Food bank faces record demand and donation decline as summer pressures mount
FILE - In this 2018 photo, kids eat lunch at an elementary school. (Ellen O'Nan/The Paducah Sun via AP)
As the summer season begins, the Barrie Food Bank reports record-breaking demand for assistance at a time when donations are typically at their lowest.
In May, donations to the food bank were down $13,000 compared to the same time last year, while client visits continue to rise.
'May brought 7,460 visits, a record high for us,' said Karen Shuh, executive director with the Barrie Food Bank.
Shuh said the surge in demand includes a growing number of children and seniors. Last month, the food bank served nearly 2,600 children under 18 and more than 330 seniors - both new records.
"We're seeing more and more people accessing our services due to job loss, reduced hours, rising rent, mortgage renewals and the general cost of living," the executive director added.
Shuh highlighted that food insecurity can happen to anyone. 'Many are first-time visitors who never imagined needing a food bank, which is becoming a growing theme."
With school now out, the food bank expects need to continue rising as many families will face additional expenses like daycare and summer camp.
Recognizing the growing need to support children during the summer break, Food Banks Canada stepped in with support through its 'After the Bell' program - so for the first time, Shuh said Barrie would receive funding to provide nutritious, child-friendly food packs to local children in need.
And Shuh said it couldn't have come at a better time. 'The summer months are historically lean for donations.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
35 minutes ago
- CBC
Former police chief, CAO among Winnipeg's top paid city employees last year
Winnipeg's police chief and top bureaucrat remained among the city's highest paid civil servants in 2024, despite leaving their positions midway through the year. The police chief received $498,841 in 2024, according to the city's annual compensation disclosure published Friday. The figure — which may include any combination of salary and other forms of compensation — would be almost $200,000 higher than what the city paid for the same position a year previous. Danny Smyth retired from the role on Sept. 3, 2024. He'd been the highest-paid civil servant in 2023, when he was compensated $305,874. The disclosures may include compensation in the form of taxable benefits, overtime, retroactive pay adjustments, retirement allowance, sick pay cash out, vacation pay cash out, back pay and severance pay. Before retiring, Smyth had served seven years as chief and had been with the Winnipeg police service for more than 38 years. Smyth's predecessor, Devon Clunis, received $368,883 in compensation in 2016, his last year as police chief. He'd been with the service for 29 years. Only ranks of police officers are shown on the annual disclosure. A "chief of police" also claimed the No. 4 spot in 2024 with $312,419 in compensation. Art Stannard took over from Smyth as acting chief before Gene Bowers took on the job permanently this March. CAO Jack 3rd highest-paid civil servant in 2024 Michael Jack, who resigned last June from his role as the city's chief administrative officer, was the third highest-paid civil servant with $498,841 in compensation. Jack's resignation came a week after an audit of the city's workforce found gaps in how the city reviewed staff performance, saying there was "limited accountability" in how it documented whether leaders were meeting key goals. He had the second-highest compensation out of civil servants in 2023, receiving $287,782. Sherwood Armbruster — who took over as interim CAO in June — received $222,731 in 2024. Joseph Dunford, the provincial deputy minister of public service delivery, is set to take over the role permanently on Aug. 4. The disclosures include all civic employees who make $85,000 or more. About 4,200 made the list last year. Others in the top 10 include human resources director Angie Cusson, Moira Geer who served as deputy CAO, fire chief Christian Schmidt, and four unnamed police officers: a superintendent, a sergeant and two deputy chiefs. Mayor Scott Gillingham was No. 21 on the list with $223,338.
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Don Braid: Smith's warnings about Alberta separatism is really about keeping UCP in power
Separatism is no threat to Alberta, or the federal government, or Canada itself. Article content But it is an enormous threat to Premier Danielle Smith and her United Conservative Party. Article content A provincewide vote of, say five per cent, would bleed support from the UCP and bring the NDP back to power. Article content That threat drives major elements of UCP policy, from removing books in schools to making nine demands for change from Ottawa. Article content Article content The UCP often governs 4.9 million Albertans for the benefit of a faction within the party. Article content Article content At an event with federal Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland on Thursday, Smith said Prime Minister Mark Carney should take separatism seriously. It's the fed's fault, after all. Article content 'If Ottawa wants to work with me to cause that (separatist) sentiment to subside, then we need to materially address the nine bad laws that have created that negative investment climate,' she said. Article content 'If they make the changes that we're requesting, then I suspect they can take the air out of that movement.' Article content Knocking a few points off a tiny separatist party's support is a weak rationale for moving the feds to action. Article content There isn't much of a market in Ottawa, or anywhere else, for the plaintive cries from Alberta the Oppressed. Article content On Friday, the government closed the books on fiscal 2024-25 with an astonishing surplus of $8.2 billion. Article content Originally, the finance department had forecast a surplus of 'only' $355 million (one that every other province would love to have). Article content Article content That surplus grew madly because of lush revenue in major categories, especially oil and gas. Article content Article content In 2023-24, the Alberta surplus was $4.3 billion; the year before that, it hit $11.6 billion. The only other province to book a surplus in 2024-25 was New Brunswick, with $41 million.
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
AIMCo interim CEO could earn millions in bonus pay after leadership overhaul
Alberta Investment Management Corp.'s interim chief executive officer could earn a multimillion dollar compensation package after the provincial pension fund manager's senior ranks were overhauled and its former chief investment officer received millions of dollars in severance pay. Ray Gilmour stepped in as interim CEO last November after a career as a senior public servant, following the Alberta government's abrupt purge of AIMCo's board and senior management. Mr. Gilmour was paid $241,869 in less than five months on the job, to March 31, according to AIMCo's annual report released Friday. That included $210,796 in base salary, plus pension contributions and other pay. When prorated for a full fiscal year, Mr. Gilmour could be paid an annual base salary of more than $500,000. Mr. Gilmour is also part of AIMCo's corporate incentive plan, which sets his base target for bonus pay at 355 per cent of his salary, or about $1.78-million, according to a copy of his employment contract obtained by The Globe and Mail under an access to information request. Alberta's purge at AIMCo followed a clash of visions, complaints about leadership However, the agreement says that Mr. Gilmour can earn a maximum of 2.5 times that incentive target, and it has been customary for previous AIMCo CEOs to earn approximately 1.75 times the target payment for good performance. At that level, Mr. Gilmour would earn about $3.1-million in incentive pay, for total compensation of at least $3.6-million. AIMCo's annual report does not list any incentive payments to Mr. Gilmour as of March 31. His base salary is redacted in the documents released to The Globe. 'Our compensation structure is based on market salaries in similar Canadian institutional investment organizations, with executive compensation and associated terms discussed and validated by the Board's independent compensation adviser,' AIMCo spokesperson Sabrina Bhangoo said in an e-mailed statement. Though Mr. Gilmour was appointed as interim CEO, his employment agreement says that AIMCo wishes to employ him 'as Chief Executive Officer,' and does not mention his interim status. AIMCo's annual report shows that the pension fund manager also appears to have paid millions of dollars to former CIO Marlene Puffer as a 'transition agreement payment.' Ms. Puffer left AIMCo in September, roughly six weeks before Alberta's government dismissed other senior leaders. Ms. Puffer was paid $5.91-million in 'other compensation,' which includes the transition payment that would have been agreed to under previous leadership. She also earned more than $250,000 in base salary. 'The separation arrangement disclosed is in keeping with our contractual obligations made by previous leadership. No additional compensation is owing,' AIMCo's statement said. Former CEO Evan Siddall, who was dismissed in November, appears not to have come to terms financially with AIMCo as of March 31. He was paid $1.56-million in total compensation last fiscal year but received no transition arrangement payment during the fiscal year, according to the annual report. In his last full fiscal year as CEO, Mr. Siddall was paid $3.77-million in total compensation, and nearly $4.6-million in total direct compensation, including $585,000 in base salary. The report also says AIMCo paid $957,397 to third parties on behalf of the former CEO, and that $458,312 had not yet been reimbursed as of March 31, 'inclusive of imputed interest.' AIMCo has included that amount in 'accounts receivable.' Stephen Harper, the former prime minister who was appointed chair of AIMCo's board in November, said 'there is more work ahead in our task of restoring confidence and stability in Alberta's investment manager,' in a message in the annual report. 'We are making progress with the new management team on ensuring that sound governance, ambitious objectives, professional operation, and responsible risk management permeate the firm,' Mr. Harper said. In his own message in the annual report, Mr. Gilmour said that in the coming months AIMCo 'will be focused on the continuation of a business transformation program to improve the technology, data and processes that are the foundation of the work we do on behalf of our clients.'
