‘CRISIS FOR MANITOBANS’: Researcher sounds alarm over rising food bank use despite lower inflation

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A University of Winnipeg researcher is sounding the alarm over rising food bank use in Manitoba despite a lowering of official government inflation numbers.

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Food inflation “well in excess” of official data has created a crisis for Manitobans, said University of Winnipeg political science Associate Professor Malcom Bird.

“This is really really serious,” he said. “This has a profound impact on everybody, but particularly people at the low end of the income scale. That, of course, is because food takes up a higher proportion of their income.”

Statistics Canada snapshot data for 12 month price changes for food shows P.E.I is up 5.1%, Nova Scotia up 3.8% and Manitoba is tied with Saskatchewan at 3.7%.

“Over the last year in the region of Manitoba, infant formula 900 grams saw the largest increase in price at $9.12,” says Statistics Canada on its website. “Price for infant formula 900 grams saw the largest percent increase at 26.73%.”

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Manitoba has one of Canada’s lowest overall inflation figures at 1.4% according to Statistics Canada snapshot data.

The Royal Bank says, “After an upside surprise in May, inflation trends in Canada largely resumed lower in June with headline consumer price index dropping to 2.7% from 2.9%.

Rising rents are making matters worse, said Bird, and wages are not keeping up. Again, low income people are suffering the most – immigrants, youth, Indigenous people, single parents and families.

“If wages were rising at the same rate, there wouldn’t be a problem,” he said, noting there isn’t a single culprit.

Bird blames rising fuel, input and labour costs and limited competition in Canada’s food market.

“Officially, the inflation rates are coming down,” he said, noting consumers are also taking a hit at the grocery store because of smaller package sizes ‘shrinkflation.’ ”

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Food bank use in Manitoba is “through the roof” said Bird in contrast to official inflation numbers.

“It’s a place (people) can get free food so they have money left to pay the hydro bill and buy clothes for the kids,” he said, adding people are also buying lower value food, shopping at discount stores and eating less.

Food bank use in Winnipeg and across Manitoba is at an all-time high, says Harvest Manitoba CEO Vince Barletta. Currently, around 50,000 people per month province-wide use a food bank. Barletta said times are tough for many people despite official inflation numbers.

“Incomes simply have not kept pace with anything like rising prices and it’s setting people further and further behind and causing more people to go to food banks,” he said, noting one in four people using food banks have jobs.

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Canada’s inflation problem was created by “government behaviours” such as borrowing huge amounts of money and quantitative easing, said Bird.

“Once this ball gets rolling, it’s difficult to slow down,” he said.

Manitoba Progressive Conservative interim leader and Lac du Bonnet MLA Wayne Ewasko told the Winnipeg Sun the province’s rhetoric on the affordability issue is empty. He accused Premier Wab Kinew of remaining in “campaign mode.” He said the NDP has no plan for managing affordability.

“He (Kinew) continues to pat himself on the back for (delivering) affordability for Manitobans,” said Ewasko.

Meanwhile, Kinew on July 4 said on X (formerly Twitter) that for five months in a row, Manitoba has had the lowest inflation in Canada because of a pause in the 14¢ per litre gas tax.

“We’ve extended the pause until September so you can spend less time worrying about fuel costs and more time focusing on your summer plans,” said Kinew.

Have thoughts on what’s going on in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada or across the world? Send us a letter to the editor at wpgsun.letters@kleinmedia.ca

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