Windsor shoppers welcome word of 'grocery rebate'
Word Tuesday’s federal budget will include a one-time “grocery rebate” for low-income Canadians is welcome news for shoppers outside Windsor grocery stores.
“I think that would be an awesome thing,” says Pat Hayden, who left the store Monday with a half-dozen bags of groceries.
“They should give them a break.”
Hayden says on more than one occasion she’s left the supermarket “with a headache” brought on by sticker shock — and she’s not alone.
“I probably spent about 70 or 80 dollars and I really didn’t have much to show for it,” says Jane Buttery.
High food costs and the high cost of living overall are driving more people to food banks.
June Muir, president of the Windsor-Essex Food Bank Association, says they saw 8,000 new clients in 2022.
“I really have never seen it like this before,” she says.
Muir says they’re more frequently helping those you might not expect to see at a food bank.
Seniors, post-secondary students and even people with full-time jobs who have nothing left after paying the bills.
“I’m hoping that this budget tomorrow is going to help those who truly need it,” Muir says.
Canadian food analyst Sylvain Charlebois, with Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab, agrees the grocery rebate is a positive thing… in theory.
“On one hand, it’s a targeted policy, which is really desirable. On the other hand, it’s very little and you basically have to hope that people will use it for food,” he says.
Charlebois says it might be a better idea for Canada to look into a program like food stamps in the United States.
“You basically get people to buy desirable food products — fruit, vegetable, meat products, healthy products,” he says.
However, he says, that program took years to assemble in the U.S.
The federal government will unveil its budget Tuesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.