One of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s stated goals for this budget is to improve affordability - but in the shadow of today’s announcement, people are still struggling to make ends meet. Affordability is something top of mind for many people around here. In particular, Central Ontario suffers from high levels of food insecurity. In fact, a new report from the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit shows a growing number of households can’t afford the food required to meet Canadian nutrition requirements. The 2025 Nutritious Food Basket survey looks at the cost of a healthy diet of staple foods like milk, eggs and bread. According to this year’s findings, it costs nearly $1,300 a month to feed a family of four in our region. Vanessa Hurley, public health nutritionist with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit says many people just don’t have a budget to work with. “So for many, they just don’t have anything left over by the time rent is paid for, and other basic necessities. So often, food is the one thing that people are sacrificing. It could mean that parents are going without food to feed their children, people are skipping meals or going days without eating.” According to data from Public Health Ontario from 2023 to 2024, one in four households suffered some level of food insecurity. A health unit survey from this year showed one in three couldn’t afford the amount or quality of food they wanted in the last 30 days.
