'Unprecedented numbers': Alberta sees huge demand at food banks
A new report from Food Banks Canada shines a light on the growing number of Canadians struggling to feed themselves.
The inaugural Poverty Report Cards aim to capture the different challenges facing each province and territory regarding poverty and food insecurity.
"Poverty is a reality for at least 2.8 million Canadians, and even more live with food insecurity. This dire situation has led to unprecedented numbers of food bank visits," reads the report.
"Our country needs a collective and concerted effort from all levels of government to ensure that poverty growth not only slows down but actually reverses course so that we can get Canada to a place where no one is forced to turn to a food bank to make ends meet."
The report card gives each province a letter grade by focusing on four main categories: experience of poverty, poverty measures, material deprivation and legislative progress.
Leading the way is Quebec with a B- while Nova Scotia trailed all other provinces with an F.
Alberta received a D, which is slightly below the national average of D+.
According to the report, Alberta saw a 73 per cent increase in demand at food banks across the province from 2019 to 2022, which was more than double the national rate for the same timeframe.
The report also shows that nearly half of all Albertans feel financially worse off today than just one year ago.
While the report highlighted several recent government initiatives to reduce poverty and assist low-income Albertans, it also put forward policy recommendations to address poverty and food insecurity in the province further.
Some of those recommendations include introducing a provincial poverty reduction strategy, expanding the temporary rent assistance benefit, dedicating 0.5 per cent of the provincial budget each year to affordable rental housing construction and raising the minimum wage to $17 per hour while also indexing it to inflation.
The Calgary Food Bank says they usually hand out roughly 500 emergency hampers daily during the busiest months of the year, but lately, it has been handing out approximately 700 hampers daily.
"We're continuing to see approximately 30 per cent increases year-over-year for demand and that's for our emergency food hamper program," said Betty Jo Kaiser, a spokesperson for the Calgary Food Bank.
"That's a big number. It's huge."
Nationwide, the report highlighted that about 43 per cent of Canadians feel financially worse off today than in 2022, while 22 per cent say they would be unable to cover an unexpected expense of $500 or more.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Child under 5 dies of measles in Ontario: PHO
A young child has died of measles in Ontario, marking the first death in the province from the highly contagious virus in more than 10 years, a Public Health Ontario report confirms.
NEW Pack the macaroni necklace: Lessons on evacuations from a woman who fled one of Canada's worst wildfires
Carol Christian had 15 minutes to evacuate her home during the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016. She ended up losing the house and everything inside. Now, she wants to share the lessons she learned.
Think twice before sharing 'heartbreaking' social media posts, RCMP warn
Mounties in B.C. are urging people to think twice before sharing "heartbreaking posts" on social media.
'Ugly produce': One way Canadians are shrinking rising grocery bills
As the cost of food in Canada has risen, grocery shoppers are looking at ways to reduce their grocery bill, and more are choosing price over beauty, turning to companies that deliver so-called 'misfit' produce at a fraction of the cost.
Vatican revamps norms to evaluate visions of Mary as it adapts to Internet age and combats hoaxers
The Vatican on Friday radically reformed its process for evaluating alleged visions of the Virgin Mary, weeping statues and other seemingly supernatural phenomena, insisting on having the final say in whether the events are worthy of popular devotion.
Wildfires burning across Canada: Communities threatened as flames creep closer
Thousands of residents fled Fort McMurray this week, fearing a repeat of the 2016 wildfire that forced out the entire community and torched more than 2,400 homes.
5 secrets to moving better and preventing avoidable injury
Countless people seek emergency care for back pain, muscle strains and similar injuries resulting from “moving wrong” during mundane, everyday tasks such as bending over to tie shoes, lifting objects or doing household chores.
Zach Bryan and girlfriend Brianna Chickenfry are 'happy and alive' after 'traumatizing' car accident
Zach Bryan and his girlfriend Brianna LaPaglia were involved in a scary car accident earlier this week, according to LaPaglia, who recalled the experience in a candid video posted to her TikTok page earlier this week.
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assailed New Brunswick's premier and other conservative leaders on Thursday, calling out the provincial government's position on abortion, LGBTQ youth and climate change.