Remember the Premier’s “Great Golden Goal” (G3?) about healthy eating? True, we don’t hear so much about it these days. But it was a laudable goal. Eating a healthy diet is important if we are to improve the overall health of the population, and thereby help to slow rising health care costs. And it’s particularly vital for children, as a healthy diet is linked to school concentration, cognitive development, and future life chances and productivity.
That’s why British Columbians should be concerned about a report released earlier this week by the Dieticians of Canada — The Cost of Eating in BC 2009.
Unfortunately, the Dietitian’s report received virtually no media coverage. But it makes a vital point — British Columbians on social assistance and those working for minimum wage cannot afford a healthy diet. For them, meeting the Premier’s great goal is simply out of reach.
Here’s the report in its own words:
Dietitians publish the report to bring attention to the fact that not all British Columbians have enough money to buy healthy food. While shelter and food costs have risen significantly over the past decade, income assistance rates have remained virtually unchanged and minimum wage, once the highest in the country, has remained at $8.00/hour. For those receiving income assistance or earning minimum wage there simply is not enough money to pay for housing and food, let alone other necessities. Unemployment is up and more people are relying on assistance. There are too many living in poverty in BC and too many lined up at food banks. Dietitians are calling for the provincial government to take some additional action to address poverty in this province. Other provinces are taking action. Quebec and Ontario have anti-poverty legislation, while Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and New Brunswick all have poverty reduction plans. Common to them are significant changes to income assistance and increases to minimum wage.
The report contains important calculations, comparing the cost of basic necessities (including a healthy diet), set against the income provided by welfare or a minimum wage job. For example, a family of four on income assistance would need more than 100% of their income for shelter and food alone, leaving nothing for anything else.
The core finding of this report isn’t just of concern to those families caught in this untenable situation. In truth, we all pay for this policy failure. A poor diet means poor health, and we all pick up the tab for that. That’s why the Dietitians have joined the call for a comprehensive poverty reduction plan for BC
D. Phoenix // Dec 17, 2009 at 3:34 pm
I do hope this report gets more coverage. I also hope that when people write about it that they will not only appeal to people’s concern about the overall fiscal impact of poor nutrition, but that they will also emphasize the fact that all human beings deserve full access to healthy food.
Cenk Guven // Dec 18, 2009 at 12:55 am
Dear Seth, I was wondering if this issue of (un)healthy eating and/or other poverty related issues (like the current minimum wage issue which reminds me of the modernized slavery system!) could not be taken and challenged as human right issues. I mean these are very basic human needs in order to stay alive and function properly in society (yes. also function properly because life should not only be about constant fight for staying alive, especially in ‘developed’ countries like Canada) and if these are not human rights issues, I don’t know what else can be, because without food (the healthy food the government officials and business owners eat everyday) in my system, no right is right for me.
Ogada Jarateng // Dec 19, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Canada is very rich Country. So what’s missing is organizations to mobilize the people to take full control of their Country, its rich natural resources.
Harper claims that Canada is a “resources superpower”. What he doesn’t mention is that it is the local/alien multinational corporations enjoying our non-renewable natural resources.
Canada can wipe out hunger in this Country overnight, it just needs leadership with guts, balls! Leader who can for the first time serve the people not corporations- especially the ones feeding on our natural resources! If there is any Act that needs most urgent change in Canada, it is the little known but controversial subsurface act….. essentially it gives the Crown rights to your land then the Crown leases (sales) it away… this is a colonial law.. that essentially legalizes the SALE of Canada. If we don’t collectively come to our senses- very soon the highest bidder, Russia, India, China Saudi Arabia (Osama bin Ladens etc) will in no time control all that matters in this Country- while Harper+Iggy+ Jack shout from the top of CN Tower how Canada is a resources rich country! The Natural resources must never be owned by any individual or private corporation. No negotiation on this.
When we responsibly develop these resources for our use and preserve some for future Canadians- we can afford to deal with many of today’s problems, thanks.
Sadly, like Climate Change issue we are running out of time, the fast paced extraction of our natural resources will leave us poorer and in worse spot than ever. ogada.
Tom Kertes // Dec 22, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Cenk Guven – In my work in Baltimore, where I worked before moving to Vancouver recently, we organized low-wage workers around economic human rights, including the right to adequate and healthy food. I found human rights to be a powerful and unifying base for organizing, but also found that worked best when we talked about the values underpinning human rights, like respect, dignity and sanctity of human life. If all persons are born sacred and equally worthy of dignity and respect then equity and social supports must follow. I found this more helpful than organizing around human rights law, which however useful in some contexts tended to bog things down and move discussion away from values. Human rights values require that poverty be ended, no matter what laws or declarations are out there, it’s the will and the action to end poverty that matters in the end. That’s why we focused on building power through leadership development, movement building and political organizing – all centred around human rights values.
Cenk Guven // Dec 23, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Thank you Tom for your comments. I was curious and questioning the issue (whether poverty and unhealthy eating cannot be taken and challenged as a human rights issue) because of two reasons; first, whether a general public/media campaign cannot be created around this concept (because human rights is generally a sensitive issue drawing everyone’s attention), and second, whether this cannot be challenged at court (because if this is really a human rights issue, then is this not a defraud situation as those rights are not being given?). I mean I’m not a lawyer or anything, but just trying to see and fight the problem from different angles as well as understand how more attention/buzz can be created among mainstream media and general public.
Also, I’m not sure if this is right platform for it, but I would also like to learn more about the specific initiatives/steps being taken around your focused areas like leadership development, movement building and political organizing. It sounds really interesting and exciting. Is there a resource or site where we can see some examples of these initiatives?