Tuesday August 29, 2023 | NANAIMO, BC
Editorial analysis by Mary P Brooke, B.Sc. | Island Social Trends
Also see: Food Security News
Yesterday and over the past weekend, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Nanaimo-Ladysmith MP Lisa Marie Barron were active around the Nanaimo area meeting people to discuss the cost of living.
Top of the list were housing and the cost of groceries. Both essential living costs are continually being pushed up by direct and indirect factors of monetary inflation.
In a media session yesterday, Singh noted in particular the struggles for young families and seniors. People are increasingly relying on food banks to help make ends meet.
Singh reiterated how it’s been the NDP pressuring the federal government to bring in income supports like the doubling of the GST rebate and the recent grocery rebate. It follows on the heels of the CERB payments that helped keep people afloat during the pandemic in 2020.
Increasing cost of living:
The Bank of Canada interest rate has been increased 10 times since March of 2022, causing a grinding and crushing effect on daily livability for many people. Another rate hike is somewhat expected in September as the central bank aims to push the inflation rate down into the range of two to three percent.
Most people of low-to-moderate income were already barely making ends meet before the central bank’s strategy to try and curtail consumer spending — an outdated economic strategy that presumes everyone has disposable income that they can cut back on.
People are needing to learn more about urban food resilience, as a way to cope with the impacts of the cost of living on their families.
The cost of living has been higher on Vancouver Island for decades, due to the cost of transporting everything to the island by ferry or aircraft as well as a lopsided economy maintained by people with pre-attained wealth.
Nutritional impacts:
When people have insufficient food supply that usually goes hand in hand with insufficient nutritional intake. That can have long-term impacts for the health of individuals, especially children and pregnant women.
Singh on Vancouver Island:
Singh will be in Victoria and Sooke later this week, including to attend the acclamation of Sooke Mayor Maja Tait as the NDP federal candidate for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke.
Vancouver Island has seven federal seats, six of which have long been held by the NDP.
- On south Vancouver Island, Randall Garrison (Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke) is retiring soon after holding that seat since 2011.
- Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan-Malahat-Langford) has held his seat since 2015; he sits on the Agriculture and Agri-Food Committee of the House of Commons and is himself a farmer.
- Laurel Collins is the MP for the Victoria riding; she used to be a Victoria city councillor.
===== ABOUT THE WRITER:
Mary P Brooke holds a B.Sc. in Foods and Nutrition and a university Certificate in Public Relations.
Ms Brooke is editor and publisher of Island Social Trends which is emergent from the local news publications MapleLine Magazine (quarterly print 2008-2010), Sooke Voice News (weekly print 2011-2013), and West Shore Voice News (weekly print/PDF 2014-2020). All of these publications have kept a finger on the pulse of socioeconomics and politics of the south Vancouver Island region.
Mary Brooke delivers talks on urban food resilience. In particular, municipalities can be a big part of the solution.
Ms Brooke also delivers talks on the current state of journalism in Canadian society; the impact of social media and corporate and government public relations has nearly swamped the role of journalism to serve Canadians with a clear-minded view.
Mary P Brooke reports with the BC Legislative Press Gallery.
SECTIONS: FOOD SECURITY | VANCOUVER ISLAND | POLITICS