Canadians face food insecurity as 120% of income for some goes to food, rent

Canadians from coast to coast to coast are continuing to face food insecurity as income fails to keep pace with food price increases and advocates say the country is “failing” to meet some people’s human right to food.

Data from Statistics Canada showed about one in four Canadians was living in a food-insecure household last year.

The numbers were released the same month data showed food prices had increased 3.5 per cent year-over-year.

“It’s horrible,” said Marissa Alexander, executive director of Food Secure Canada. “The main issue is that folks do not have enough income to support their lifestyle because we are not getting paid fair wages or appropriate wages, the cost of housing has gone up, the cost of groceries have gone up.”

Most provinces saw a range of 23 to 28 per cent of people living in food-insecure households, with only Quebec falling outside this range at 18 per cent. In the territories, the numbers ranged 15 to 16 per cent, except for Nunavut which sees 56 per cent of residents living in food insecure homes.

In some places like Peterborough, Ont., it’s meant an increase for food banks and other organizations.

“This time of year, we have to buckle down and really stretch our dollars because the donations do go down,” said Ashley Anderson, executive director of Kawartha Lakes Food Source.

“A lot of talk is, we’re hearing people with full-time jobs, they have kids and the gas prices, those are a few conversations we have heard in the waiting room.”

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The food bank has seen more than 1,000 visits every month.

Lakelands Public Health, which includes Peterborough, recently released data showing 22.3 per cent of households were food insecure from 2022 to 2024. This data included families on minimum wage, people under Ontario Works assistance or a single person on the Ontario Disability Support Program.

The cost of rent and food alone can leave some people with little to no extra money for other basics. A family of four on minimum wage in a three-bedroom apartment using 71 per cent of their income could still be left with $1,432, but that same type of family on Ontario Works could end up with negative $666 after using about 120 per cent of their income.

The numbers are different though depending where you live. In Windsor, Ont., a family of four making minimum wage could walk away from paying rent and food with $2,644 remaining for everything else, but a family on Ontario Works could end up with $545, according to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.

Alexander said those numbers could make it appear the family on minimum wage is in a better spot financially, but everyone is struggling.

“There used to be some problematic beliefs that it was just certain people could be food insecure, and it was due to their own personal failings or challenges,” she said. “We’ve been very clearly advocating that that is not the case. It’s not an individual failing, it’s a systemic failing.”

When people fall into food insecurity, it’s not only about feeding yourself but staying healthy, said Lauren Kennedy, registered dietician with Lakelands Public Health.

“We know that as household food insecurity rates go up, as the severity of household food insecurity goes up, so do health-care expenses,” Kennedy said. “When folks are facing household insecurity, it’s hard to eat enough, let alone healthy food.”

This can make it even more difficult for people with chronic diseases to ensure they have healthy food that could help them manage their health issues, while children in food insecure households are more likely to develop depression or have hyperactivity and inattention issues.

Food banks continue to make an effort to help Canadians, but with a report by Food Banks Canada showing nearly 2.2 million visits in a single month in 2025, advocates say governments can do more.

“When it comes to household food insecurity, we want to try to fix it with providing emergency food,” said Kennedy. “At the same time, we need to be careful that we don’t forget that we need to address the root causes of household food insecurity. It’s an income problem that requires income solutions.”

A number of options could help tackle the issue, Alexander said, whether it’s more benefits like the recent Groceries and Essentials Benefit rolled out earlier this spring, ensuring the Canada Child Benefit puts money directly “into the hands of those that need it,” or changing policies such as having a basic income “of some form.”

“What we’re noting is we know that food is a human right, and right now in Canada, we are failing to meet that human right,” she said.

—with files from Global News’ Madeleine McColl