How some New Brunswickers are dealing with inflation pain

Many New Brunswickers are taking measures to deal with rising prices, and some say the government could be doing more to help.

Canada's inflation rate hit a 30-year high last month at 5.1 per cent, largely driven by supply chain problems, labour shortages, and a skyrocketing real-estate market. 

The cost of a trip to the grocery store for basics for just one person has increased by $30 to $40 in the last few months, said Jane Buckley of the Oromocto Food Bank.

That's more than even some working families can afford, she said, so they are turning to the food bank for assistance.

Its number of client families increased to 100 from 70 between the first week of February and the first week of March, said Buckley. And 10 new families asked for help this week.

"Meat is unbelievable," she said. "If you wanted to buy a little piece of beef — steak or something — it's $15."

"You just walk right by it to the section where you can afford the meat. And that's things like bologna." 

To top it off, she said, higher gas prices make it less affordable to travel to different stores where items are on sale. 

Those higher costs are eating into the food bank's budget, too.

The weekly fuel cost for its two large vehicles is up by about $100, and more people are needing deliveries because they can't afford gas to come for pickups.

Buckley issued an urgent appeal for donations to make up for the reduced buying power and meet the increased need.

Priority items, she said, are non-perishables such as canned goods and dried pasta.

The costs of essentials, such as groceries, gas and housing, are hitting many New Brunswickers hard, agreed Abram Lutes of the Common Front for Social Justice

"We're very concerned," Lutes said.

About one in eight people in New Brunswick is living in poverty, said Lutes. That's a total of close to 80,000.

"People are going without proper nutrition. Then they're going to be less healthy — which is going to make it more difficult for them both in the short and long term."

Besides going to food banks, another way New Brunswickers are managing higher costs is by joining bulk-buying programs, such as Eat Fresh, Fresh For Less and Community Food Smart.

These are available in many communities across the province. You can find a map and contact information for many of them on the Food For All N.B. website.

Each program works a bit differently, said Jill Van Horne, Food For All network director.

But in general, subscribers pay $15 or $20 a month for a box or bag of basic fruits and vegetables that would cost $40 to $45 in the grocery store. The food is purchased wholesale by pooling everyone's dues and sold at cost price. 

There are many pickup locations and some groups also make deliveries.

Membership in some of these groups dropped off during the pandemic, said Van Horne, because of issues like school gyms being unavailable to volunteers to pack boxes.

But others managed to adapt, she said. The Northumberland County Fresh For Less, for example, just launched a new website and payment platform.

As prices continue to rise, some programs are now seeing orders increase, said Van Horne.

There are a few other things the provincial government could do right away to provide relief, said Lutes, considering it has a big budget surplus.

There hasn't been an increase in social assistance rates to account for the rising cost of living since 2014, he noted.

He'd also like the province to reinstate the home energy assistance program, reformulate electricity rates so large commercial customers pay a larger share and make sure caregivers and employees of private companies are paid wages that meet the cost of living.

If nothing is done, Lutes predicts higher costs and more pain in the long run.

"We're going to see an increase in people suffering from health complications related to poverty. And that's going to put a burden on our health system. 

"We're going to see more evictions, which is going to increase the amount of homelessness and precarious housing in the province. 

"I don't think that it's going to be a pretty picture."