Hajdu promotes new grocery benefit in Windsor as food insecurity grows

The federal government announced the new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit for Canadians in need in Windsor on Wednesday.

Federal Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu says a new grocery benefit will provide immediate and ongoing relief to low- and modest-income Canadians as food insecurity continues to climb.

Hajdu was at the Unemployed Help Centre — Hub of Opportunities in Windsor on Wednesday to promote the new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, legislation the federal government says will help more than 12 million Canadians beginning this spring.

Officials say the benefit, which was announced on Feb. 12, replaces and enhances the former GST credit. It includes a one-time top-up payment equal to a 50 per cent increase in the annual 2025–26 GST credit value, to be issued no later than June. The government says it will provide $3.1 billion in immediate assistance.

Beginning in July, the benefit will increase by 25 per cent for five years.

Taken together, the measures will provide up to an additional $402 to a single individual without children, $527 to a couple, and $805 to a couple with two children.

“It’s intended to really take the sting out of inflation,” Hajdu said.

“It’s obviously not going to replace a person’s grocery bill, but it is going to help with the inflationary pressures that we’re seeing specifically in certain products.”

Nearly 43,000 people in Windsor–Tecumseh–Lakeshore, close to 59,000 in Windsor West and almost 32,000 in Essex are expected to be eligible, according to Hajdu.

She acknowledged food bank usage is rising and described the benefit as part of what she called a layered strategy that also includes making the National School Food Program permanent.

“When I look at the numbers that we’re seeing in the general data, many of those would be children,” she said.

“Making sure that kids are getting food right as they learn is part of a layered strategy that will result in reducing that food need over time.”

The government has also announced additional food security measures, including $20 million for the Local Food Infrastructure Fund to support food banks, $150 million for a Food Security Fund aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises, and $500 million from a Strategic Response Fund to help businesses manage supply chain disruptions.

Hajdu said a national food security strategy is also being developed, which would include unit price labelling and support for the Competition Bureau to monitor competition in food supply chains.

“The issue of shrinkflation, the issue of fixed pricing — there’s been a number of high-profile cases,” she said.

“What people want when they go to the grocery store is to know that the pricing is fair and that they’re not being manipulated.”

June Muir, chief executive officer of the Unemployed Help Centre, welcomed the benefit, saying it will allow clients to purchase items they may not otherwise be able to afford.

“They’re going to have extra funds, and they can go to the grocery store now and get the items they might not otherwise get,” Muir said.

“We’re still needed. Obviously, food banks are a necessity, but this is certainly going to help many, many families.”

Muir said Windsor-Essex’s food recovery and transformation network — including the Leamington Regional Food Hub — could serve as a model for a national strategy aimed at reducing food waste and strengthening access to nutritious food.

Hajdu said examples like Windsor’s food hub demonstrate how producers and local organizations can work together to retain more food within the system and reduce waste.