As Mississauga acts on food insecurity, Ottawa remains silent.
Today, the Mississauga City Council and our peers at Food Banks Mississauga have declared food insecurity an emergency. While a grim declaration, the approved motion will result in the positive advancement of meaningful discussions and action that address food insecurity at all levels of government.
Mississauga is not alone in facing a food insecurity emergency. One million people in Ontario are turning to food banks annually, including right here in Ottawa.
Yet at the Ottawa Food Bank, our calls to declare a food insecurity crisis in our city have gone unanswered.
Our current reality is stark: food insecurity is affecting 1 in 4 Ottawa households, meaning that our neighbours are missing meals or reducing how much they eat in order to afford other basic needs like housing. This October marked the highest level of food bank visits in our 40-year history, with over 50,000 visits to food programs within our network in a single month. At the same time, 40% of community food banks are turning people away because they simply cannot keep up with the demand. This places both community food banks and their clients in an unimaginable, and often helpless position.
On Friday, November 22, we will be launching our 8th annual Ottawa Hunger Report, which will further highlight the reality of food insecurity in our city.
Despite these alarming trends, over the last few months, we have repeatedly reached out to the City of Ottawa to declare a food insecurity crisis and have been met with inaction.
While we fully support the City’s recent efforts to get “Ottawa’s Fair Share” of equitable support from the federal and provincial governments, the crisis of food insecurity is extending far beyond what our network can manage alone. A coordinated government response is urgently needed to provide comprehensive support to our sector and help us address this crisis. We cannot do it alone.
We call on the City of Ottawa to urgently declare a food insecurity crisis.
By doing so, this declaration would enable us to engage other levels of government, financial investment, and overall support that would improve our sector’s capacity to support those in need. The recent approval of the City’s Poverty Reduction Strategy recognizes food insecurity as a priority, which gives us hope that the City will reconsider our request.
As we enter the busy holiday season, we know that the Ottawa community, including the City of Ottawa, will be showing up to support us through food drives and fundraising. We are grateful for the outpouring of support we continue to receive. But charitable support alone cannot solve systemic issues. Real change requires bold leadership and decisive action – and that can start with a declaration that food insecurity is at crisis levels in Ottawa.
On behalf of the Ottawa Food Bank, I encourage the City of Ottawa to act now. Declare a food insecurity crisis in Ottawa, so we can tackle food insecurity through long-term solutions. It is time for Ottawa to be heard, and our City to speak up.
Rachael Wilson
CEO, Ottawa Food Bank
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About the Ottawa Food Bank
The Ottawa Food Bank is the main emergency food provider in the National Capital Region and has been serving the community since 1984. The Ottawa Food Bank works in partnership with a network of approximately 100 community food programs that include community food banks, food cupboards, meal programs, multi-service programs, kids’ summer nutrition programs, and after-school snack programs. The Ottawa Food Bank network receives more than 556,000 visits for food support annually. Sadly, 37% of Ottawa Food Bank clients are children. With a focus on fresh, and thanks to the community’s support, nearly 9.8 million pounds of food is distributed from the 2001 Bantree Street warehouse each year.
For media inquiries or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Farah Mustafa
Manager, Communications | Ottawa Food Bank
farah@ottawafoodbank.ca, 613-745-7001 ext. 148
