In a country as wealthy as Canada, close to one million people continue to rely on food banks to provide themselves with basic necessities each month. Food Banks are used by a wide variety of people within Canada, ranging from children and families, to single people, to even individuals who are employed. People tend to use food banks because they are not able to maintain a healthy lifestyle on their own. Whether it is because of economic, social, or cultural reasons, many people have no other option but to do so. I have determined that the main cause of an increase in food bank usage in Canada is poverty.
Within Canada, poverty has been an ever-present issue for many years. Although Canada is rated eighth on the Human Development Index, there continues to be a growing number of impoverished people. Individuals who are not able to provide themselves with the basic necessities of life are at an incredible disadvantage when it comes to maintaining their health and well-being. They can be exposed to many illnesses and life threats because they are not able to provide themselves with the resources needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Things such as food, shelter, and warmth all become optional for an individual living in poverty as they have little opportunity to better their life or living situations. Factors such as housing, education, employment, and environment are all equally important in determining an individuals economic standing. Specific groups such as Aboriginals can be at even more of a disadvantage because of the additional issues they face in regards to government policies in Canada. Throughout my research I found that there are four main factors that are greatly affected when an individual is living in poverty, which leads to the need for Food Banks. These factors are income, housing, nutrition and food security, and early childhood development (Canadian Medical Association, 2013, p.1).
In Canada, “levels of poverty are defined as the percentage of Canadians living with incomes below the low-income cut-offs established by statistics Canada. These cut offs are based on family and community size and identify individuals living in impoverished circumstances” (The CJS Foundation For Research and Education, 2002, 3). Unfortunately these cut offs for defining poverty may not be very efficient in doing so. Poverty is measured in regards to if an individual has the required resources to simply survive. Instead, it should be measured in regards to having the resources that are needed for an individual to participate in society, and play a meaningful role in their community.
Now, looking at the four main factors that are affected when an individual is living in poverty, income is a major element in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. An adequate source of income is needed in order for a person to afford the basic necessities of life such as safe housing, nutritious food, and medical care such as medicine and treatments. The CJS Foundation for research and education estimated that 22% of premature years of life lost in Canada could be attributed to the significant income differences between the rich and the poor. Data from a public survey conducted by the Canadian Medical Association in 2012 found that when asked to rate their health, 70% of Canadians earning more than sixty thousand dollars a year described their health as excellent or very good. Where as of people only earning thirty thousand dollars or less a year, only 40% said they were in good or excellent health. Additionally, a study done by the McMaster University in 2010 found that there was a 21-year age gap between the rich neighborhood and poor neighborhood in Hamilton. With the rich expected to live till 86.3 years old, the poor were only expected to live until 65.5 years old. The studies that were completed above illustrate the importance a steady income has in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. If an individual suffers from a chronic illness, they can visit a doctor, and get medication to help their illness. The doctor can also express the importance of maintaining a healthy diet and overall lifestyle but if they are not capable of paying for the medication or fresh fruits and vegetables, taking care of their illness is a very difficult task.
Focusing in on Aboriginals specifically, they have a particularly difficult time earning a sufficient amount of money because of the disadvantage they have in comparison to inborn Canadians. Throughout history, Aboriginals have struggled in many aspects of life, income being one. Statistics Canada found that the median total income of the Aboriginal population between 25 to 54 years old was 22,000 dollars in 2005. The national median income for non-Aboriginals in the same year was 23,000 dollars for the same age group. Factors such as their geographical location, small populations, and socioeconomic conditions all play a role in the difficulties they face with earning an adequate income (Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, 2012, p.5). A majority of Aboriginal communities are located in isolated areas, which greatly affects the job opportunities available to them. It is more difficult to find a steady, well-paying job, which leads to the overwhelming number of families struggling to provide basic necessities for their household. Also, there are an abnormal amount of Aboriginal communities who have high levels of unemployment, very low education levels, and poor health outcomes. All of these factors provide an individual with little opportunity to improve their lifestyle.
Secondly, housing and where a person lives also play’s a role on Food Bank usage. In Canada, premature death is eight to ten times higher among the homeless and on any given night 30,000 people are homeless according to the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness in 2013. Individuals who are homeless or are living in unsafe or unsanitary conditions have no other options but to do so because of the increase in housing costs, family size (not enough bedrooms for everyone in family), and/or discrimination because of their race or a disability they may have. The “reduction in rental housing combined with declining incomes, benefit reductions, and economic changes means that since the 1980s, more and more Canadians are spending a larger percentage of their income on housing” (Gaetz, 2013, p. 6). There are roughly 380,600 households living in severe housing need, meaning that they are living in poverty and spending 50% of their income on rental housing (Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, 6). The CJS foundation for research and education found that within Canada, individuals living within the poorest 20% of neighborhoods are more likely to die of just about every disease from which people can die of, than the most well off. If an individual is living in poor housing conditions, it can be greatly detrimental to their health. If they are being exposed to things such as mold, mildew, or other unsafe environments, it can cause illnesses such as asthma or make an individual’s condition worse. For example, if an individual goes to a doctor with asthma, they can prescribe medication in attempts to treat it, but if the patient goes back home to where they are surrounded my mold on the inside of their bedrooms walls, the air will continue to be unhealthy. All the medication in the world could not improve the person’s asthma.
The Aboriginal communities have been negatively affected by the conditions of their homes on reserves. Many studies “have documented poor, unsafe, and overcrowded housing conditions in Canadian Aboriginal communities” (The Canadian Housing Information Center, 1996, p.1). In on reserve communities, “homes in need of major repair increased from 12,500 in 1997 to 23,800 in 2009. However renovations to these homes have decreased significantly from approximately 4,200 in 1997 to 2,700 in 2009” (Sawchuk, 2011). In a study done by the Aboriginal Peoples Survey Data Base, it found that more than half of on reserve Aboriginal households were living below housing standards created by Canada’s federal government. This means that they did not have enough bedrooms or beds for every person living in the home, they did not have fully working bathroom facilities, they lacked basic amenities (running, clean water), and their utilities costs were more than 30% of the household income (The Canadian Housing Information Center, 1996, p.2). Additionally, housing shortages on a large number of reserves continues to be a key problem. This is due to the high population growth as well as the limited room for improvement in regards to repairing old homes, or building new ones. Living in unsafe or unsanitary conditions due to over crowding and lack of repairs being done is an endless cycle within the on reserve Aboriginal communities. If they are not able to provide themselves with a better way of life due to their geographic, socio-demographic, economic, disability, or health status, they will continue to struggle to provide for everyone in the household.
Thirdly food insecurity remains a dominant reasons as to why people turn to Food Banks. According to Statistics Canada (2014) food insecurity exists when the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or the ability to acquire such food in socially acceptable ways is limited or uncertain. Maintaining a healthy diet is difficult when buying nutritious food can be expensive and sometimes hard to find. Statistics Canada found that about 1.1 million households in Canada experienced food insecurity in 2010 to 2011, of that amount, 5.8% was reported as moderate and 2.5% was severe. ‘Moderate’ food insecurity “means that there was an indication the quality and/or quantity of food consumed was compromised. ‘Severe’ food insecurity “means that there was an indication of reduced food intake and disrupted eating patterns” (Statistics Canada, 2013). In March 2012, 882,188 Canadians relied on food banks to provide their basic dietary requirements according to Food Banks Canada. In many circumstances, people receiving social assistance do not have a proper understanding of nutrition and often throw away vegetables they receive from the food banks. They will then turn to fast foods and processed foods because they are often less expensive and more fulfilling. For example, to feed a family of four at McDonald’s is a lot cheaper than buying the more nutritious but expensive foods such as vegetables, meat or fish to eat. Also, in rural communities and in the north for example, milk can be more expensive then pop. An individual who is struggling with money may have no other choice but to go for the cheaper, less healthy option, as that is all that they can afford. Families unable to ensure a stable food supply can then be more prone to health issues such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure (Canadian Medical Association, 2013, p. 9.
Food insecurity presents a growing issue in Canada’s Aboriginal communities. The expense of bringing in foods and other necessities to the community from distant locations plays a factor in the price of products. Access to traditional, healthier foods such as moose, dear, and rabbit has declined due to Aboriginal lands being taken over by mining, forestry, and other resource intensive uses (Socha, 2012). This resulted in non-traditional, processed foods becoming more common within Aboriginal communities. The varieties of healthy, nutritious foods are scarce due to the high costs of equipment and transportation of foods to remote Aboriginal communities. Many Aboriginal communities have a limited number of routes for transportation; making it more difficult to receive certain foods during specific times of the year as well. For example, some communities can only be accessed by ice roads. During summer months, these roads are at risk of melting. If they are not stable enough for a truck to transport goods, they may have to consider a different, more expensive source of transportation to deliver foods such as a helicopter. Due to high costs of transportation, the costs of foods in local markets can also be very expensive for the average Aboriginal family to afford. The price of certain products such as milk or fresh fruits and vegetables can be much higher. In turn, people have no other option but to depend on the less healthy, cheaper food to attain their daily hunger needs.
Fourthly, early childhood development is an important factor that contributes to Food Bank usage. Canada ranked last among twenty-five developed countries meeting early childhood development objectives according to the Canadian Medical Association in 2013. In Toronto the number of children living in impoverished conditions increases every day. According to the city of Toronto’s 2002 report card on children, the number of children living in poverty across the city grew by 9% between 1995 and 1999. There are over 50,000 children who rely on food relief programs every month in the greater Toronto area according to Daily Bread Food Bank (2002). If a child is raised in a poor environment, in poverty, or with a lack of social support, it can greatly impair their early childhood development. A child needs to be nurtured with the proper resources to further their development and prepare them for a successful future. The importance of education, stimulation, loving interactions and attention during the first five years of a child life has been widely recognized. For example, Dr. Mustard of the Canadian institute for advanced research states that brain development is fostered by nutrition and stimulation. By the time a child has reached 5, most of the brains wiring is complete. Reversing poor development is difficult after this age. Within Canada, in the health of Canada’s children report (Canada institute on child health, 1994), it documents the variations in health and well-being between poor and not poor children. The study defined being poor as receiving social assistance. Health differences were “seen in the incidences of illness and death, hospital stays, accidental injuries, and mental health and well-being. Poor children showed higher incidences of just about any health related problem, however defined” (The CJS Foundation For Research and Education, 2002, p.5). Ultimately, if a child does not properly develop, in the future they can have difficulties in creating a successful, healthy life for themselves. Poverty seems to be a never-ending cycle amongst family members, which is why early childhood development is an important factor in the prevention of a child growing up and needing to reply on food banks.
The Aboriginals of Canada have historically had poor early childhood development. In the past, many Aboriginal children were forced to attend residential schools and leave behind their family for a majority of their childhood years. They were stripped of their culture and were forced to leave behind their native traditional values and beliefs. They also experienced isolation and abuse in these schools. This led to the loss of parenting skills, as parents no longer had the responsibility of care giving or nurturing their children. In today’s day and age, education continues to be a predominant issue. According to Laboucane (2010) within on reserve communities, 90% of preschool Aboriginal children have no access to appropriate early childhood education. Over the past fifteen years, there has not been much improvement for on reserve high school completion rates as well. Looking at secondary school completion rates within on reserve communities, 58% of youth have not finished high school (Laboucane, 2010). There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, there is no funding given by the government for on reserve school libraries or books, meaning both teachers and students do not have access to a great amount of resources. Secondly, schools are not able to provide teachers with well-paid salaries. This leads to individuals who may not be fully qualified to be a teacher, teaching. Thirdly, there is no funding for extracurricular activities or sports for on reserve schools. This does not give children the opportunity to learn or improve on certain skills. Poor early childhood development can lead to risky behavior’s such as drug abuse, alcoholism, crime, poverty, and additional set backs in the future of an individual. Unfortunately, Aboriginals disproportionately struggle with maintaining a healthy lifestyle due to past negative childhood experiences.
With individuals or families not being able to keep up with the demanding and expensive costs of living comfortably, the affects it has on food bank usage is significant. The main cause of an increase in food bank usage in Canada is poverty. Unfortunately, Food banks are only a short-term aid for families that are struggling to maintain a healthy lifestyle through the difficulties of paying for other necessities. Until a solution is found, food banks will continue to only aid families in fulfilling their basic dietary needs. As the number of food bank users within Canada increase, there are a number of factors that play a role in why this has been occurring. From how much an individual earns depending on their job, to where they are living and how much they are paying for rent, to the types of foods they can afford or have access to, as well as if children are being provided with the resources needed for proper development. Within Aboriginal communities specifically, the same issues are present in greater proportions due to both past and present issues First Nations face within Canada. Each aspect that contributes to food bank usage are all connected and are affected by each other. If an individual has to work two or three minimum wage jobs to be able to take care of the family, this will affect how much time is being spent with their children. In turn, this affects the area and quality of the home they can live in. If an individual is living in rental housing, they have to make sure they have a steady monthly income in order to be able to afford their rent, bills, food, and other necessities. It is clear that resources such as social assistance, welfare, and employment insurance are not preventing or fixing any issues. Ultimately, the rise in poverty and food bank usage is something that can only be improved over time with some serious action from the government.

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