Advocacy – Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force

September 13, 2024 Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Advocacy, Community Updates, Income Security

Poverty Task Force/United Way Community Update # 211

There has been a lot of work happening over the Summer of 2024. And while we may think that we are constantly “holding the line” or “trying to keep people from dying”, the work has not gone unnoticed. We want to recognize all our partners who are on the frontlines of saving lives, feeding the hungry and keeping people housed.

The deepening homelessness and opioid crisis has been on every agenda and will continue to be so as rates of poverty and homelessness increases. We need leadership from all sectors and all levels of government to work together with all social sectors to address the issues.

MUNICIPAL ENGAGEMENT

Jill Umbach and Francesca Dobbyn made a deputation before the City of Owen Sound Council on 9 Sept 2024. We spoke to the role of municipal leaders in providing leadership and vision to address social issues in the City. Our presentation starts at the 4:45 minute mark. https://pub-owensound.escribemeetings.com/Players/ISIStandAlonePlayer.aspx?Id=9b73088c-971b-455b-b817-f7610909e37d
Jon Farmer, City of Owen Sound Councilor spoke to the minutes of the Poverty Task Force of July 2024. Correspondence received which is presented for the information of Council – Council Meeting – Regular – July 22, 2024 (escribemeetings.com)
Jill Umbach gave an update on income & poverty work at the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan Advisory Committee meeting on 6 Sept 2024.

INCOME SECURITY UPDATES

ODSP Clawback on Canada Disability Benefit: 1 of 8 letters were sent to the Ontario government. We received a response from the Jason Stanely, Social Assistance Policy Branch, MCCSS and MPP/Minister of Rural Affairs, Lisa Thompson.
The Federal Government invites comments on proposed regulations for the Canada Disability Benefit. This consultation will remain open until September 23, 2024.Canadians invited to comment on proposed regulations for the Canada Disability Benefit – Canada.ca Summary of the proposed Canada Disability Benefit Regulations – Canada.ca
Guaranteed Livable Basic Income: In Sept, the House will vote on Bill C223, for a guaranteed livable basic income. If it passes this vote, it will be the first time that basic income is studied by a federal parliamentary committee! Write to your MP and other decision makers urging them to support the bill at second reading: https://www.leahgazan.ca/glbi_letter_2024 Share the campaign at: https://www.leahgazan.ca/shareables
Welfare in Canada 2023: was published in late July 2024 and looks at the total incomes available to those relying on social assistance (often called “welfare”), taking into account tax credits and other benefits along with social assistance for each province. Welfare in Canada – Maytree
Here is the direct link to the Ontario data. Ontario – Maytree

Four key takeaways:

Deep inadequacy: In 2023, welfare incomes remained deeply inadequate. 55 out of 56 (98%) of households were in poverty, with 40 of them (71%) living in deep poverty.
Federal contribution: Despite the need, the federal government’s support for households receiving social assistance remained minimal.
Cost-of-living impact: The expiration of temporary cost-of-living-related payments in 2023 negatively affected households.
Growing gap: Income support investments varied across jurisdictions. Some made improvements, while others lagged.

Social Assistance Rates: July saw increases for ODSP, nothing for Ontario Works. Also, see the attached table. OW and ODSP rates and OCB as of July 2024 – Income Security Advocacy Centre
Canada’s Poverty Dashboard shows dramatic increases in specific areas of poverty – information that can help communities target both local strategies and advocacy to higher levels of government. Canada’s Official Poverty Dashboard of Indicators: Trends, April 2024 (statcan.gc.ca)
Campaign 2000 Pre-Budget Submission: was submitted on Aug 2nd, 2024, and comments on the patchwork nature of social supports which it finds inadequate and with major gaps. https://campaign2000.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/PreBudget_2025_C2K_Submission.pdf

FOOD SECURITY UPDATES

Food insecurity continues to grow in our region. Since January 2020 to the end of August 2024, Grey Bruce community meal programs have reported over 800,000 meals were distributed. 115,000 meals were distributed in 2023. All Dashboards | Food Bruce Grey
OSHaRE Community Meal Program: 17,000 meals were distributed in the month of July 2024 and 17,500 meals in August 2024 compared to 20,000 meals distributed over the whole year in 2020. In 2024, OSHaRE shared 146,625 meals with the community.
Family Assist Market (FAM): is held bi-weekly at OSHaRE/Owen Sound. It has grown from 4 families to 80 families since its startup in June 2024. The FAM provides access to community support services with multiple agencies as well as food hampers (Good Food Box/The Salvation Army) and large family size meals from OSHaRE.
Grey Bruce Good Food Box: has released a new flyer for the Fall season. Hanover GFB has a new host organization at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church. Chatsworth GFB is amalgamating with Owen Sound GFB. Orders and pickup can be made through Owen Sound GFB at OSHARE. Good Food Box – United Way of Bruce Grey
Feed Ontario: has released 2024 Hunger Report saw a 25% increase in food bank visits over last year. https://feedontario.ca/news/ontarians-are-drowning-amid-surging-affordability-crisis/ Feed Ontario has the latest food bank usage data for each municipality at: Hunger in my Riding – Feed Ontario
National School Food Policy: describes the long-term vision for school food programs in Canada, as well as the guiding principles and objectives that will help make this vision a reality. It lays the groundwork for a future where all children can have access to nutritious school meals. Newfoundland and Labrador has become the first province in Canada to sign on to the federal government’s school food program. 4624-National_School_Food_Policy-E.pdf (canada.ca)

HOUSING SECURITY UPDATES

Bruce County is excited to launch a new $100,000 pilot program that offers up to $50,000 to homeowners who wish to build an affordable Additional Residential Unit (ARU) on their property. https://www.brucecounty.on.ca/news/2024-sep-12/additional-residential-unit-funding-pilot-bruce-county-homeowners-50000-build
National Encampments Resource Plan: in the 2024 Federal Budget, the federal government announced an additional $250 million to address encampments in Canada. This follows the Federal Housing Advocate’s call for a National Encampments Response Plan.
National Right to Housing Network: their recent pre-budget submission, which emphasizes calls for measure of accountability; to make sure this $250 million only supports rights-based activities by local governments. NRHN – National Right to Housing Network’s 2025 Pre-Budget Submission (housingrights.ca)
Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO): has released a publication on municipal perspectives on encampments.Homeless Encampments in Ontario: A Municipal Perspective (amo.on.ca)
Ontario Big City Mayors: 444 municipalities have launched a new Ontario municipal campaign urging the provincial government to step up. Take Action – Solve Ontario’s Homelessness Crisis (solvethecrisis.ca)Ontario municipalities call on province to address homelessness, opioid crises | TVO Today
Canadian Renters’ Bill of Rights: the federal government’s 2024 Budget called for a new Canadian Renters’ Bill of Rights. Consultations with tenants’ rights groups has been happening over the summer with the aim to strengthen tenant protections all across the country. Backgrounder: Solving the housing crisis: Canada’s Housing Plan – Canada.ca Chapter 1: More Affordable Homes | Budget 2024 (canada.ca)
Canadian Centre for Housing Rights: has released a new report Nowhere to Go: Gender-based violence and housing insecurity in Ontario – Canadian Centre for Housing Rights (housingrightscanada.com)

Thanks to Pam Hanington for pulling together these latest Housing Reports.

Stay well, Jill

November 4, 2019November 4, 2019 Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Advocacy, Income Security Action Group, Partner Activities, Poverty Task Force, Research

2019 Living Wage in Grey Bruce

Calculating the Living Wage for Grey Bruce.

June 26, 2019June 26, 2019 Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Advocacy, Food Security Action Group, Poverty Task Force, Resources

“Everyone at the Table” – Why a National Food Policy in Canada matters to us

Canada has a new road map for a more sustainable food system with the passing of A Food Policy for Canada on June 17th. The national policy’s broad vision sets out to ensure all Canadians have access to enough safe, nutritious and culturally diverse food, and that our food system is resilient and innovative to sustain the environment and support the economy.

The Government received feedback from 45,000 Canadians during its pulic consultations and summarized its recommendations for further comments. The Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force submitted our comments on the policy – Canadian Food Policy PTF Response_30 Aug 2017.

The Budget 2019 included a funding line for food policy that allocated $134 million dollars for specific initiatives, as well as announcing federal leadership towards a National Healthy School Food Programme.

The policy builds and is inter-related with other Federal initiatives like the Heathy Eating Strategy, Canada’s Food Guide, and the Poverty Reduction Strategy, as well as work on food fraud, food labelling, and food loss and waste, among others.

Our Bruce Grey Food Charter reflects many of the same principles that are endorsed in the policy.

What is the policy?

The Food Policy for Canada will allow for improvements within our community. This policy will ensure that all people in Canada are able to access a sufficient amount of safe, nutritious and culturally diverse food. Canada’s food system will be resilient and innovative, sustain our environment, and support our economy. In Canada, our food is held to a high standard, and we know that these improvements will help in many ways.

The Food Policy for Canada will establish 4 areas for near-term action, including: 1) Help Canadian Communities Access Healthy Food; 2) Make Canadian Food the Top Choice at Home and Abroad; 3) Support Food Security in Northern and Indigenous Communities; and 4) Reduce Food Waste.

Investments – 134 Million under Federal Budget 2019:
- Local Food Infrastructure Fund, $50 million – To support a wide range of community-led projects (eg., greenhouses, community freezers) that aim to improve access to safe, healthy, and culturally diverse food.
- Northern Isolated Community Initiatives Fund, $15 million.
- Buy Canadian Promotion Campaign, $25 million – To promote Canadian agricultural products thanks to a new Canada Brand, and through online and in-store Buy Canadian marketing campaigns.
- Reducing Food Waste, $26.3 million – Working with experts to develop a challenge to fund the most innovative food waste reduction proposals in food processing, grocery retail, and food service.
- Tackling Food Fraud, $24.4 million – To aid CFIA in cracking down on mislabeling and misrepresentation of food products.
- Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council – An advisory council to the government will be formed with diverse expertise and perspectives to address the complex issues of the food system through collaborative action.
- National School Food Program – Join with the provinces and not-for-profit organizations to address the issue of child hunger at school.

How will the policy impact us as a rural community?

With 1 in 5 children in Grey and Bruce Counties in poverty, it is clear that we need to find affordable and healthy food to fuel our children. It is hard for children to be successful if they are focusing on how hungry they are. The National Food School Program is a key part of this new policy, and kids in this area could greatly benefit from this. Food bank usage is increasing across the 22 Food Banks that serve our communities in Grey County and Bruce County.

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture advocates for an economically sound and sustainable agri-food industry as a pre-requisite for delivering on food security. Their analysis provides more details on implications for sustainable practices for our local Grey Bruce agriculture production. The policy will help our smaller, agriculture-based communities thrive.

October 11, 2018October 11, 2018 Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Advocacy, Food Security Action Group, Poverty Task Force

Respect, validation & listening: Fall Food Gathering 2018

Food Security and Mental Health — Alison Govier and Dave Roy from CMHA-GB shared with us mental health strategies, data, services and programs in Grey Bruce.

Our 2nd Annual Grey Bruce Fall Food Gathering on September 20th brought together food system players to connect, collaborate, share, and learn.

The Grey Bruce Sustainability Network and the Food Security Action Group of the Poverty Task Force focused this year’s event on the intersections between food, mental health, and the environment.

People with mental health experiences are members of our family and community therefore we all have a role to play in mental health. “The problem is the problem – not the person.” shared Dave Roy of CMHA-Grey Bruce. “We need to respect, validate and listen to people.”

It is important that people come to our community food hubs and know that they have been heard. While Dave Roy and Alison Govier shared with us Where to Begin with mental health services and programs in Grey Bruce – they also helped to “de-expert” our roles.

A rapid fire sharing sessions highlighted the work of several community food centres – Bruce Botanical Gardens in Ripley, The Salvation’s Army’s Community Hub in Wiarton and the Walkerton & District Food Bank. Creative and practical ideas were shared on second harvesting, engagement with super markets, fresh food purchase and distribution; food/plant education, local stewardship of plants and community engagement.

The afternoon session was a hands-on visit to the CMHA-GB Community Food Forest and Gardens in Owen Sound. The Food Forest has been a community hub for 4 years. It includes a fruit orchard, some 130 raised garden beds for vegetables, herbs and other edible plants and a new edible labyrinth. CMHA Grey Bruce employs 12 clients as gardeners and they help plant, tend and harvest the crops. The fruit and vegetables are sold at local markets and used in a community brunch program that provides nutritional meals to about 60 people daily, Monday to Friday. A special thank you to Teresa Pearson and Thomas Dean for the educational tour and our lunch which was provided by their Fresh Roots Cafe and Catering with produce from the gardens.

The Poverty Task Force’s 2018 Election Education campaign was shared and members were encouraged to ensure food security-related data captured in From Bandaids-to-Bridges: moving forward with Community Food Centres is raised with municipal candidates. The creation of a new Agri-Asset Map for Grey County now includes the the Grey Bruce Food Security Assets data and people are encouraged to ensure they are on the map!

A long list of collaborative ideas were generated. The final commentary for the day centered on the need and support for these kinds of gatherings even more often than once-a-year. It was noted that the Food Security Action Group of the Poverty Task Force meets monthly and would be a good place for anyone interested in these issues to attend.