Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Poverty Task Force

Poverty Task Force Community Update #214

Dear Colleagues, 

We recognize the ongoing impact of the almost 200 wildfires in Northern Ontario right now. Thirteen communities have had to evacuate their homes, with First Nations being disproportionately being affected.  Attached are mental health resources compiled by Women’s College Hospital Indigenous Health. 

Across Canada, the impacts of climate change are becoming more visible. Beyond floods, wildfires, and rising temperatures, many people are carrying fear, grief, exhaustion, and a deep sense of uncertainty about the future. These emotional realities are becoming more common, but they are still rarely named or addressed in formal climate action spaces.

  • In Bow Valley, Alberta, the Active Hope: Navigating Climate Grief & Anxietyworkshops offered a different way forward. Led by the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley, with support from the Tamarack Institute, this initiative created welcoming and culturally grounded spaces where people could come together to talk honestly about how climate change feels and what it means for their lives, their communities, and the places they love and call home. 
  • In Grey Bruce, we are feeling the impact of the wildfires on our air quality. Our current work at RentSafe Owen Sound in partnership with RentSafe Ontario explores the feasibility of improving climate resilience in low-income rental housing. Our discussions focus on the impacts of extreme heat, poor air quality, flooding, mould, and other climate-related challenges, as well as opportunities to strengthen existing policies, programs, and partnerships. 

NEW REPORTS

  • The Vital Signs 2026 was released on June 17thVital Signs 2026 – Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force as well as the Vial Signs Data Document bgdisc.ca/post/vital-signs-2026
  • CFOS Open Line: Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force joined Stuart Reid, Executive Director, Community Foundation GB and Vital Signs Chair Alanna Leffley on CFOS Open Line to discuss the newly released Vital Signs Report. Together, they explored the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping our communities. The conversation highlights important topics like housing affordability, community well-being, environmental sustainability, and the strength of local partnerships. Listen now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox2OR7UVk8U

HOUSING

  • City of Owen Sound Agenda: the minutes of the City of Owen Sound Corporate Services Committee from July 9th are on the Agenda for approval of Vital Services By-Law and updates to mould by-laws within Property Standards By-Law on July 27th. These were recommendations put forth by RentSafe Owen Sound to the City in 2024. eSCRIBE MinutesVideo of discussion on Vital Services By-Law and strengthening mould by-laws can be found here.  
  • RentSafe Owen Sound Climate Resiliency Roundtable: will be held on Tuesday, September 29th, 12noon to 4:30pm (includes lunch), Community Impact Lab, Sydenham Campus, Owen Sound. This collaborative session will be led by Jessica Flynn, Community Impact Lab and Geri Blinick, RentSafe Ontario/Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and Environment (CPCHE).
    • Public health professionals, environmental experts, rental housing providers, legal advocates, county planners, landlords, tenants, and community service organizations have been invited to explore the feasibility of improving climate resilience in low-income rental housing in the City of Owen Sound.
    • For more information, please review our backgrounder and learn more about RentSafe’s Collaborating for Climate Resilience project. Register here.
  • Community Outreach and Support Team (COAST): has been awareded funding to extend the work of Bruce County Outreach. They will deliver wraparound support to individuals experiencing substance use challenges and overdose risk. COAST will use real-time data to guide targeted outreach in high-need areas, alongside scheduled community engagement. A mobile medical van will be introduced in the future; however in the interim, the team will operate from a decommissioned and rebranded ambulance. Funding is confirmed through March 31, 2027. Bruce County launches COAST | Bruce County

HEALTH EQUITY 

INCOME SECURITY 

FOOD SECURITY 

  • Grey Bruce Food Share Expansion: 40 people from 23 partner organizations involved with the Grey Bruce Food Share/Food Rescue and the Food Security Action Group met on June 26th at the new OSHaRE Food Depot (767 2nd Avenue East, Owen Sound).
    • Partners learned about the expansion of the food rescue program. There is a new online ordering system which requires new registration, ordering, and reporting.
    • All organizations accessing the program must register with Second Harvest’s Food Rescue and register with OSHaRE’s online ordering portal.
    • Contact Colleen Seaman Trask, info@oshare.ca, to receive access to the ordering portal. 
    • Orders online will be reserved for registered organizations, but there will also be a grab-and-go section and sharing boxes at the Food Depot.
    • Orders will be made on Mondays, the depot closed on Tuesdays to fill orders and Wednesday to Saturday am for organizations to pick-up. Any food not picked up by the next Monday will be returned to the inventory.  OSHaRE will also announce Depot Days for clearing out excess food; no ordering required. Organization ID cards will be issued to allow shopping/pickup. It is mandatory to weigh and record all food.   
  • Food Insecurity in Southwestern Ontario: Public health units across the region are concerned about the growing number of households struggling to afford basic needs, including food. In 2024, 1 in 4 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. News Releases

ALL CANDIDATES EDUCATION SESSION

  • The Next Poverty Task Force Meeting will be on Friday, September 18th, 2026, 10am-11:30am and it will be a Poverty 101 Panel presentation/discussion with All Municipal Candidates.  A poster and details for the event will be sent out to all candidates.  Poverty Task Force Partners are invited to contact Jill Umbach, povertytaskforce@unitedwaybg.com, if they are interested in joining our panel of presenters.  

Cheers, Jill 

Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Poverty Task Force

Poverty Task Force/United Way Community Update #202

Dear Colleagues,

Ontario would not exist as it is today without treaties. They form the basis of the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Although many treaties were signed more than a century ago, treaty commitments are just as valid today as they were then.

More on our local treaties can be found at: Treaty Recognition Week: SON-Crown Treaties | Saugeen Times for Nottawasaga Purchase, 17 Oct 1818, Treaty #18, Saugeen Tract Purchase, 9 Aug 1836, Treat # 45 ½ and Saugeen Peninsula Treaty, 10 Oct 1854, Treaty # 72.

Read more: History of treaties in Ontario | ontario.ca

Treaties Recognition Week (5-11 Nov 2023) was launched in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (PDF) to increase treaty awareness and provide students and the public with an important opportunity to learn why treaties matter. For more resources go to: Treaties Recognition Week | ontario.ca Map of Ontario treaties and reserves | ontario.ca

We All Belong: Voices of Lived Experiences is a 10-segment series of interviews being produced by Rogers TV.  New segments of the series are aired each week and can be shared from the Rogers TV Grey County website. We All Belong: Stories of Lived Experiences – Grey County (rogerstv.com)

The Poverty Task Force is a member of Campaign 2000. We complete surveys to contribute to some of their reporting:

FOOD SUPPORT

INCOME SUPPORT

HOUSING SUPPORT

Stay well, Jill

Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Poverty Task Force

Poverty Task Force/United Way Community Update #114

Dear Colleagues, 

It is that time of year for budgets and taxes! 

But while we are promoting the incredible work being done by volunteers and staff under the Community Volunteer Income Program in Grey Bruce we are also mourning the loss of many people to drugs and the increase in overdoses. 

  • Grey Bruce Public Health is warning people who use unregulated street drugs that they are at significant risk of experiencing an overdose/poisoning due to the local supply containing potentially toxic substances, including the highly potent opioid fentanyl.  
  • The Chief Medical Officer of Health and the Chief Coroner for Ontario have reported evidence of an increase in xylazine and benzodiazepine in Ontario’s unregulated drug supply. Preliminary data for opioid toxicity deaths in Ontario shows Xylaxine was detected in 2-4% of opioid toxicity deaths between 2021 Q4 and 2022 Q3. Benzodiazepines were detected in 63% of cases in 2021 and 41% of cases in 2022. These have been confirmed in our local supply.
  • The GBPH received notification of 2 fatal overdoses and 5 non-fatal overdoses within the past week. Recent awareness events shared that a fatal overdose can happen to anyone. 

Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action 49 

  • Doctrine of Discovery: The Vatican on Thursday formally repudiated the colonial-era “doctrine of discovery”, saying it had been “manipulated” for political purposes by colonial powers “to justify immoral acts against Indigenous peoples that were carried out, at times, without opposition from ecclesial authorities.”  

INCOME SECURITY 

The Federal government released its 2023 Budget: A Made-in-Canada Plan: Strong Middle Class, Affordable Economy, Healthy Future

  • Canadian Dental Care Plan:  in 2022, the government set up a temporary dental benefit for uninsured children under the age of 12 in families with a household income of less than $90,000.  That benefit will end by June 2024. In its place, the government has announced it will provide $13 billion over 5 years starting in 2023-2024, to provide dental coverage for all uninsured Canadians with an annual family income of less than $90,000 or for single Canadians earning less than $70,000. Families that make less than $70,000 will not have co-pays.
  • GST Rebate/Grocery rebate:  a top-up for low-income families via the GST credit. It works out for a maximum amount of $20/month single and $40/month for family. 
  • PayDay Loan Interest rates: changes to the Criminal Code will lower the rate of interest from 47% to 35% annual percentage rate. 
  • Housing:  the government proposes $4B over 7 years to implement a co-developed Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy. The government will reallocate National Housing Co-Investment Fund dollars from the repair stream to the new construction stream, as needed.  
  • The government will directly fund municipalities that submit action plans with a goal to “build more faster,” through methods like accelerating project approval timelines, increasing densification and freeing up unused land – all while keeping affordable housing units in mind as well.

The Provincial government released their 2023 Budget: Building a Strong Ontario. 

  • Housing: an additional $202 million/year over the next 3 years for Homelessness Prevention Program and Indigenous Supportive Housing Program.  
  • Minimum Wage Increase: the Ontario government is increasing the minimum wage to $16.55 an hour on October 1, 2023. This 6.8% raise for low-income workers is to  offset the rising cost of living.

LOCAL SERVICES AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

COMMUNITY VOICES

FOOD SECURITY 

  • Grey Bruce Food Share (GBFS): a new, formal partnership of OSHaRE and The Salvation Army Owen Sound will start this summer.  It will be located at 263 10th Street East in Owen Sound across the parking lot from OSHaRE. 
  • During the pandemic, an informal Grey Bruce Food Distribution Network for Not-For-Profits was in place. This new formal partnership will bring food sharing to a new level by contributing surplus food items to other charities and non-profits across Grey Bruce. GBFS will continue to support over 25 local food sharing agencies who support families and individuals struggling with food insecurity.  
  • OSHaRE is Grey Bruce’s largest recipient of Second Harvest’s Food Rescue. On average OSHaRE rescues over 11 tons of food monthly and The Salvation Army approximately 3 tons. The Salvation Army will use the fresh produce from GBFS to implement Grey Bruce’s first “Fresh Food – Food Bank” – a healthy shift in food options provided to some 700 participants in need.

Stay well, Jill