has had
repercussions that will be elt by individuals over the
long-term, and in a more pernicious way within the
approximately 1,000 ood assistance organizations
in Quebec.
Unortunately, the signicant increase in the need
or ood assistance in the province (as high as 15 to
20%, depending on the region), and thereore in the
needs o organizations assisting people living with
economic insecurity, has come at the same time as a
large decrease (20 to 25%) in donations o ood.
This paradox is borne out in this years
HungerCount results. While survey ndings show
an increase o nearly 8% in the number o people
assisted by ood banks in Quebec, the increase in
actual need is much higher. Food banks a re meeting
only about one-third o requests, and this within a
rich country like Canada.
In order to meet the real needs o Quebecers who
are most aected by the current world economic
crisis, Food Banks Quebec is consolidating its support
operations and its representation to its member
organizations, in addition to pressing on in our goal
o achieving ood security in all regions o Quebec.
QuebecSubmitted b Food Banks Quebec, Member o Food Banks Canada
Prepared by Richard Dcarie, Food Banks Quebec
Highights
137,464 individuals were assisted, March 2009
+8% change since March 2008
34% are children
11.5% report employment income
4% receive Employment Insurance
66% receive social assistance
78% o ood banks saw an increase
Unortunately, the signicant increase in the need or ood
assistance in Quebec has come at the same time as a large
decrease in donations o ood.
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HUNGERCOUNT 2009 31
New Brunswick does not appear to have suered
rom the recession to the same extent as other
areas o Canada. However, the economic downturn
in Western Canada and Ontario has resulted in
increased demand on charitable ood programs in
our province. Food banks and soup kitchens have
seen a steady increase in clientele, including those
returning home or passing through to the other
Atlantic provinces. Those who have returned with
skills in carpentry, plumbing, and electrical have easily
obtained jobs with contractors, and this has put
various building projects ahead o schedule in New
Brunswick. For example, a 350-bed seniors residence
in Fredericton is now a year and a hal ahead o
schedule as a direct result o the infux o skilled and
unskilled labour.
New Brunswick continues to experience weakness
in the lumber industry, which has always been
a mainstay or unskilled labourers. Many small,
private lumber mills providing direct and indirect
employment or hundreds o people have shutdown, either or periods o time or permanently.
The shing industry took a hit in the spring rom low
lobster prices, and again this all by the red tide
eect (harmul algal blooms) that can make shellsh
dangerous to eat. Areas in north-western New
Brunswick have suered rom these events.
The Canaport LNG regasication project in Saint
John opened up considerable job opportunities in
that area, with spin-os in increasing housing sales
and new construction. Moncton continues to orge
ahead with many businesses expanding and relocating
to that area. Throughout the province, inrastructure
continues to employ many people who otherwise
would be unemployed. This has been a direct result o
the ederal inusion o capital project money.
The concept o eating locally has been a real
benet to armers throughout New Brunswick. This
concept has allowed them to increase sales rom the
arm gate as well as rom public markets. As a result,
armers have been able to employ people, usually on a
part-time basis, who have been depending on shelters
and soup kitchens or their survival. Small contractors
such as painters and home renovators have also been
drawing rom this population.
Food banks and soup kitchens continue to struggle
to bring in the resources needed to und the basics
transportation, rent, sta salaries, insurance. Food has
generally been in good supply, both rom local sources
and the ood industry through Food Banks Canada,which means ood banks are using ewer resources to
buy ood. Farmers and backyard gardeners have been
supplying resh vegetables and ruit to ood banks and
soup kitchens in many areas.
In New Brunswick, poverty and hunger remain
at unacceptable levels. We must continue to work
together in all aspects o society to assist those in
need and help them make a better lie or themselves.
New BrunswickSubmitted b the New Brunswick Association o Food Banks, Member o Food Banks Canada
Prepared by George Piers, Fredericton Community Kitchen
Highights
17,889 individuals were assisted, March 2009
+14% change since March 2008
34% are children
12% report employment income
9% receive Employment Insurance
60% receive social assistance
6% receive disability-related income supports71% o ood banks saw an increase
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32 FOOD BANKS CANADA
A new hope or people living on low incomes has
come with the appointment o our new Lieutenant
Governor, Graydon Nicholas. In his a cceptance
speech, he pledged a dedication o support to the
less ortunate o this province. The poverty reduction
plan being developed by the provincial government is
another positive step but much work is needed to
ensure real, long-term change.
The perspective oered by FEED NOVA SCOTIA
is based on the experience o our 150 member
agencies and a number o non-member agencies that
participate in the HungerCount survey each year. Our
province is diverse and so is the experience o hunger
and poverty. Emergency ood assistance programs
across Nova Scotia are large and small, rural and
urban, and oten provide much more than ood.
Despite claims that Nova Scotia suered less
devastation than most Canadian provinces during
the recession,47 a larger number o people receivedassistance rom provincial ood banks and meal
programs in March 2009 than in the previous two
years. There was a 20% increase in the number o
people receiving assistance rom ood banks in March
2009 compared to March 2008.
The nancial situation or individual Nova Scotians
and the general population was negatively aected by
the same issues experienced in many other jurisdictions
across Canada and around the world a continuing
rise in ood costs, an increase in electricity costs,48
a reduction in demand or products and services,
and the declining perormance o economies at the
community, provincial, national, and global levels.
The increased demand on Nova Scotia ood
banks refects, at least to some degree, the global
economic recession. News reports in the rst two
quarters o 2009 were punctuated by stories o
people suddenly nding themselves out o work
and acing an uncertain uture because o plant andbusiness closures in the manuacturing, orestry,
arming, and shing sectors. Many experienced long
waits while applications or Employment Insurance
were processed, which drained household nancial
resources. The need or interim ood support oten
became longer-term, as amilies wrestled with
nancial commitments and household expenses on
an EI-based income.
Nova ScotiaSubmitted b FEED NOVA SCOTIA, Member o Food Banks Canada
Prepared by Dianne Swinemar, Becky Mason, and Julianne Acker-Verney, FEED NOVA SCOTIA
Highights
20,344 individuals were assisted, March 2009
+20% change since March 2008
34% are children
8% report employment income
6% receive Employment Insurance
56% receive social assistance
10% receive disability-related income supports
67% o ood banks saw an increase
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HUNGERCOUNT 2009 33
Some workers who retained employment during
the recession ound themselves earning less than
in the recent past. Market demand infuences
production levels, and some Nova Scotians assisted
by ood banks have told us o earning less because
o reduced work hours, temporary shutdowns, and
ewer opportunities to perorm piece work. We are
seeing people who work multiple jobs and who still
turn to ood banks, because they have insucient
unds to buy enough ood to eed their amilies ater
the bills are paid.
O course, economic uncertainty at the personal
level has an eect outside an individuals home.
Some Nova Scotians, who in the past supported their
neighbours and local ood bank, were unable to do
so this year. Food bank coordinators are now seeing
ormer supporters requesting help as the pressures
o the larger economic context are elt at home. On
the other side o the coin, long-term recipients o
ood assistance are experiencing deepening poverty
as expenses rise disproportionately to income. Nova
Scotias minimum wage currently $8.60 per hour
is scheduled to increase to $9.20 on April 1, 2010.
On a positive note, the recent Speech rom the
Throne rom our provinces rst NDP government
promises activity on items associated with the
Nova Scotia Poverty Reduction Strategy unveiled in
April 2009.
We are seeing people who work multiple jobs and who still
turn to ood banks, because they have insucient unds to
buy enough ood to eed their amilies ater the bills are paid.
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34 FOOD BANKS CANADA
Although there have not been signicant changes in
ood bank use on Prince Edward Island during the
month o March, ood banks continue to be busy and
seem to be getting busier by the month. When we
compare March o 2009 to March o 2008, we have
actually seen a small decrease in ood bank usage.
However, in the months ollowing March 2009,
some ood banks are reporting signicant increases.
These increases are primarily in the urban a reas o
Charlottetown and Summerside, with one ood bank
reporting an increase o 30% when comparing the
January-September 2009 period to the same time
span in 2008.
Food banks are currently assisting a high number
o people who have returned rom the western
provinces because o a decline in the availability o
employment. In general, when we speak to those
coming through our doors about why they need
help, we hear two recurring themes. The rst is
employment. For some people this reers to the lack
o employment opportunities and the inability tond work. For others this means working in low-wage
jobs, or working in jobs that provide limited hours
o employment each week. The second theme is the
elevated cost o housing. Many o our clients report
having diculties paying their rent or mortgage. The
cost o maintaining and heating their homes is also a
great expense that eats into most household budgets.
The composition o the households helped by
ood banks on Prince Edward Island has not changed
much in comparison to 2008. Almost 60% o the
households using ood banks are amilies with
children, and it is these amilies who seem to be
having the most problems with the cost o housing.
The economy still seems to be the main reason
people are using ood banks in the province. Almost
40% o our clients are employed or on Employment
Insurance, and still cannot make ends meet because
o low wages and insucient work hours. It is clear
that Prince Edward Island needs a higher minimum
wage just so amilies can survive.
The increases in need that some ood banks are
reporting has a real impact on both paid sta and
volunteers. It has been a challenge, and the challengewill continue.
Prince Edward IsandSubmitted b the Prince Edward Isand Association o Food Banks, Member o Food Banks Canada
Prepared by Mike MacDonald, Upper Room Food Bank
Highights
2,706 individuals were assisted, March 2009
- 6% chang