Food Costs are on the Rise
Food costs have been rising in Canada faster than other goods according to Statistics Canada’s Consumer Price Index data. One hundred dollars of food purchased twenty years ago now costs $183. This makes for easy math to realize that’s an increase of 83%. Unfortunately, most salaries have not increased by 83% in that same period. Most of us have experienced this acutely at the grocery check-out when a single bag of groceries can cost almost $83!
| 2002 | 2023 |
| $100 of food then | now costs $183 |
| $100 of shelter then | now costs $170 |
| $100 of clothing then | now costs $98 |
Source: Statistics Canada Consumer Price Index data
Sea to Sky (S2S) Food Resilience Project
We have just completed the Sea to Sky (S2S) Food Resilience Project. The implementation of its recommendations will help to create more resilience and equity in the regional food system and improve food security for vulnerable populations.
It is the culmination of work with contributions from 20 organizations, including local governments, social service agencies, Indigenous community organizations, and consulting groups, and it builds on the strategies and actions from the Sea to Sky Food Recovery Project undertaken in 2020-2021.*
We tackled the project in the three parts as outlined below, developing frameworks for success to guide the work, assessing the current situation in the S2S region, and then identifying recommendations for improvement.
Focus Area 1: Food Insecurity Root Causes
This part of the project focused on understanding the root causes of and contributing factors to food insecurity in the region, such as disruptions to work caused by injury and illness, the roles of precarious housing, insecure work arrangements, escalating living costs, food access challenges, and the loss of lands and waters for traditional foods.
Focus Area 2: Food Supply Linkages and Infrastructure
This focus area covered the supply linkages from regional sources of food directly to Food Distribution Organizations (FDOs) and the infrastructure (e.g., storage, processing, and transportation) needed to support these regional linkages.
Focus Area 3: Food Equity During Emergencies
This area focused on the need for an equitable food response during times of emergency to support people with pre-existing social vulnerabilities.
Final Report
View the final project report, ncluding key findings and recommendations, on our resources page or download here.
*The Food Resiliency and Food Recovery projects were sponsored by the Resort Municipality of Whistler, with project funding from the BC Government’s Poverty Reduction Planning and Action Program, administered by the Union of BC Municipalities.