B.C. gets D+ grade on poverty efforts: Food Banks Canada

Food Banks Canada gave British Columbia a near-failing grade for its poverty reduction efforts. 

In its poverty report card, the charitable organization gave B.C. a grade of D+, the same as last year,  saying residents are experiencing rising food insecurity, income inequality and housing affordability issues.

"There's no real cause for celebration here," said Dan Huang-Taylor, the organization's B.C. executive director. "The cost of housing in this province just doesn't leave much for the other essential items like food, at the end of the day."

Food Banks Canada's report amalgamated data on unemployment and income from multiple sources, including Statistics Canada and Toronto-based non-profit Maytree Foundation. 

It said nearly half of British Columbians reported spending more than 30 per cent of their income on housing, and more than a quarter are having trouble accessing health care. More than a fifth of residents reported they are food insecure. 

It gave the B.C government a B+ grade for its response to the situation. In March, the province announced legislation changes that would commit the government to cut poverty by 60 per cent over the next decade.

Stress across Canada

The rest of the country is also feeling financial pressure, according to Food Banks Canada. The organization gave Quebec and Prince Edward Island the highest scores of any province: a C+ and C-, respectively. The remaining provinces all earned grades of D-.

WATCH | Food Banks Canada CEO says record number of people need help: 

Food Banks CEO says pressure on food banks demands urgent change

6 months ago

Duration 8:38

Food Banks Canada says that seven out of 10 provinces have failed in their approaches to food security and poverty. Food Banks Canada CEO Kirstin Beardsley says her organization is seeing the highest ever numbers on food bank use and the government needs to do more.

The report reached the federal legislature on Wednesday, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre discussed the report in the House of Commons. 

Food Banks Canada CEO Kirstin Beardsley says her organization is seeing the highest level of food bank use in Canadian history. She said numbers have risen 50 per cent since 2021, a rate of growth that is "unsustainable."

"We at food banks are seeing folks at our doors in record numbers," Beardsley said. "We can't continue to absorb this number of new clients."

Pressure on international students, new immigrants

International students, new immigrants and an increasing number of Canadians struggling with the high cost of living contribute to the higher number of people relying on food banks, according to Tammara Soma, associate professor at the school of resource and environmental management at Simon Fraser University. 

About 75 per cent of people living in food insecure households in B.C. reported they were employed, she said. "So this is something that is very, very concerning, especially because of the increasing cost of housing price inflation."

Manisha Prajapti is an international student enrolled in a post-degree diploma program in business administration at Langara College. Since she arrived in December, she said she's been going to the Guru Nanak Food Bank in Delta once a month for fresh produce. 

As of last month, the Guru Nanak Food Bank has more than 18,000 registered users, up from 7,300 in 2022. Like many other food banks, it isn't a member of Food Banks B.C.

"I'm very thankful that they're helping me," Prajapti said. "Due to their help, I'm still surviving here."

She said many of her classmates are also turning to food banks to make ends meet. 

Last month, the federal government announced international students would be allowed to work a maximum of 24 hours per week, up from the previous limit of 20. Prajapti said she's only been offered up to 15 hours of work per week. That's not enough, she said. 

"As a student, we have to worry about our assignments," she said.

"I just want to give my 100 per cent … so I can give back to the people who are in this situation like me. It's very hard here to survive."

Disproportionate financial barriers

The Food Banks Canada report noted seniors and youth are among the hardest hit by poverty. It said in B.C., the poverty rate for youth aged 18 to 24 is 18 per cent, higher than the national rate of 14 per cent. Since 2015, the poverty rate among seniors has declined about 15 per cent slower in the province than in the rest of the country, according to the report.

According to Food Banks Canada, a third of food bank users in Canada are children, despite them only representing a fifth of the total population.