As was highlighted by the United Way of Bruce Grey this week, food insecurity is a growing problem in Grey-Bruce and across the nation.
Anyone who has been paying attention to the news over the past couple of years will be all too aware that we are in the midst of a growing opioid crisis, with new overdoses and fatalities being reported with an uncomfortable frequency. We have also seen an increase in property crimes that has raised the concern of many. Over the past few years we have also seen many reports about the growing issue of food insecurity.
In short, people are struggling; far too many people are struggling.
The opioid crisis, the increase in property crimes in our community, and the food insecurity issue are all linked to some similar root causes, with the primary root cause being that far too many do not earn a living wage, and simply cannot afford many of the basics that we used to take for granted.
“Our community is facing a crisis,” said Francesca Dobbyn, Executive Director of the United Way of Bruce Grey, in a press release issued this week. “Hunger is an income issue, and too many individuals simply cannot make ends meet. Rising living costs have left people unable to provide basic necessities for themselves or their families.”
With the most recent increase implemented last month, the minimum wage in Ontario is now $17.20 per hour, which is nearly $36,000 for a full time employee, but it isn’t enough to cover the actual cost of living, the cost of simply surviving.
As I wrote on this page nearly two years ago, from my perspective, if you work, you should earn a living wage. It seems like such a basic concept, but for many it is an elusive dream.
In that editorial published in November 2022, I noted that at the time, the estimated living wage in Grey-Bruce for a single person was $19.12, while for a single parent with two children it would be $24.74, and for a two-parent home with two children, each parent would need to earn $21.05 per hour in order to be earning what would be considered a living wage. Those numbers would have increased over the past two years, but it is clear that even with the increased minimum wage, $17.20 per hour simply is not enough for someone who works full-time to get by.
When hard-working folks can’t pay the bills, they can become frustrated, depressed, angry, and often desperate, and as a result we see things like increases in property crimes and domestic violence, or we see folks turn to drugs and alcohol. When we ask people to work a 40-hour week, but then don’t pay them enough to truly afford the cost of living – not to thrive, just to live, it can certainly feel like a betrayal.
As I wrote two years ago, nobody who works full time, or who cobbles together two or three part-time jobs should earn less than a living wage, full stop. To suggest that some jobs aren’t worthy of a living wage is repulsive to many.
Local charities and other organizations working hard to help have seen the demand for food programs increase by 30 percent this year, a staggering increase.
Caught in the cross-hairs of the food insecurity crisis are children, who have no power to change their circumstances. Grey Bruce Public Health notes that in 2023, 30.7 percent of children in Ontario were living in food-insecure households; in 2022 that number was 18.7 percent, and in 2021 it was 16.1 percent. The problem is clearly growing at an alarming rate.
“Each year, Grey Bruce Public Health monitors food affordability in the region and will soon release its 2024 report. Over the years, this data has shown incomes are not enough to meet basic needs like food and shelter. This is not a problem resolved by food charities. Income-based policies are the most effective way to address food insecurity and our communities need these policies now,” noted the press release issued by the United Way.
The nearly $36,000 that a full-time minimum wage earner in Ontario now takes home after the most recent increase to the minimum wage will certainly help some, but it falls short of the more than $41,000 per year that folks actually need to be earning just to pay the bills and survive, again, not to thrive, just to survive.
A living wage is one that will cover the basics along with some minor creature comforts, but it is not a wage that will allow for tropical vacations, or expensive sports cars in the garage; it is simply the amount we need to earn in order to put a roof over our heads, food on the table, and to ensure that we can clothe ourselves.
“Food insecurity is a problem of inadequate income, not solved by food,” said GBPH Public Health Manager Jason Weppler back in February of this year. “Improving the financial circumstances of food insecure households requires action from all levels of government and community leadership. More than half of those experiencing food insecurity are employed. We need to see innovative solutions and supports that ensure everyone can meet their basic needs.”
It is always heartbreaking to see the struggles of others. My heart aches when I see someone without a home, without resources for proper nutrition, or other basic human necessities. The harsh reality is that most of us aren’t as far away from the prospect of homelessness as we might like to think. With the vast majority living paycheque to paycheque, with little to nothing set aside for emergencies, a significant number of us could find ourselves struggling and vulnerable after losing a job, or enduring a mental health crisis. The fear, the frustration, the feeling of abandonment, could knock on many of our doors in a virtual heartbeat.
The challenge is great, people are suffering, and too many are hungry.
