Here are the key facts:
402,000 Ontarians a month were forced to turn to food banks in 2010, up
• 28 percent, an unprecedented increase
Since the recession hit in 2008, food bank use in Ontario has grown by • province of Ontario the third most intensive user of food bank services, after
Newfoundland and Labrador and Manitoba
In 2010, 3.1 percent of the Ontario population accessed food banks, making the • In an effort to balance fixed incomes with rising costs of living, more Ontario
seniors are turning to food banks to make it through the month – 12 percent of
the adults served were over 65 in 2010, up from 4 percent in 2009.
You can send a message to all of Ontario's political parties by GOING TO THIS WEB PAGE, and tell them:
"As a proud citizen of the Province of Ontario who is committed to supporting my neighbours, I must make this call to action: ensure that your party delivers real solutions for individuals and families facing hunger in Ontario. This issue will impact how I vote in the upcoming provincial election.
More than 400,000 Ontarians--40 per cent of whom are children--are served each month by Ontario's food banks. Solutions to assist individuals and families that turn to food banks would have a tremendous impact on their long term health and well-being. It is hoped that you and your party will show leadership on this issue and deliver real results."
Bad policy creates the poverty trap
Globe & Mail
"So there it is folks. Bad public policy is marginalizing the generation we were counting on to keep the economy humming as baby boomers head into retirement. This is devastating news for Canada at a time when the priority is to accelerate productivity growth to meet global competition. The combination of low-paid work and rents that far surpass their purchasing power leaves too many low-income Canadians hungry and malnourished and undermines the longer term prospects for the Canadian economy."
• sharply from 374,000 in 2009
