Federal budget to include grocery rebate for lower-income Canadians
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time "grocery rebate" for lower-income Canadians, CTV News has confirmed.
It comes as many Calgarians struggle with the rising cost of food.
"Everything's just been going up and up and up," said Nadia Aube.
"Milk, eggs, bread, I mean, all those things. Fruits, vegetables, anything fresh is crazy."
Jodi Fournier, another Calgarian, agrees and says it's becoming more difficult to shop for the essentials.
"Before this, I could spend $250 for a family of four and now, there's three of us and it was $400 today," she said.
According to sources, the "grocery rebate" will be unveiled in Tuesday's federal budget and will help nearly 11 million low-income Canadians.
The measure would see eligible couples with two children get a one-time payment of up to $467.
An eligible senior would get a payment of $225.
An eligible single person would get $234.
"I'm fortunate that I can afford to buy my groceries, but other people can't," Fournier said.
The Calgary Food Bank says the government money will only go so far.
"Food insecurity, hunger is a bigger problem than a one-time payment can fix," said Betty Jo Kaiser, communications co-ordinator.
The food bank has seen a sharp increase in demand over the past couple of months, but it's also receiving fewer donations.
"Unfortunately, because of the cost of groceries, people just aren't able to give as much," Kaiser said.
As a result, she says they're having to substitute some of the staple items typically included in their emergency food hampers.
"Whatever is donated, we're able to push out and if people aren't able to donate, you know, a couple packages of pasta, then that's two less packages of pasta that's going out to people that are food insecure," she said.
Kaiser says the items most needed right now at the food bank are baby formula, peanut butter, canned beans, granola bars, apple sauce and fruit cups.
According to Statistics Canada's latest inflation report, food prices rose 10.6 per cent in February compared to a year ago.
That's more than double the rate of inflation of 5.2 per cent.
The government's plan will be allocated through the GST rebate system, essentially replicating the recent GST rebate increase.
It's also expected that the money won't actually have to be spent on groceries.
Sylvia Kong, a home economist, says people can use that to their advantage.
"They can go in and repair that freezer or repair that microwave or buy the new cooking pan that's not been working properly," Kong said.
"Those are ways that we're going to get people to be cooking at home."
Kong says people can stretch their dollar by making a list and sticking to it, checking their pantry and freezer to avoid buying duplicates, and taking advantage of bargains, like discounted bread and fruit, when they're available.
She also recommends people opt for frozen fruit and vegetables when possible to save money and reduce food waste at the same time.
"I really discourage people from buying expensive compost. Buy food that you're going to eat first-in, first-out," Kong said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

U.S. assassination attempt charges 'confirm' Trudeau's claims about India had 'real substance,' former national security advisers say
The indictment of an Indian national for the attempted assassination of a Sikh separatist and dual U.S.-Canadian national 'validates' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations that the Indian government may have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen as having 'real substance,' according to two of Canada's former national security advisers.
Bonnie Crombie wins Ontario Liberal leadership after 3 rounds of voting
Ontario Liberals have selected Bonnie Crombie, a three-term big city mayor and former MP who boasts that she gets under the skin of Premier Doug Ford, as their next leader to go head to head with the premier in the next provincial election.
Trump calls Biden the 'destroyer' of democracy despite his own efforts to overturn 2020 election
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Saturday attempted to turn the tables on his likely rival in November, President Joe Biden, arguing that the man whose election victory Trump tried to overturn is "the destroyer of American democracy."
Search for runaway kangaroo in Ontario continues
The search continues for the kangaroo that is hopping around somewhere in Ontario after it escaped zoo handlers from a transport truck Thursday night.
What was a hospital like in medieval times? Researchers analyzed 400 skeletons to find out
In medieval times, hospitals took care of the 'poor and infirm,' but how were inhabitants selected and what were their lives like? Researchers analyzed 400 skeletons to find out.
James Webb Telescope confirms existence of massive dusty galaxy from early universe
New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope have confirmed the existence of a massive, dusty, star-forming galaxy which was first spotted years ago by a ground telescope, but was completely invisible to the Hubble Space Telescope.
Rocky planets may be able to form under more high-stress scenarios than previously known: study
A study of one of the most extreme, radiation-heavy environments in the universe has found that it might be possible for rocky planets comprised of water, carbon and other familiar molecules to form under far more intense circumstances than previously believed.
Teen girls are being victimized by deepfake nudes. One family is pushing for more protections
A mother and her 14-year-old daughter are advocating for better protections for victims after AI-generated nude images of the teen and other female classmates were circulated at a high school in New Jersey.
7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes off the southern Philippines and a tsunami warning is issued
A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck Saturday off the cost of the southern Philippines island of Mindanao and Philippine authorities issued a tsunami warning.