Ontario reaches $108.5-million deal with feds for school food program meals for 160,000 more kids

A deal reached between the federal and provincial governments is expected to bring healthy meals to 160,000 more kids across Ontario through a program the prime minister said involves “no stigmas, just support.”

“As a teacher, I remember well, when kids don't have full bellies, when they can't hear the teacher because of the grumbling in their tummy, when they're worried and low-energy and not able to focus in class because they're hungry, we all suffer, not just them, but the future they're building,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a press conference in Brampton on Friday. 

He said the federal government’s National School Food Program — announced in the Liberals’ spring budget as a $1-billion program over five years — is meant for all kids. 

“This is there for everyone. It's to make sure that every kid has the opportunity,” he said. 

The deal includes $108.5 million in federal funding over three years and will mean 9.8 million more meals for Ontario youth. 

The province’s student nutrition program already serves more than 600,000 kids through breakfast, lunch and snack programs, noted Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Michael Parsa.

The federal funding adds to the $28.2 million the province puts into the student nutrition program and the $4.4 million it provides for the First Nations student nutrition program.

Federal Families Minister Jenna Sudds said students will be able to access the additional meals this school year. 

She said the impact of this program and the meals provided to kids “will be felt for decades to come.”

On Friday, at a separate press conference, Premier Doug Ford said he’s “a fan” of the school food program and that he’d work “hand-in-hand with the federal government to make sure the kids don't go to school hungry.”

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she welcomes the new money. 

“Because of rising food costs, this fund will really help with the existing program,” she said. 

The city already spends nearly $20 million on school food programs that feed over 200,000 kids, but over 100,000 kids are still left out. 

Chow recently struck a plan to feed 8,000 additional Toronto kids at 21 schools across the city. 

The 21 schools have all the infrastructure in place to feed kids and have applied for city funding but were recently left out because of a lack of money. Chow’s plan will help bridge the gap. 

In October, city council told staff to draft a new plan to implement a student nutrition program that will see all kids fed a mid-morning meal by 2026-27 and a universal lunch program no later than 2030. 

Education Minister Jill Dunlop said food programs benefit students’ physical and mental wellbeing and help them develop a sense of belonging. 

“Today's announcement does just that by helping address hunger among Indigenous and non-Indigenous students across the province, providing peace of mind to families that their children have access to healthy meals and snacks, so that students are more empowered to learn and grow without the barriers of hunger holding them back,” she said. 

Several individuals and organizations within the education sector praised the deal reached by the two governments on Friday, including Heidi Yetman, president of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, who said healthy meals improve student concentration, reduce absenteeism and help students form better relationships. 

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation said the education community has fought for more action on addressing hunger in schools for many years, including lobbying the Ford government to “accept the federal money.” 

“Now, we look to the Ford government to ensure this funding is implemented effectively and equitably across the province to help children who are most in need,” said the union, which represents more than 60,000 high school teachers and education workers in elementary and secondary schools. 

Kathleen Woodcock, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, said the funding “will have a tremendous impact on school communities and family budgets alike” given that families are facing rising costs of living. 

“We are eager to collaborate with our federal and provincial partners, as well as community stakeholders, to ensure the swift and effective rollout of this program,” said Woodcock, adding that the association will continue advocating for more capital funding for the “construction of food preparation, storage and serving areas.”

The deal follows a recent report by Food Banks Canada showing that monthly food bank usage in Ontario went up by 8 per cent to 736,335 visits this year, with 218,308 visits from children.  

A report released earlier this month by the Daily Bread Food Bank and North York Harvest Food Bank said the need for food banks in Toronto also went up between April 2023 and March 2024, with a “record-breaking 3.49 million client visits.” Twenty-three per cent of these were children. 

The transition binder for Dunlop that she received when she became education minister in August described “improving the sustainability of the Student Nutrition Program to address increased student demand” as a "top" issue. It also noted a review that was done in 2023-24 related to this. 

Catherine Parsonage, CEO of the Toronto Foundation for Student Success, one of the lead agencies that make up Student Nutrition Ontario and help administer provincial funds, called it a “wonderful day for Ontario’s children.”

“Programs here in Toronto have been struggling with the high cost of food and the National School Food funding will have an immediate impact starting in the new year,” she said. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared on The Trillium, a Village Media website devoted to covering provincial politics at Queen’s Park.