With one in five households in Chatham-Kent facing food insecurity, the local Board of Health is urging action from the provincial government.
During a meeting on Monday, the Chatham-Kent Board of Health voted in favour of writing a letter to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, supporting a basic income guarantee for all Ontario residents over the age of 17.
A basic income guarantee would ensure everyone has an adequate and secure income to meet basic needs. It is believed that this would help address household food insecurity and, in turn, reduce poverty.
According to the most recent data from CK Public Health, 22.3 per cent of households in Chatham-Kent are food insecure, meaning they either worried about running out of food, have compromised the quality and/or quantity of food, missed meals, reduced food intake, or at the extreme end, went a day or more without food, all due to a lack of money to purchase food.
Research shows that families and individuals living on low incomes in CK have little, if any, money left over to cover other monthly expenses after paying for food and rent.
In 2024, the cost of feeding a family of four in Chatham-Kent was around $1,147 per month or $265 per week.
Chatham-Kent Medical Officer of Health Dr. Shanker Nesathurai said there are a number of statistics that indicate that inadequate income can result in poor health.
“Inadequate income affects life expectancy. Statistics Canada data suggests that higher income people, on average, live longer lives have a lower instance of diabetes and heart disease,” he said. “People with lower incomes have increased infant mortality, perhaps 50 per cent more. People with low incomes are four times more likely to report poor mental health and 2.7 per cent more likely to die of suicide.”
Chatham-Kent Council previously passed a motion in December 2024, to send a letter to the federal government in support of the passage of Senate Bill S-233 and a basic income guarantee.
