Household Food Insecurity Rising Across Southwestern Ontario: Public Health Units Call For Action
Health units say one in four households faced food insecurity in 2024 and urge higher social assistance and housing supports to help families afford food.
- Five Southwestern Ontario health units are urging the Ontario government to raise social assistance rates, including Ontario Works, after finding one in four households struggled to access enough food in 2024.
- Rising housing and living costs are forcing individuals to choose between rent and groceries, with single adults receiving Ontario Works in Southwestern Ontario facing monthly deficits ranging from $301 to $859.
- Arthur Food Bank president Shawna Laugheed reported increased demand from working families, noting the organization spent $28,206 on food in the first four months of 2026, up nearly 30 per cent over the past year.
- Dr. Miriam Klassen of Huron Perth Public Health stated affordability challenges are leaving households struggling, while Jennifer Proulx of the Middlesex-London Health Unit emphasized food insecurity is not a "personal failure."
- In June 2026, the Association of Local Public Health Agencies passed a resolution recommending the Ontario government align Ontario Works earned income exemptions with the higher Ontario Disability Support Program threshold.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Household Food Insecurity Rising Across Southwestern Ontario: Public Health Units Call For Action
Public health units across the region are concerned about the growing number of households struggling to afford basic needs, including food. In 2024, one in four households in the Southwestern Ontario region experienced household food insecurity, meaning they did not have reliable access to enough food due to financial challenges (Public Health Ontario, 2025). Rising […]
kincardinenewsPublic health units sound alarm as food insecurity rises in area households
Public health units across the region, including Grey-Bruce, are sounding the alarm when it comes to the growing number of households struggling to afford basic needs, including food.
‘Food insecurity preventable public health issue’: Health units call for action
Health units across the region say food insecurity is growing across southwestern Ontario. They’ve issued a joint-statement, calling for better income supports to address what they call a preventable public health issue.
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