A quantity of meat valued at $60 was recently stolen from a Cornwall business. The exact volume of items taken was not revealed but, based on the price of everything these days, the thief’s haul was probably pretty light. For instance, as we all know, a few chunks of high quality beef could easily surpass $60. When was the last time you treated yourself to a nice juicy steak? Even ground beef is dear – the average price for hamburg has shot up from $13.60 to $15.06 per kilogram, according to Statistics Canada.
It is mainly because of the meat that grocery bills have been skyrocketing. However, the cost of most other foods have also been steadily climbing, according to Statistics Canada. Chicken, pork, bacon, fish are all more expensive than they were a year ago. Coffee has gone through the roof.
We have all heard that joke: “This weight training is paying off. I can now lift $100 worth of groceries with one hand.”
Food prices are like the weather; we can complain all we want, but we can do little about them. As they say, there is no such thing as bad weather – only bad clothing. So, when food bills keep rising, and incomes remain the same, adjustments must be made. Compromises are called for — water has to be added to the soup, so to speak.
There are many ways smart consumers can save money. Watch for the specials, avoid impulse buying, stick to the list, use up your pantry, eat a big meal before heading off to the supermarket.
But what if you are living hand to mouth, just keeping your head above water? Too many people are living from pay cheque to pay cheque, with little wiggle room.
One in four households in our region lives with food insecurity, according to the Eastern Ontario Health Unit. Poverty is the root cause of food insecurity, “making the effective solution an increase in income to ensure there is enough money in the budget for food, rent, and other basic needs,” notes the health unit.
Times are tough for those who rely on social assistance and have fixed incomes. It is no bed of roses for the many who are considered working poor.
In Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry 7,970 people made 45,988 trips to food banks in 2024, according to the Feed Ontario network. Children represent 37 per cent of food bank visitors. Food banks everywhere are struggling to keep up with increased requests for help.
A recent increase in the minimum wage in Ontario fails to meet the real needs of workers, laments the Ontario Living Wage Network. While the new minimum wage is $17.60, the actual living wage, the sum a person needs to pay for the basics, is $21.65 in Eastern Ontario, says the OLWN. In the Greater Toronto Area is $26; in Ottawa it is $22.80.
The network calculates several factors and compares basic living expenses in various regions of Ontario.
For most expenses, our region is near the high end of the list; higher than six other regions but lower than the North. We pay more for groceries than most of the other parts of the province, but less for housing than big urban centres.
In Eastern Ontario, a family of four spends $12,541 on food per year; a single parent $6,022 and a single individual $4,288. Shelter is the biggest expense — $22,539 for a family of four, $20,055 for a single parent and $17,223 for an individual.
In the East, the average cell phone bill is $570; Internet costs $1,215. These are among the highest in Ontario.
Of course, these are just averages. Every household is unique. A senior citizen with a large garden and no mortgage looks at inflation and food costs differently than a single parent trying to pay the rent and feed three children while working overtime for minimum wage.
Surely, Prime Minister Mark Carney can alleviate the financial pressure on the poor and downtrodden.
In plugging its first budget, the federal government states: “From the beginning of our mandate, Canada’s new government has been relentlessly focused on bringing down costs for Canadians. The government is delivering tax cuts to the middle class and first-time home buyers, and has brought down prices at the gas pump.” The budget delivers three major tax cuts, “supercharges” homebuilding to increase supply and lower housing costs, and introduces automatic federal benefits for millions of low-income Canadians.
Those measures will do little to provide immediate succor for those who are facing empty cupboards and empty bank accounts.
Cancelling the “divisive Consumer Carbon Price” was a step in the right direction. “These actions have reduced gasoline prices in most provinces and territories by up to 18¢/L in comparison to 2024-2025, lowering headline inflation,” the government states. Really? Have you seen a dramatic drop in gas prices lately?
Ontario Premier Doug Ford insists that everything is hunky dory. In an e-mail to a “Dear Friend,” soliciting financial support for his ruling Conservatives, the Premier gushes: “New jobs numbers from Statistics Canada show Ontario is leading the country in job creation – with 55,000 new jobs added last month. Even with tariffs and global uncertainty,our plan is working. We’re building a stronger, more competitive Ontario that protects workers and keeps good-paying jobs right here at home. We’re cutting red tape, attracting new investments, and making Ontario the best place in the world to live, work and raise a family.”
Meanwhile, in Ottawa, the Senate has agreed to study Bill S-206, an Act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income. A basic income is described as “an unconditional cash transfer from government to individuals to enable everyone to meet their basic needs, participate in society and live with dignity, regardless of work status.”
The concept, which has long been debated, merits new attention as winter sets in.
It is distressing to think that in one in four families has trouble paying the grocery tab.
On the other hand, three out of four households do not have to worry about food insecurity.
So, the next time you draw up the grocery list, consider buying something extra and making a donation to a food bank. Behind all those numbers are real people who need a helping hand.
Let me know what you think at rmahoney@seawaynews.media
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