An "alarming" new survey from the Salvation Army found more than half of respondents said they faced food insecurity in the past year.
The survey comes as Salvation Army staff are seeing a rise in the number of people accessing food banks. According to the Salvation Army, 59 per cent of people who went to its food banks in the past year were first-time users.
"We're seeing more and more families asking for our assistance for the first time," said Lt-Colonel John Murray, Salvation Army Canada territorial secretary for communications, in a statement released Monday. "With the threat of a recession, we anticipate this number will continue to grow. Now more than ever before, we are here for people who need us."
In general, the survey found 33 per cent were concerned about the future of their personal finances, up 10 percentage points from a similar study in 2021. It also found a quarter of respondents were concerned about having enough money to meet their basic needs.
Looking to the new year, 47 per cent of people said they expect to face challenges with food security, 10 per cent expect housing security to be a challenge, and 33 per cent expect challenges due to limited financial resources.
"The results of this survey confirm what we've been seeing for the past 12 months," said Murray. "The number of Canadians facing significant hardship is growing, and those impacted are no longer the most vulnerable in society – they could be a friend, neighbour, or family member. We ask that as Canadians go about their holiday spending this year, that they please consider setting some money aside for a charitable cause, like The Salvation Army."
