THUNDER BAY — Since details of the federal government's meetings were released with grocery store CEOs regarding the astounding cost of food across the country, the question looms on what this will mean for consumers right now.
Charles Levkoe, a Canada Research Chair in sustainable food systems and an associate professor at Lakehead University, said there are other issues at play when it comes to food security and sustainability, even though the "Big 5" grocery retailers (Loblaw, Metro, Empire, Walmart and Costco) came to an agreement with Ottawa to stabilize prices for consumers.
Many Canadians are very critical of grocery stores right now, Levkoe said.
"A recent study showed that over 80 per cent of Canadians are feeling a lack of trust in the grocery stores. Feeling that while, again, we are all being pinched, that profiteering is happening," he said in an interview on Friday.
Levkoe co-authored a recent paper titled, Civil society engagement in food systems governance in Canada: Experiences, gaps, and possibilities. In the paper, he said food systems have much of their power concentrated in large corporations and governments, which leads to decision-making focused on profits and efficiency rather than food provisioning and sustainability.
"A lot of the real concerns that people are facing here in Thunder Bay are not necessarily just about the price in the grocery store, but it's a whole range of issues that have not been addressed by the federal government or by the provincial governments," Levkoe said, adding that food producers are experiencing higher costs and trouble selling their product.
When comparing August 2023 to the same time last year, Statistics Canada reports that the cost of groceries has gone up by 6.9 per cent. When compared to two years previous, prices increased by over 17 per cent.
He noted people living in remote communities either have minimal access to stores and might have to travel outside of their community for food, or where there is access, the price is exorbitant.
Each time the minimum wage is increased, the topic of providing a living wage and/or providing a basic income. Levkoe said if the government wants to make an impact for residents in the region, there are underlying issues that need to be addressed.
"There's been lots of research that has shown a basic income can be a really important way for people to survive, especially in northern communities where, you know, work is maybe not as stable, or they can't find jobs as easily as they would in other places."
He believes communities will help drive this change.
"If we look at food insecurity, not having enough food really as a product of income or inequality, we have to address those issues of, of inequality and poverty," he said.
