The Cost of Eating in Northwestern Ontario

Each year, the Northwestern Health Unit does a survey of grocery stores in the region to determine the cost of eating well in Northwestern Ontario. We share these results with the community, other services providers and local politicians in order to raise awareness and push for increased social assistance and policies that support individuals to live in dignity. No one should ever need to choose between food or rent. Access to healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food is a right.

Sharing an email circulated by one of my amazing co-workers:

The struggle to put healthy food on the table is a reality for many people and families in northwestern Ontario. Each year the Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) surveys grocery stores in our region to determine the cost of healthy food.  According to the 2016 Nutritious Food Basket results the cost per month to feed a family of four is $1018.20. This is an increase of 11.1% since 2010.

As the cost of living increases, incomes are not keeping pace. There is a misconception that the (increasing) cost of food is the reason why families/people can’t afford healthy foods.  The real issue is that minimum wage and social assistance rates are not keeping pace with the increasing food (and everything else like rent, hydro, gas, etc.) costs. Since 2010, minimum wage has increased only 9.8%.

Check out the health unit website for more info. 

 Infographic from Northwestern Health Unit website.

Want to learn more? Check out the links below.

•  CommunityFood Programs listing for each community (available on our website)
• Food Choices when Money is Tight fact sheets (download from Eat Right Ontario)
• Position Statement on Responses to Food Insecurity - The Position Statement discusses the growing problem of household food insecurity in Ontario and the urgent need to advocate for income responses to effectively address food insecurity
• Income-Related Policy Recommendations to Address Food Insecurity - The document provides a detailed analysis of three policy areas (basic income guarantee, adequate social assistance, and reducing precarious employment) that address the root cause of food insecurity. This document accompanies the Position statement on the Responses to Food Insecurity and the Food Insecurity Infographic.
• OSNHPP Infographic:

Donating in Kenora

Below is a list of some of the service providers in Kenora who provide programs, meals and donated items to people in need. The challenge ladies and I encourage you to donate items, money or time to these organizations - every little bit counts. This is not an exhaustive list, but just a few services we have accessed with week or that came up in conversation with co-workers.

Minto Child Parent Resource Centre

• Will accept: toiletries, baby and children's (and some women's) clothing for their 'give and take'
• Monetary donations are always welcome (cash or cheque) - used to purchase resources for the centre, family activities and outings for low-income families
• Call ahead - 468-3161; open 10-3:30 Tuesday to Friday, closed Monday

Women's Place Kenora

• Will accept: donations of seasonal clothing for women & children, household & kitchen items, books of any kind
• Do not accept: shoes, toys or men's clothing
• Monetary donations are always welcome (cash or cheque)
• Call ahead - 468-9095; open noon to 4 pm Monday to Thursday

Kenora Fellowship Centre

• Will accept: anything that people can wear - shoes, seasonal clothing, new underwear & socks; fresh and perishable food items; toiletries, toothbrushes and toothpaste, deodorant, pads and tampons
• Monetary donations are always welcome (cash or cheque)
• Call ahead - 468-5538

Jubilee Church of God

• Will accept: food donations (i.e. meat, non-perishables), grocery gift cards ($25 cards are good since they can go to a family in need); seasonal clothing and footwear that is in good shape
• Monetary donations are always welcome (cash or cheque), tax receipts available if over a certain amount
• Call ahead - 407-3620; call if unsure an item you have can be donated. Also, Pastor Frank can help to directly like donators to a family in need

Churches offering food service in Kenora - contact for details: Knox United Church, St. Alban's, Lakeside Baptist, First Baptist

Kenora Homeless Shelter (Ne-Chee Friendship Centre)

• Will accept: toiletries, toilet paper, new underwear and socks
• Monetary donations are always welcome (cash or cheque)
• Donations can be made to Ne-Chee Friendship Centre (call ahead to 468-5440 ext. 233) or to Northwestern Health Unit (Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm)

Legal Aid

• Will accept: toiletries (i.e. mini shampoos, conditioner and soaps)
• Can be dropped off during operating hours - Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

Saakaate House

• Will accept: unopened toiletries, new underwear, sanitary napkins; diapers
• Monetary donations are always welcome (cash or cheque) - will go to shelter resources or to women/families transitioning out of the shelter
• Call ahead - 468-1889

Also, check out the Philantro-bros, a pair of ambitious young men giving back to the community through various charitable projects.

Toilet floods & dress code violations

Challenge card: A toilet flood has ruined most of your clothes. You don't have the $ for laundry. Spend a day your most well-worn clothing.

I dug out my summer camp sweater from 2006 (I am not a hoarder, it has sentimental meaning!) and my old jeans and walked to work today. My outfit absolutely violated the dress code at my workplace, where jeans and relaxed clothing are only really allowed with manager permission or on our 'dress down Fridays'. (Staff can pitch in $2 to a local charity in order to get their denim on for the day. Consider giving it a try if you aren't already; it's an easy way for your workplace to support a local charity together 😀 ).

I work in an office and today I didn't have any video conferences. Really only a few of my coworkers and members of the public saw me in my older clothing. If I were working in a service job, a job that required a lot of interaction with members of the public, or a job that required me to wear a uniform this challenge would have been a struggle. I'm assuming that my uniform would be among the clothing that was ruined in the flood. Hopefully I'd have a supportive supervisor at work whom I could call and work through the issue with. Perhaps they have spare uniforms, or maybe I could have the day off to deal with the flood, handwash or soak a few of my clothes in the bathtub, or figure out a free way to get my laundry done.

I don't really think that this challenge card would be a one day issue. I'd wear my older clothes to work, but then how will I eventually wash everything if I don't have enough money? (Check out Sam's blog about the ridiculous cost of doing laundry at the laundry mat in town.) It would likely be a better option to chuck the clothes that have been ruined and visit Women's Place Kenora, the Salvation Army (currently under renovations), Jubilee Church, Fellowship Centre or Minto Parent Child Resource Centre to see if they have donated clothing that I can use to piece together a new wardrobe AND if they have any cleaning products to help me to clean up any mess from the flood.

Challenge card: You received a rebate in the mail. $2.00.

I received this challenge card on Sunday but carried it over to today when I could make a phone call to the OW case worker at Kenora District Services Board (KDSB). Here's what I found out about my rebate and my dead microwave:

• Not everyone on OW has a bank account, some receive their funds as a cheque that then needs to be cashed at a 'quick cash' type business. These businesses most often take a cut of the cheque amount as a fee or service charge. If I didn't have a bank account, I'm not sure what my rebate cheque would look like after cashing it through a quick cash service? Perhaps with an amount as small as $2 I'd be lucky and they would wave the service charge. Reporting of any rebates or winnings was recommended by the OW case worker that I spoke with so I would need to include my rebate on my monthly income reporting statement.
• OW discretionary benefits help individuals to repair or replace essential appliances such as fridges and stoves. However, a microwave is considered a luxury item and is not covered under these benefits. I would be out of luck or searching for a used or very cheap microwave to replace mine. And then I would need to carry it home from wherever I get it.

It's amazing how much I can feel that people around me want to help me with the challenge - lots of love and support. I realize that if I were in a situation where I was really struggling financially I would have a lot of different people and communities within Kenora to turn to. I can't even begin to imagine how lonely it would feel to have no one to turn to and nowhere to go.

Just a note, Northwestern Health Unit's harm reduction nurses save up mini toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, soap), deodorant, toothbrushes, and pads and tampons for clients that they see on- or off-site through the Needle Exchange Program and their outreach programming. (Thank you to my coworker for sharing this info!) This seems to be the case for other service providers as well; they try their best to stock up on resources that they can offer to anyone in need, no questions asked.