On October 26, Ottawa residents will head to the polls to elect a Mayor and City Council. This election is an opportunity to shape what kind of city we want to build, and what we do about food insecurity must be part of that conversation.
The decisions made at City Hall have a meaningful impact on our daily lives. Housing, public transit, recreation, community services, neighbourhood planning and local partnerships all shape whether people have the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. At the Ottawa Food Bank, we see the impact of these decisions every day.
The network of 67 member agencies supports communities across Ottawa, connecting people with food and other essential supports. The people who access these programs are our neighbours, friends, families, seniors, students, and workers.
Food insecurity is about much more than food.
When someone cannot afford enough food, it is often because their income is not keeping pace with the cost of living, or because they are facing impossible costs for housing, transportation, childcare, healthcare and other essentials.
With more than one in four households in Ottawa are struggling to afford enough to eat, food security belongs on the municipal election agenda.
Ottawa has an opportunity to act.
Municipal governments cannot solve food insecurity alone. Income supports, employment standards and many of the policies that determine household income are primarily provincial or federal responsibilities.
Since the last election in 2022, the City of Ottawa has recognized food security as part of its 2025-2029 Poverty Reduction Strategy, with a goal of ensuring that people living in or at risk of poverty have equitable access to sufficient, healthy, affordable, safe and culturally relevant food. And in September 2025, Ottawa City Council took an important step forward by passing a motion to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the root causes of food insecurity and coordinate action with other levels of government. That commitment matters. Now, we need to make sure it becomes action.
The next Mayor and City Council will have a role in determining what happens next: how the City invests, what it prioritizes, how it works with community organizations, and how it measures progress toward a more food-secure Ottawa.
Food security is a community issue and affects every part of our city.
Our member agencies are embedded in neighbourhoods across Ottawa, supporting the needs of all kinds of communities in all corners of the city.
A food secure Ottawa will not look the same in every neighbourhood. The challenges facing a family in one community may look different from those facing a senior, student, newcomer or person experiencing homelessness somewhere else. But every community needs the same thing: a City that listens, invests and works with the people and organizations already doing this work.
Learn more about how food insecurity affects Ottawa and why our votes matter here.
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