Food Aid Requests Are Increasing in the Ottawa Valley

January 28, 2025

The Ottawa Valley has experienced a preoccupying increase in food aid requests. In 2023, the region registered 109,424 food aid requests, representing some 4.22% of the total requests in the province of Quebec. This region is facing unique challenges that influence its food-related reality. These issues are amplified by emerging trends observed province-wide, as mentioned in the Quebec Food Bank Survey (BAQ), prepared by Aviseo.

The survey identified four major determinants that explain the request increase throughout the province, especially in the Ottawa Valley:

1. Increasing Economic Dependency: An important proportion of households depend on government transfers to support themselves, thus exposing themselves to vulnerabilities in case of public grant fluctuations.

2. Increase in Rent Costs: In the Ottawa Valley, rent costs represent an average of 33% of tenant household incomes, a data lined up with large cities. This situation amplifies the financial pressure on low-income households.

3. Difficulties for Newcomers: The region accommodates 3.8% of Quebec’s new immigrants, who represent a growing proportion of food bank users. These populations are facing obstacles such as access to affordable housing and to the job market

4. Post-Pandemic Impact : The COVID-19 pandemic left a lasting impact with an increase in food needs which has not subsided.

Trends and Projections for 2027

According to the predictive model developed by Aviseo, food requests in the Ottawa Valley should increase by 4 to 5% each year, totalling more than 120,000 requests by 2027. This increase is due to demographic growth, the arrival of new immigrants, and persisting inequalities.

Food services will have to adapt in order to respond to more complex needs. However, with financial resources that are already extremely limited, it is difficult to imagine how organizations will be able to adjust, since they are almost on the brinks of depletion.

Moisson Outaouais: Logistic and Financial Challenges

Faced with these foreseen increases, and as a key player in the fight against food insecurity in the region, Moisson Outaouais must take up numerous challenges:

1. Limited Logistic Capacity

With its present infrastructure already saturated, the organization will need more space to respond to the anticipated increase in food requests.

2. Stagnant Donations

Individual donations which have peaked around $1.4M, as well as the reliance on government grants, limit the financial flexibility of Moisson Outaouais. Grant instability represents a significant risk for the sustainability of its activities.

3. Grant Reliance

The uncertainty related to the renewal of provincial or federal grants weakens long-term planning.

4. Continuous Needs Increase

According to the latest projections, monthly requests could increase by 34% to 49% between now and 2029, thus requesting financial and logistic resources that go way beyond the present capacity.

Necessary Solutions for a Sustainable Future

The Aviseo Survey points out the urgent need to adopt targeted strategies in order to support organizations like Moisson Outaouais. Among these are financial source diversification, increased support of governments, and a better integration of community initiatives.

In short, the Ottawa Valley well illustrates the complex challenges facing the fight against food insecurity in the province of Quebec. If these joint efforts are not set up, this reality could worsen at the expense of the most vulnerable households.