Last week, the Government of Ontario released the “2025 Ontario Budget: A Plan to Protect Ontario.” This budget focuses on mitigating the impact of the ongoing trade war and ensuring Ontario workers have the support that they need to stay on their feet. These measures are supported by Feed Ontario and reflect some of the recommendations that we put forward in the weeks leading up to the election.
As the province’s largest network of food banks and hunger-relief organizations, we know that most Ontario families are just one paycheque away from needing a food bank. This reality is not exclusive to the effects of trade war but reflects longstanding income and affordability issues in the province, as shown by the record-breaking one million Ontarians who turned food banks last year alone.
Through our advocacy work, we called on the Government of Ontario to take bold action against poverty. This included immediate investments to prevent those effected by the trade war from falling into poverty, as well as key investments in longstanding support programs that are failing to meet the needs of their recipients, particularly through Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).
In reviewing the budget, we were pleased to see the Province’s commitments to affordable housing and cost-of-living relief; however, we were disappointed that essential investments in Ontario’s social assistance programs were not identified. Further, in knowing that food banks will play a role in helping families navigate the effects of the trade war, we were disappointed to see that the $40 million promised during the election campaign for “Action Centres”, inclusive of food support, was reduced to $20 million in the budget for “Training and Support Centres”, and no longer included reference to food support.
Feed Ontario continues to urge the Government of Ontario to take bold action against poverty by:
- Increasing support through Ontario’s social assistance programs to protect Ontario workers and Ontarians with disabilities.
- Ensuring new jobs pay a living wage and offer stable, quality employment.
- Ensuring community support programs and services have sufficient resources to be an effective partner in softening the impact of the ongoing trade war.
Food is essential to the health and wellbeing of people – and healthy people are essential to the strengthen and resilience of our province.
We believe that our vision of an Ontario where everyone is food secure is shared by the Government of Ontario, and we look forward to working alongside the Province in building a more resilient future for all.
Learn more about Feed Ontario’s longstanding recommendations to reduce poverty and hunger in Ontario.