The number of Canadians accessing food bank supports is increasing, and many more Albertans are among them. Food Bank Canada released its annual hunger count report on Wednesday and cited years of rising housing costs, insufficient housing supply, food inflation and broad economic uncertainty as the main challenges. It said more than 2.3 million Canadians visited a food bank in March 2026 alone, up by nearly five per cent from the year before. Of that figure, about 230,000 were Albertans – double what was recorded in 2019. Nearly one-third of those visits involved Canadians under the age of 18. It also says that Canadians who are earning the least are spending up to 60 per cent of their income on housing, putting them at even higher risk of food insecurity. The report’s recommendations include permanent reform of employment insurance (EI) for today’s workforce. It says EI has not kept pace with modern times, which is increasingly defined by part-time, temporary and contract work, which means only one-third of unemployed Canadians are eligible for benefits. Food Bank Canada also wants to see a national housing accord to expand funding for affordable, supportive, non-profit and public homes to help residents achieve ownership.
