With the start of the school year just weeks away, many Vancouver families are feeling the strain of rising costs. On Tuesday, children lined up at the Salvation Army’s Boundless Vancouver community hub to pick up free backpacks and school supplies ahead of the new school year. Organizers distributed supplies to nearly 200 families, hoping to ease some of the financial pressure facing parents. For mother of three Gemma Castro, the rising cost of living is making back-to-school shopping increasingly difficult. “It’s just everything. Especially when you have three. Everything goes up. Every year it’s a little more, and that really adds up with our finances,” said Castro. Boundless Vancouver says many of the families it serves are being forced to make difficult financial choices as everyday costs continue to rise. “Families are forced to make hard decisions between paying rent or utilities or food,” said Tamara Randlesome, a core officer with Boundless Vancouver. The need for assistance has grown to the point where the organization says it still cannot meet demand, despite expanding the program. “This year we’re up to 200, but the need is so great that even at 200 we’ll run out of supplies and there are still families in need,” Randlesome said, adding that donations have also declined. Experts say economic pressures continue to weigh on households across British Columbia. According to a survey conducted by the Retail Council of Canada and market research firm Caddle, families can expect to spend between $600 and $750 per child on back-to-school shopping, including electronics, though actual costs vary depending on what students already have and what schools require. The organizations estimate the Canadian back-to-school market is worth more than $4.5 billion. “Affordability has declined over the past few years, especially in British Columbia where things are getting more and more expensive,” said Jairo Yunis of the Business Council of B.C. “Rents, food prices beverage prices, consumer goods in general are getting more expensive.” Johnna Montgomerie, an education professor at UBC, said expectations around back-to-school spending may need to change as affordability challenges persist. “It comes from a bygone era, as we would say, when housing was affordable, transport was cheap and people had disposable income. That’s not the case anymore,” Montgomerie told CTV News. Despite those challenges, students receiving supplies Tuesday said they were grateful for the help. “I think it’s really helpful for families and stuff, it’s really nice too that they’re doing it,” said one Grade 10 student. A recent survey found four in 10 Canadians expect to spend more on back-to-school shopping this year than they did last year, highlighting the financial pressures many families continue to face.
