6 days ago
Skyrocketing housing and grocery prices are disproportionately hitting Black families the hardest. Here's what is needed to fix it
By Lolade Ozomoge, Contributor
Lolade Ozomoge is director of communications at the Canadian Black Policy Network (CBPN), a nonprofit advancing racial equity through data-driven research, community collaboration, and strategic policy advocacy to improve outcomes for Black communities across Canada.
Canada is in the throes of a cost-of-living crisis, and Black communities are being hit the hardest. As rents skyrocket and grocery prices soar to alarming heights, Black families are disproportionately pushed to the brink and trapped in a relentless cycle of economic exclusion. While policymakers mull over solutions, Black Canadians continue to live the brutal reality of making impossible choices between shelter and sustenance.
One would wonder why the nation is still grappling with these challenges in 2025. For Black communities, this is not just an offshoot of an economic downturn or an issue of affordability. It is about the deep racial inequities baked into Canada's housing, labour, and economic systems; a systemic failure that continues to suffocate this marginalized group, and the numbers tell a damning story. In the recently released policy brief by the Canadian Black Policy Network (CBPN), findings show that nearly one-third (31.8 per cent) of Black Canadians live in inadequate housing, three times the rate of white Canadians. Meanwhile, Black Canadians experience food insecurity at double the national average — a staggering 38 per cent, compared to 16.1 per cent for the general population.
