As Ontarians prepare to head to the polls for this year’s municipal election, conversations across the province are focused on the issues that shape our communities, including housing, transit, infrastructure, public services, and economic development.
Underlying many of these discussions is a common concern – affordability and the cost of living.
Across Ontario, the rising cost of housing and other essentials is putting increasing pressure on households and making it harder for people to meet their basic needs. For a growing number of communities, that pressure is showing up at their local food bank.
Local food banks are being stretched to the limit to meet the rising need in their communities.
But affordability is only one side of the equation. People also need access to quality jobs with wages that reflect today’s cost of living, as well as social support programs that provide adequate income when work is unavailable, inaccessible, or insufficient. When incomes fail to keep pace with rising costs, more people are forced to make difficult choices about how to stretch limited budgets, often at the expense of putting healthy food on the table.
As a result, food bank use continues to grow in communities across our province. And while many organizations are trying to help meet the need, demand is being driven by complex challenges that no single organization, municipality, or level of government can solve alone.
Why municipal elections matter
Municipal governments play an important role in creating the conditions that help people thrive. Decisions related to housing development, affordable housing investments, public transit, community planning, and local economic growth can all influence whether residents have access to affordable homes, quality employment opportunities, and essential services.
At the same time, these local decisions work alongside provincial and federal policies that shape wages, income supports, and broader economic security. That is why addressing food insecurity requires action and collaboration across all levels of government.
Municipalities cannot solve hunger on their own, but they are key partners in building communities where fewer people are forced to rely on emergency food support.
Resources to help you get informed
This municipal election is an opportunity to learn more about the challenges facing people in your community and to ask candidates how they plan to address them.
To support these conversations, Feed Ontario has developed several resources to help voters understand the connection between local decision-making and food insecurity:
- Learn more about food bank use where you live with our Hunger in My Community resource.
- Understand the role different levels of government play in addressing the root causes of hunger with our Roles of Government Guide.
- Start conversations with local candidates using our Municipal Election Questions Guide.
Building communities where everyone can thrive
The rise in food bank use did not happen overnight and will not be reversed by any single organization or level of government. Building communities where everyone can thrive requires affordable housing, quality jobs, adequate incomes, and coordinated action across municipal, provincial, and federal governments.
This election, take the opportunity to learn about the issues affecting your community, engage with local candidates, and ask how they plan to help build a future where everyone can afford the basics.
Because while hunger is felt locally, communities can’t solve hunger alone.