Every morning, approximately 80 students visit a breakfast club at two schools in north Etobicoke before classes begin. The students have a variety of breakfast options available, such as hot pizza wraps, cereal, fruits like apples, clementines, and bananas, along with yogurt and cheese.
Expanding the breakfast program to more schools in the west-end Toronto community faces challenges due to limited funding. Families in the area often struggle to decide between housing costs and putting food on the table, according to Khudaija Sheikh, the executive director of Albion Neighbourhood Services.
To enhance existing programs, Sheikh collaborates with grocery stores and food banks like Second Harvest, while also pursuing discounts and donations to cope with increasing food and staffing expenses.
Despite efforts to secure funding from municipal sources, Sheikh has not yet received direct funding from the National School Food Program introduced last year.
In the latest budget announcement, the Liberal government has committed to making the National School Food Program a permanent initiative. Once the legislation is in place, an annual fund of $216.6 million starting in 2029 will expand the program beyond the initial $1 billion pledged for the first five years.
While the budget pledge has been well-received by Canadian school food advocates, there is recognition that significant work lies ahead to standardize and improve school food programs across the country. Disparities exist where some students have access to full meals, while others receive snacks or nothing at all.
Sheikh emphasized the need for policy alignment to ensure fair distribution of funding to all schools. She highlighted the impact of hunger on children’s ability to learn effectively in school.
The federal commitment to establishing a permanent National School Food Program with dedicated annual funding is seen as a strong foundation for improvement. Amberley Ruetz, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Saskatchewan specializing in school food research, emphasized the importance of additional funding to achieve a comprehensive school food program.
Ruetz estimated that providing a hot lunch daily to all students interested would cost approximately $6.50 per student per school day, considering the national U.S. program as a benchmark. With over 5.6 million elementary and high school students in public and private schools in Canada, the annual cost could reach billions, depending on participation rates.
Ruetz advocated for the federal government to match the combined $400 million currently contributed by provinces, territories, and municipalities for school food programs.
Funding Boosts Expansion in N.L.
Newfoundland and Labrador became the first province to sign agreements for federal school food funding, leading to positive outcomes, according to John Finn, the executive director of the School Lunch Association (SLA). The SLA has been providing nutritious lunches to Newfoundland students for nearly 40 years through a pay-what-you-can model.
Since joining the national program in September 2024, Newfoundland and Labrador has expanded its school food programs, reaching approximately half of the 63,000 students in the current school year.
The federal funding has allowed for the expansion of programs
