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Rising prices are forcing more Canadians to make difficult decisions, leaving even middle-class families to choose between buying the food they need and paying their bills.
A recent one Food Banks Canada survey found that almost one in five Canadians said they had been hungry for the past two years.
With the war in Ukraine contributing to the crisis of the greatest cost of living of the 21st century, according to one The United Nations report was released this weekeven families in richer countries are feeling the pressure.
Inflation in Canada peaked at three decades in April. reaching almost seven percent.
“War in Ukraine has trapped the people of the world between a rock and a hard place,” a UN statement said. Global crisis response group states.
“The stone is the strong price shocks in the food, energy and fertilizer markets due to the war … The difficult place is the extremely fragile context in which this crisis came; a world facing crises in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. “
Middle class families barely pass
The current situation makes it difficult for people like Dave Arsenault of Moncton, NB
He said that before the COVID-19 pandemic, which was declared in early 2020, he would have described his family of four as middle class. Now, he said, they live check by check.
“It feels depressing,” Arsenault said. “It’s frustrating because your whole lifestyle is changing because of you.”
Feeding his family, which includes 11-year-old twins, is difficult even with a double income, said Arsenault, who works at a newspaper printing house and is the president of his local union.
Both he and his wife, an office manager, have unionized jobs with standardized annual increases, but he said that is still not enough to keep up with rising costs.
“It’s a definite struggle,” he said.
Canadians forced to cut back on inflation as budgets tighten
Torontoers share how they deal with inflation, from seeing what they spend in grocery stores to just shopping for essentials.
Arsenault said the family used to afford to stock up on groceries when buying groceries, but now only necessities can be afforded, despite looking for deals.
“We’re just going to get what we really need,” he said. “We cut a lot of meat … Instead of buying steaks, we buy pork chops.”
Arsenault said that although he noticed a jump in prices at the beginning of the pandemic, it has gotten much worse in the last six months.
“We have a lot left over,” he said.
Survive with oatmeal, eggs and tuna
Johnnie Barlow, a resident of Prince Edward Island’s rural island, is all too familiar with this reality.
“In the last few months, with the price of everything going up, there’s nothing left. In the first week of the month, I’m out of money,” he said.
Currently, Barlow is dependent on income assistance because he has a brain tumor that affects his thinking, making it difficult to work.
Since the financial support she receives is not enough to cover the rising costs, she said she has had to start restricting her diet.
PEI resident Johnnie Barlow says living on a fixed income as prices go up means she is eating less to cover the cost of other needs. It depends on the income support for a health problem and you will have to pay for the car repairs to get back to work. (Submitted by Johnnie Barlow)
Lately, Barlow said, he has survived on oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs and tuna.
“I’m trying to stay healthy as cheap as I can,” he said.
Barlow joked that “it’s great to lose weight” and said he’s trying to maintain a positive outlook.
She has also had to cut back on the nutritional supplements she bought to help treat the symptoms caused by the tumor.
Barlow, who lives 20 minutes from Charlottetown, said he hopes to return to work soon by selling home heating and cooling systems. But to do that, he has to pay for repairs to his car, the only means of transportation available where he lives.
“You have to spend money to make money,” he said.
Costs continue to rise, but wages remain the same
Even families with more disposable income say they are getting a hit.
Christine Taylor, who lives in southern Ontario, said she finds it difficult to pay all of her family’s bills and cares about the less fortunate.
“This direction is not economically sustainable. It will break people, not just financially, but emotionally and mentally,” he said.
Taylor, who has a job in the fuel and power industry, said she and her husband, who works in home electronics and cell phones, bring in a combined annual income of about $ 85,000. However, it is not enough to keep up with all the expenses involved in owning a home and raising two teenagers.
Christine Taylor, on the right, who is shown with her husband, says that while her middle-income family is reaching the end of the month by eliminating the extras, she cares about those with fixed incomes who were struggling before costs began. to increase. (Submitted by Christine Taylor)
“We’ll just get by,” he said. “And the costs continue to rise and our wages remain the same.”
Taylor said they have postponed the payment of some bills to cover the cost of repairs to the vehicle.
He has also started looking for deals at the grocery store and planning more meals that will be left over.
Additional expenses, such as an annual family trip to Thunder Bay in northwestern Ontario, or riding lessons, are some of the cuts they have had to make.
TARGET | Canadian food banks are preparing for the summer of famine as prices rise:
Food banks are preparing for the summer of famine
Food banks across the country are preparing for a summer of famine as rising inflation pushes more Canadians to rely on charitable services.
“As a family in the middle class, we feel [the] They fight and can’t afford to do simple things next door, “he said.
Taylor said that while tightening the belt, he cares about those with fixed incomes who have no extras to reduce.
“It breaks my heart for them,” he said.