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By Chris Brown / CHAT News Today

U of T Report

UCP must act now for Albertans struggling with food insecurity, NDP says

Aug 22, 2022 | 10:45 AM

Alberta’s NDP is renewing calls for the United Conservative government to return to the legislature to work to increase support for families.

The calls come on the heels of a report from the University of Toronto showing that Alberta has the highest prevalence of food insecurity in the country.

Food banks across the province are seeing an alarming increase in the number of clients.

According to the study, 20.3 per cent of Alberta’s population – about 853,000 people – live in food-insecure households.

“No one living in the richest province in Canada should be having to choose whether to pay their bills or put food on the table,” said Marie Renaud, NDP community and social services critic. “For months we have been calling on the UCP to focus on helping Albertans rather than their own internal drama. There are nearly a million people in this province who are struggling to make ends meet and all the UCP has done is make a bad situation worse.”

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The NDP says the policies of the UCP have led to Albertans paying more in income taxes, property taxes, utility costs, school fees, tuition, interest on student debt and park fees. The UCP also cut the Child and Family Benefit, the Seniors Benefit, Income Support and AISH.

Inflation is also driving up prices at the grocery store, but some price increases are far out-stripping inflation. Agriculture critic Heather Sweet says data released by the province last month showed the retail price of beef was up by anywhere from 11 to 43 per cent over the same time last year, depending on the cut.