Susan Belyea August 28, 2009
for The Kingston Whig Standard,
Putting Food in the Budget:
If I had a million dollars… We all know what it is like to dream of having a million dollars (or more). That’s the dream that fuels the sale of lottery tickets and trips to the casino. But what if you had a hundred dollars? One hundred dollars a month more than you now receive?
For many that would mean next to nothing. For others, it would mean paying off that student debt, credit card or mortgage just a little bit faster. What if you were living on social assistance? What would $100 a month mean to you then?
There is a campaign called Put Food in the Budget. It is spear-headed by medical officers of health across Ontario along with social justice and anti-poverty organizations and it urges the provincial government to put food in the budget by introducing a $100 Healthy Food Supplement for all adults on social assistance.
“But surely”, some will say, “people on assistance should just learn to budget better with what they have”. You might want to take a closer look. The purchasing power of social assistance benefits has fallen to 60 per cent of what it was 15 years ago. Over the past 10 years, Public Health Units across Ontario have collected data about the cost of basic healthy food in every community. The cost of food, (and everything else) continues to increase. The high cost of rent can mean that people who live on social assistance are forced to choose between paying rent and buying food. Meanwhile, we have ample evidence identifying links between poverty, nutrition, and high rates of chronic illness and disease.
The provincial government has set clear goals for poverty reduction. If we don’t close the gap between the cost of healthy eating and the benefit rates for social assistance, there is a clear implication that malnutrition and poor health are acceptable consequences of government policy.
Putting food in the budget is an important step forward towards McGuinty’s stated aspiration to create an Ontario where “everyone is at thier best”. This campaign addresses fundamental issues of human rights and dignity and promotes health while fighting poverty. Aren’t these goals we can all support? At this time of economic crisis and uncertainty, this kind of strategy reflects the world we want to live in.
I challenge you to do the math. Go to http://dothemath.thestop.org/ and find out how you would fare on social assistance. Then take the next step and make your voice heard in support for Putting Food in the Budget.
