Mississauga Takes Bold Action: Food Insecurity Declared an Emergency

In a groundbreaking move, the City of Mississauga has officially declared food insecurity an emergency. On Wednesday, the city council unanimously passed a motion acknowledging that a substantial portion of its 716,000 residents struggles to access sufficient safe and nutritious food.

“This declaration marks a significant recognition that food insecurity has escalated beyond mere crisis levels; it has become a chronic problem affecting far too many of our residents,” stated the City of Mississauga in a press release. This urgent initiative comes on the heels of alarming statistics showing that Mississauga has the fastest-growing food bank usage in Ontario, with one in 13 residents relying on food banks between June 2023 and May 2024—a statistic that starkly contrasts with the one in 37 ratio reported in 2019.

The city’s motion outlined plans to bolster its Food Security Emergency Response Fund and encouraged cooperation from provincial and federal governments to raise awareness about food security. It aims not just for immediate relief but for long-term systemic changes, such as improving Ontario's social assistance frameworks, investing in affordable housing programs, and establishing labor laws that support workers.

In a revealing report from Food Banks Mississauga, over 56,000 clients were served in the last year, a staggering 58% increase from the previous year, highlighting the escalating crisis. The report recorded over 420,000 visits to food banks, reflecting an almost 80% surge compared to the same period last year. Projections indicate that potentially a quarter of Canadians may require community support, according to estimates from Statistics Canada and Food Banks Canada.

“This situation is both unacceptable and unsustainable,” the city declared, emphasizing that its food bank usage surpasses the provincial average. The council drew attention to the broader implications of food insecurity, asserting, “This is not merely a Mississauga issue; it’s a community-wide challenge that requires collective solutions.”

The city is calling for action from higher levels of government, stressing the need for sustainable poverty-reduction strategies. “We need transformative legislation and policies that protect basic human rights,” said Mayor Carolyn Parrish, underscoring the urgency of the situation.

Meghan Nicholls, CEO of Food Banks Mississauga, echoed these sentiments. She revealed that the demand for food assistance far exceeds what was experienced during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. “In the past year, food bank visits have soared by nearly 80%, yet our revenue has only increased by 2%. The lack of financial support from provincial and federal sources makes our mission to help increasingly challenging as more of our neighbors find themselves in dire circumstances.”

Mississauga's Urgent Call to Action

The City of Mississauga’s declaration serves as a wake-up call not only for its residents but for all of Ontario and Canada. As cities across the nation grapple with rising food insecurity rates, the importance of addressing the root causes cannot be overstated. A collaborative approach, blending immediate relief efforts with long-term solutions, is essential to ensure that every resident has access to food—a basic human right. Will other cities follow suit, or will they remain complacent while food insecurity continues to rise?