February 15, 2023
Dear Minister Bibeau, Minister Duclos, Minister Gould, Minister Fullerton, Minister Jones, and Minister Lecce,
I am writing to you today on behalf of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) with regard to an urgent need to address food insecurity and for your support in the creation of a National School Food Program.
In 2020, the TDSB sent a letter to the federal government to urge them to follow through with their intention to invest in a national school food program’[1]. Unfortunately, the government did not respond.
In 2022, the City of Toronto increased its funding for student nutrition programs, and the Board of Health called on the provincial government to increase funding for school nutrition programs and reiterated its call for the Federal government to establish a national school food program[2].
The pandemic and inflation have deepened economic disparities and food insecurity, significantly increasing reliance on food banks, and jeopardizing existing school food programs through significantly increased costs[3].
The Federal government is consulting on a possible national school food policy but has not indicated when they might implement a program or when funding might be available, nor indicated how they might address broader issues of food insecurity[4].
As the Chair of Canada’s largest school board, I am writing to you and several Ministries within the provincial and federal governments to highlight the immediate need for support for student nutrition and request increased funding and reiterate calls for a fully-funded national school food program and programs that address food insecurity.
This letter is being shared with Members of Parliament, Members of Provincial Parliament, and other relevant organizations, including the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association and Ontario Student Trustees’ Association.
As always, I am available at your earliest convenience to discuss this further.
Sincerely,
Rachel Chernos Lin
Chair, Toronto District School Board