2019 Hunger Report Provides Analysis of the Data Gathered by the Ontario Food Bank Network, Through the Link2feed Client Intake System, III

Hunger Report 2019 Ontario’s Changing Employment Landscape and Its Impact on Food Bank Use In This Report Executive Summary 4 About Feed Ontario Feed Ontario (formerly the Ontario Association of Food Banks) is a Poverty in Ontario 5 network of 130 direct member food banks and over 1,100 affiliate hunger- relief agencies that are united in their work to address and prevent hunger Poverty and Food Insecurity 7 and poverty. Through emergency food support, innovative programming, and a Who Uses Food Banks? 8 commitment to investigating long-term solutions to poverty, the provincial food bank network works tirelessly to improve the health and well-being of Feature: Ontario’s Changing Employment Landscape 11 the adults and families it serves. I. Ontario’s Changing Labour Market 13 About This Report II. Ontario’s Changing Labour Laws 17 The 2019 Hunger Report provides analysis of the data gathered by the Ontario food bank network, through the Link2Feed client intake system, III. Ontario’s Changing Social Safety Net 19 between April 1st 2018 – March 31st, 2019. This report also includes a special feature on emerging trends in the Ontario labour force and the impact on low-income Ontarians. IV. Ontario’s Changing Social Assistance Programs 23 Feed Ontario would like to thank its direct and affiliate member food banks, Recommendations for Change 27 and their staff and volunteers, for their hard work in surveying visitors to the food bank, and the invaluable role that they play in addressing hunger Beyond the Table 31 and developing solutions to poverty every single day. To learn more, visit www.feedontario.ca Feed Change 34 Executive Summary etween April 1st, 2018 – In November 2018, the provincial March 31st, 2019, Ontario’s government announced their food banks were accessed intention to reform Ontario’s social Bby 510,438 individuals that assistance programs, expressing visited more than 3,059,000 times concern about the increasing throughout the year. The primary number of people accessing reason that an individual or family support, and the difficulty that may need to access a food bank is many face in re-entering or because they do not have sufficient remaining in the workforce. While income to afford all of their basic improvements to these programs necessities each month. are needed, there is a concern that Ontario’s current job market In recognizing that income is does not provide employment directly linked to food bank use, it is opportunities that ensure workers important to understand the income have access to sufficient wages, source of those requiring support. hours, or permanent positions. In Ontario, over 70 percent of those that access food banks cite social In order to make meaningful assistance or government benefits, improvements to social assistance like Employment Insurance, as their outcomes, Ontario needs a primary source of income. workforce that provides good stable jobs, labour laws that protect Over the last three years a new workers, and strong social security trend has started to emerge, with programs that properly assist those Ontario’s food banks seeing an that have lost their jobs or who increasing number of individuals become injured in the workplace. with either full or part time For those that require the support employment income requiring of Ontario Works or ODSP, these emergency food support to make programs need to provide sufficient ends meet. This report argues that support for individuals to remain there are a number of contributing healthy and move out of poverty. factors to this emerging trend, Poverty In including a rise in precarious and Feed Ontario believes that its vision of ending poverty and hunger is HUNGER REPORT 2019 temporary employment, changes to Ontario’s labour laws, and shared by all levels of government, insufficient support provided by and that there has never been a Ontario’s worker support programs. greater need for collective action than there is today. Ontario FEED ONTARIO 4 hen we think about poverty, it is The relationship between food Poverty insecurity and poverty, however, often the state of not having enough goes beyond the inability to personal or household income that and Food purchase sufficient, safe, nutritious, comes to mind; but, poverty is actually and culturally appropriate food. While poverty undeniably causes much more than insufficient income. Insecurity food insecurity, it is arguable that W food insecurity also contributes Living in poverty includes a lack of fall, the income gap between hile food banks to poverty. To expand, individuals access to necessities and services, lower income people and provide a myriad that report food insecurity also like health care or information, other people has to narrow. of services to help report poor functional health or an as well as obstacles that make individuals living inability to perform key activities it difficult for an individual or W • Market Basket Measure in poverty, their primary role is due to health problems, long-term family to participate in society in a (MBM): is based on the to alleviate food insecurity. Food physical and/ or mental disabilities 1 meaningful way. For example, an concept of an individual or insecurity is directly linked to that limit activity at home, work or individual living in poverty might not family not having enough poverty, but is specific to the ability school, multiple chronic conditions, be able to afford transportation to income to afford the cost of a of an individual or household to and major depression.8 visit a doctor when needed, or pay basket of goods and services, secure sufficient, safe, nutritious, for a child to go on a field trip with POVERTY such as housing, food, and and culturally appropriate food AND HARD CHOICES their classmates. Living in poverty basic necessities. Therefore, that meets their dietary needs.5 goes beyond the insufficient access when the incomes of lower DECREASED LOW to safe housing and nutritious food; ABILITY NUTRITION income people rise, the MBM Similar to understanding poverty, TO WORK FOODS it includes social exclusion and rate tends to fall, because barriers to living a full life. there are a number of ways more people can afford this to measure food insecurity in basket of goods. Canada, but the Household Food In understanding the complexity MEDICAL CHRONIC Security Survey Module (HFSSM) COSTS DISEASES of poverty, there are a number In 2018, the Canadian government is widely considered to be the of different measures used to set the Market Basket Measure most comprehensive tool. At Individuals require sufficient, determine what it means to live as Canada’s first official poverty present, participation in the survey nutritious food in order to live with a low income and how many line, which determined that there is completed on a voluntary basis healthy lives and to have the individuals and families fall within are 3,471,300 Canadians living in by each provincial government, ability to participate in society this category. Two of the most poverty. In Ontario, using the same with Ontario most recently on daily basis. Without sufficient common measurements used are measurement, there are 1,435,140 participating in the survey in 2014. food, health conditions that affect the Low Income Measure and the people living below the poverty The results of this survey revealed an individual’s ability to secure Market Basket Measure. As defined line, including 213,624 children.3 that 11.9 percent of Ontarian or maintain employment, attend 2 by Statistics Canada: To put this into perspective, this households were food insecure.6 In school, or access external support means that 1 in every 10 Ontarians understanding that food insecurity make it even more difficult for • Low Income Measure (LIM): has insufficient income to afford and poverty are closely connected, the individual to move out of HUNGER REPORT 2019 is based on the concept of a modest, basic standard of it is not surprising that during the poverty. It is in this way that food an individual or family having living, including: a nutritious diet, same year, 12 percent of Ontario’s insecurity perpetuates poverty and a low income relative to the clothing and footwear, shelter with population fell under the Market why ongoing access to sufficient, Canada-wide median. In electricity, heat, and water, and Basket Measure.7 nutritious food is essential to general, for the LIM rate to transportation.4 breaking the cycle. FEED ONTARIO 6 7 (6.1 percent). 9 When looking at per year), or more than double the Further, outside of a small increase Who Uses social assistance specifically, food income presently available.12 For for individuals that live in Northern insecurity rates more than double, individuals accessing the Ontario Ontario, the province’s social Food Banks? with over 61 percent of Canadian Disability Support Program, assistance programs do not account households that rely on social which provides $1,169 per month for the difference in the cost of assistance as their main source of ($14,028 per year), their income living between rural communities etween April 1, 2018 and income experiencing moderate falls $472 short of what would be or large urban centres. As a result, March 31, 2019, Ontario’s to severe food insecurity.10 needed to meet this modest, basic the income gap can fall anywhere food banks were accessed These figures are mirrored in standard of living. For individuals between 23 to 60 percent below by 510,438 unique B Ontario’s food bank data, which living on a tight budget, where what is needed, depending on individuals, including 169,167 showed that 71 percent of every single dollar is accounted where the individual or family lives. children. This is an increase of the households indicated social for, a $470 shortfall every month In addition to the increasing number 8,848 people (or 1.8 percent) assistance programs or government can feel insurmountable.

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