Hunger Count 2009

8/9/2019 Hunger Count 2009

1/44

HUNGERCOUNT2009A comprehensive report on hunger and ood bank use in Canada,

and recommendations or change


2/44

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.


3/44

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.


4/44

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.


5/44

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


6/44

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


7/44

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


8/44

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


9/44

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


10/44

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)


11/44

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)


12/44

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


13/44

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?


14/44


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


15/44

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.


16/44


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:


17/44

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.


18/44


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.


19/44

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.


20/44

Food bank use in Canada

b the numbers

March, 2009


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


21/44

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


22/44


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.


23/44

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.


24/44


AbertaSubmitted b Aberta Food Banks, Member o Food Banks Canada

Prepared by Richard Le Sueur, Alberta Food Banks

Highights



43% are children





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.


25/44

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.


26/44


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



44% are children

14.5% report employment income



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


27/44

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.


28/44


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


49% are children



54.5% receive social assistance

10% receive disability-related income supports

66% o ood banks saw an increase


29/44

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.


30/44


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


38% are children






31/44

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.


32/44


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



34% are children





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.


33/44

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



34% are children






34/44


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



34% are children




10% receive disability-related income supports



35/44

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.


36/44


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


- 6% chang

Date post:	30-May-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	kitsilano-house
View:	214 times
Download:	0 times

Hunger Count 2009

Documents