Protecting Workers from Growing Food Insecurity, Exacerbated by U.S. Tariffs (Motion #42-25)

Board of Health for Public Health Sudbury & Districts, October 16, 2025

Motion moved by Recollet – Parent

42-25 PROTECTING WORKERS FROM GROWING FOOD INSECURITY, EXACERBATED BY US TARIFFS

MOTION:

WHEREAS US tariffs are generating economic uncertainty, leading businesses, organizations, and food charities to predict increasing costs of living, including food prices, which will ultimately lead to increased household food insecurity; and

WHEREAS household food insecurity is a serious public health problem that is strongly linked to adverse mental health conditions, increased risk of several chronic diseases, and is associated with increased healthcare costs; and

WHEREAS local monitoring food affordability data show that social assistance rates are not enough to cover the costs of living; and

WHEREAS evidence demonstrates that to effectively address the problem of household food insecurity policies that improve incomes are required;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Board of Health commends the Government of Ontario for the development and release of the 2024 Annual Report: Poverty Reduction Strategy, thanks the Government for actions taken thus far including the increase to the minimum wage as of October 1, 2025, and acknowledges the Poverty Reduction Strategy’s importance in advancing efforts to reduce poverty and promote economic well-being across the province; and

THAT the Board of Health call upon the provincial government to further protect workers with limited incomes from the impact of US Tariffs and economic uncertainty; these include increasing the earning exemption to better support those working toward leaving the Ontario Works (OW) program, implementing revisions to social assistance such as increasing rates to reflect the real costs of living, indexing the OW rate to inflation, and establishing a Social Assistance Research Commission to determine evidence-based social assistance rates in communities across the province based on local/regional costs of living, including the cost of food informed by Ontario Nutritious Food Basket (ONFB) data collected by PHUs; and

THAT the Board of Health call upon the federal government to recognize the urgency of transformative income solutions such as a national Basic Income Guarantee program and support Bill S-206 – An Act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income.

CARRIED

This item was last modified on October 22, 2025