Item - 2024.MM24.42

City Council on December 17 and 18, 2024, adopted the following:

1. City Council declare food insecurity an emergency in the City of Toronto.

2. City Council direct the City Manager to consider this emergency declaration in ongoing and future work related to food insecurity such as the City of Toronto’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, Food Charter, and School Food Program.

3. City Council request the Provincial Government to immediately increase its base funding to existing school food programs and increase its financial commitment to enable the expansion of school food programs to additional schools to build a universal school food program.

4. City Council request the Provincial and Federal Governments to act to address the causes of food insecurity by:

a. enhancing and indexing to inflation income security programs such as Employment Insurance, Old Age Security, Canada Child Benefit, Canada Disability Benefit, Ontario Works, and Ontario Disability Support Program;

b. promoting decent work through secure, quality jobs, living wages, and workplace benefits; and

c. joining the City of Toronto in further investing in building and maintaining deeply affordable housing.

5. City Council forward this item to all Members of Parliament and Members of Provincial Parliament who represent Toronto ridings, as well as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Ontario Public School Boards Association, and the National School Board Association for information.