I’ve just returned from Brockville, where city council chambers were packed with residents witnessing something unprecedented for this Eastern Ontario community of 22,000. Last night, councillors voted unanimously to declare a food insecurity emergency, making Brockville the first Ontario municipality to take such a dramatic step.
“We’re seeing families who’ve never needed help before standing in food bank lines,” Mayor Matt Wren told me after the vote. “When working parents can’t feed their children despite holding down jobs, we have a fundamental breakdown that requires immediate attention.”
The declaration comes as the Brockville and Area Food Bank reports a staggering 31 percent increase in users over the past year. Executive Director JoAnne Sytsma shared troubling statistics: nearly 800 households now depend on their services monthly, with children representing almost a third of all recipients.
What makes Brockville’s situation particularly telling is how it reflects broader trends across Canadian communities. According to Food Banks Canada’s HungerCount 2023 report, food bank usage has reached the highest levels in Canadian history, with over 2 million visits in March 2023 alone.
Walking through Brockville’s downtown yesterday afternoon, I spoke with Sandra Leighton, a personal support worker and mother of three who started using the food bank last winter. “I work full-time caring for others, but my paycheque doesn’t stretch far enough anymore,” she explained. “After rent, utilities and gas to get to my clients, there’s precious little left for groceries.”
The council’s declaration isn’t merely symbolic. It calls for immediate provincial and federal support while authorizing city staff to identify municipal buildings that could serve as food distribution points. The motion also directs staff to explore potential funding from reserve accounts to support local food security initiatives.
Councillor Cameron Wales, who brought forward the motion, emphasized the practical implications. “This isn’t just about awareness—it’s about mobilizing resources. When we declare an emergency, it changes priorities and opens doors to support that might otherwise remain closed.”
The situation in Brockville reflects what anti-poverty advocates have been warning about for years. Escalating housing costs, stagnant wages and inflation have created what the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit calls “a perfect storm” for food insecurity.
Public health dietitian Lynne Hanna pointed to concerning data during her presentation to council. “One in six households in our region experiences food insecurity, which is higher than the provincial average,” she noted. “The health consequences extend beyond hunger—we’re seeing increased rates of chronic disease, mental health challenges, and developmental issues in children.”
What distinguishes Brockville’s approach is the refusal to treat food insecurity as merely a charitable concern. The emergency declaration explicitly acknowledges food access as a government responsibility requiring systemic solutions.
Local MPP Steve Clark wasn’t present at the meeting but issued a statement today acknowledging the crisis and promising to “work with municipal partners to address these pressing concerns.” The provincial government recently announced a modest increase to Ontario Disability Support Program rates, but critics argue it falls far short of what’s needed to keep pace with rising costs.
Federal response to the declaration remains uncertain. The Liberal government’s National Food Policy Advisory Council has been studying food security issues, but concrete measures addressing the immediate crisis have been limited.
For residents like Peter Thomson, a retired manufacturing worker I met outside the food bank, the emergency declaration validates what many have experienced silently. “I worked for 42 years, never thinking I’d need help to put food on my table,” he told me. “But between my medications and the price of groceries, something had to give.”
The Brockville situation raises important questions about whether food insecurity emergencies might soon be declared in other communities. Similar discussions are reportedly underway in Kingston, Cornwall and other Eastern Ontario municipalities facing comparable challenges.
Food bank operators throughout the region describe resources stretched beyond capacity. “We’re seeing our regular donors becoming clients themselves,” said Sytsma. “When the middle class starts needing food banks, we’ve entered new territory.”
Council’s declaration includes plans to establish a food security task force bringing together social service agencies, business leaders, healthcare providers and lived-experience advocates to develop longer-term strategies.
As I left Brockville this morning, volunteers were unloading a delivery at the food bank’s King Street location. Among them was Councillor Wales, who had traded his council attire for a volunteer T-shirt. “The declaration is just the beginning,” he said, lifting a box of donations. “The real work happens here, in community, every day.”
For a city better known for its historic waterfront and as the gateway to the Thousand Islands, Brockville now finds itself at the forefront of confronting one of Canada’s most pressing social challenges. Whether this emergency declaration becomes a blueprint for other communities remains to be seen, but it certainly marks a significant shift in how municipalities approach food insecurity – not just as a charitable matter, but as a public policy emergency demanding immediate action.
