Toronto food banks brace for the worst in the face of looming tariff threat

Tyler Cheese · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 07, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Toronto nutrient banks – galore of which are already struggling to conscionable request – are expecting to spot a important summation successful users if the threatened U.S. tariffs spell up connected April 2. 

Neil Hetherington, CEO of the Daily Bread Food Bank, told CBC Toronto the non-profit was already expecting to walk $2.5 cardinal much than primitively budgeted to conscionable accrued request this year.

And that's earlier factoring successful immoderate interaction tariffs would have, helium said. 

"Now you adhd connected individuals who are going to suffer their jobs, individuals who are not going to get those further hours astatine their spot of determination and they are going to travel to the nutrient bank," Hetherington said.  

On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump paused the tariffs connected Canadian goods that concisely went into effect connected March 4, which included 25 per cent levies connected astir Canadian goods and 10 per cent levies connected lipid and state exports.  

In retaliation, Canada primitively slapped 25 per cent tariffs connected $30 cardinal worthy of American goods, and tariffs would beryllium applied to different $125 cardinal worthy aft a three-week consultation period.

If that should travel to pass, Hetherington said, immoderate gross earned connected counter-tariffs should beryllium enactment to bully use. 

"Let's marque definite that that wealth is going straight backmost into societal infrastructure," helium said. "Like making definite that we're processing decent affordable lodging crossed Canada truthful that this bequest astatine slightest beryllium 1 wherever we person a stronger, much resilient Canada."

Ryan Noble, enforcement manager astatine North York Harvest Food Bank, agreed, adding that portion nutrient banks would beryllium nether further strain due to the fact that of the tariffs, the larger problems they look aren't new. 

Policy solutions needed, adjacent without tariffs

"We've been telling akin stories for years now," helium told CBC Toronto. "We've allowed our societal information nett to degrade … That communicative is not going to alteration until we spot the types of argumentation solutions that are going to beryllium required truthful that radical person capable income to conscionable their basal needs." 

North York Harvest is besides preparing for large impacts if the commercialized warfare is reignited. Specifically, Noble said helium would expect a higher measurement of users arsenic good arsenic a alteration successful contributions arsenic regular donors look rising regular costs. 

"And past our quality to capable successful the void from that alteration successful donations becomes much and much expensive," helium said. 

Fiona Yeudall, an adjunct prof astatine Toronto Metropolitan University's School of Nutrition, told CBC Toronto tariffs airs a menace to nutrient information successful general. 

"When radical are stressed successful presumption of their income the nutrient is the elastic portion," she said. "You commencement to devour nutrient that you don't similar arsenic overmuch oregon you trim the quality. And if it gets truly bad, you trim the quantity. And the past radical wrong immoderate household who get reduced quantity are children. So if there's bare children, there's bare parents."

Even earlier the tariffs came along, nutrient insecurity was chiefly an income contented and requires income-based solutions, Yeudall said. 

CERB-like programme could help, says professor

One maneuver would beryllium for the authorities to instrumentality a akin strategy to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) rolled retired during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, adding that learning from that programme – what worked, what didn't – should beryllium applied to immoderate caller approach.    

Solutions similar this are fundamentally a signifier of cosmopolitan basal income, Yeudall said. 

"That's that level that you don't privation your fellow, your neighbors to autumn beneath due to the fact that there's societal costs associated with that," she said. 

CBC Toronto contacted the national Department of Finance astir whether a CERB-like programme was nether consideration, but did not person a effect earlier deadline.