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Canada’s reliance on meals banks has soared to a grim new milestone, in response to information from Meals Banks Canada.
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The group says it recorded greater than two million visits in March 2024 — almost double the month-to-month visits 5 years in the past in March 2019, and 6 per cent above final 12 months’s record-breaking determine.
Its annual survey of meals financial institution use in Canada says speedy inflation, housing prices and inadequate social helps are driving poverty and meals insecurity.
That features outsized demand from renters, racialized teams, folks with disabilities, newcomers to Canada and residents throughout the North, and a “deeply regarding” want amongst seniors and households with kids.
Meals Banks Canada CEO Kirstin Beardsley says meals banks are being pushed to “the brink” and low-income Canadians need assistance instantly.
The report calls on governments to introduce measures that embody lease help and a month-to-month cost to low-income teams to assist off-set lease and meals prices.
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“HungerCount 2024,” launched Monday, says there have been 2,059,636 visits to meals banks throughout Canada in March 2024 — up six per cent from 2023 and 90 per cent from 2019.
It says one-third of meals financial institution shoppers have been kids — a development that’s held regular however in 2024 totalled almost 700,000 month-to-month visits — whereas almost one-in-five shoppers, or 18 per cent, have been employed. Almost 70 per cent lived in market lease housing.
One pressing advice is “a groceries and necessities profit,” which Beardsley mentioned might be achieved by rejigging the present quarterly GST credit score that goes to low-income Canadians.
“However we’re asking for it to be elevated and made month-to-month in order that it may be a extra predictable cost to of us who’re actually in want,” mentioned Beardsley.
“It’s actually to offset these important prices, the will increase in rents that individuals are seeing, the will increase in price of necessities like meals.”
In 2019, HungerCount recorded 1,086,280 month-to-month visits. There was no report in 2020 and month-to-month visits rose by 17 per cent to 1,272,580 in 2021, by 15 per cent to 1,465,721 in 2022 and by 32 per cent to 1,935,911 in 2023.
Though rates of interest have dropped and inflation is slowing, Beardsley mentioned that financial aid nonetheless relies on costs coming down and wages rising.
“Individuals want cash of their pockets at the moment,” she mentioned.
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