Public health units across the region are concerned about the growing number of households struggling to afford basic needs, including food. In 2024, one in four households in the Southwestern Ontario region experienced household food insecurity, meaning they did not have reliable access to enough food due to financial challenges (Public Health Ontario, 2025). Rising housing and living costs are forcing many individuals and families to make difficult choices between paying rent and buying groceries.
Household food insecurity is linked to poorer physical and mental health, higher risk of chronic disease, and increased pressure on the health-care system. Among children and youth, it impacts concentration, memory, mood, and motor skills, making it harder to succeed in school. Many households are relying on emergency food programs or facing impossible trade-offs, such as skipping meals. While many low and modest-income households face challenges after covering housing and other essential costs, individuals on social assistance programs like Ontario Works often cannot afford both rent and food, even with careful spending.
Ontario public health units monitor food affordability by comparing the costs of food and rent to various household income scenarios. In 2024, these scenarios show that a single adult receiving Ontario Works in the southwestern Ontario region cannot afford both food and rent, facing a monthly deficit ranging from $301 to $859, depending on location. Many other households with low and modest incomes face similar challenges, with little or no income remaining after covering rent and other essential expenses such as transportation, utilities, childcare, clothing, and medications.
Public health units across Southwestern Ontario support solutions which acknowledge that the root cause of household food insecurity is inadequate income by proposing the following measures:
- Increasing social assistance rates, including Ontario Works
- Improving income supports for low- and modest-income households
- Implementing policies that reduce the cost of housing and essential living expenses
In June 2026, the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) passed a resolution recommending that the Ontario Government enhance the Ontario Works (OW) Benefit, for example by aligning the OW earned income exemption with the higher earned income exemption for the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).
Household food insecurity is a serious but preventable public health issue. Addressing it requires coordinated action at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels.
“In Grey-Bruce and beyond, some households are forced to choose between food costs and meeting their other basic needs. This can negatively impact health. Income-based solutions that address household food insecurity also support health and well-being,” said Dr. Brittany Graham, Acting Medical Officer of Health, Grey Bruce Public Health.
