Food Bank Use Up 31% Pre-recession

Canadians Use Food Banks 31% More Before Recession

The above graphic links to an article in the Globe and Mail which says that 882,000 Canadians used a food bank this past March. This is up 2.4% from a year previous and up 31% when compared with the time before the recession.

I suspect the experience in Nanaimo is consistent with these numbers if not somewhat higher, and the fact our current economic situation is possibly the new reality is a proposition that our leaders would be wise to consider.

The report points out that food banks were never meant to become a permanent part of the Canadian landscape but rather sprang up during the 80's when times were tough. The study also showed that nearly 20% of working Canadians earn less than $17,000 per year which reflects an economic shift towards lower paying service jobs.

When it comes to analyzing the local job market, there is no credible source for statistics which accurately show how many people are working, looking for work or have given up. It is however obvious that there is more and more pressure being put on the food banks.

There is also more and more pressure being put on the average working family with costs rising every time you turn around. Locally, Nanaimo taxpayers can brace for another round of property tax increases as the city struggles to address properly financing an aging infrastructure which one study suggested was being underfunded the equivalent of a 15% tax increase.

Staff of course will be able to wrestle with these economic challenges shortly from their shiny new $12,000,000.00 office which they built without going to tender while enjoying their $360,000 new furnishings. Yup, times are tough and we all need to watch our spending.