Learn about food insecurity

Low wages and inadequate income assistance are two major causes of food insecurity. Data shows that 30% of food bank users in Nova Scotia rely on social assistance rates (including disability) as their primary source of income, while an additional 20% have employment as their primary source. 

Low Wages:

The living way in Nova Scotia averages at $26.53, while minimum wage is nearly $10 less, at $16.50. Furthermore, only 35% of employed Nova Scotians make more than $20/hour.

Income Assistance:

Income assistance includes supports such disability assistance. Income assistance rates are set by the government, and are meant to be an accurate representation of what Nova Scotians need to survive. Despite this, the yearly income assistance rates in Nova Scotia are $20,000 below the poverty line. This is the case for both single households, and in two parent-two children households.

Racism:

While racialized people are more active in the workforce, they also face higher unemployment rates than their white counterparts. Racist hiring practices are also still present across Nova Scotia.

Clawbacks:

Income assistance rates begin to be “clawed back” once a recipient earns $250 a month, making it a further barrier to obtaining employment by disincentivizing people from joining the workforce.

Disabilities:

People living with disabilities face major barriers to work, and experience poverty at twice the rate of those living without a disability, while having significantly higher monthly expenses.

Although toted as a “progressive” tax system, the Canadian system is regressive for higher earners, meaning that the rich are not contributing their fair share. Our tax system is another cause of income inequality, and disproportionally affects low-income households. 

Income Assistance:

People on income assistance are taxed at 70% for any employment income made after $250 a month. 

Federal Benefits:

People who are most vulnerable to poverty are least likely to file taxes. This is a considerable issue considering many federal benefits, including the Canada Child Benefit, the Worker Benefit, and GST/HST Rebates, which are an important source of income for people, are paid through the tax system.

Groceries are becoming more unaffordable each day. While general inflation went up 13.8% from 2022 to 2024, food inflation went up 19.3% during the same period. As these grocery prices continue to rise, the share that goes to individual farmers continues to decrease, meaning that the rise in food costs is going to the retailers.

The lack of market diversity and competition is another significant issue in Canada. We have five major retailers that control 80% of the market, meaning the limited competition allows for increased prices and price gouging.

Rental affordability continues to be a pressing issue across Canada, and 70% of Nova Scotian food bank users are living in market rentals. Issues with market rentals include fixed term leases, which are used by landlords to circumvent the 5% rent cap, leaving renters in uncertain living conditions. This is something that housing advocates have pressured the government to properly address for years, but with no success.

While the government of Nova Scotia has a housing benefit in the form of a rent supplement program, the eligibility does not meet nationally accepted thresholds. While spending 30% of your income on housing is considered “affordable”, you must spend 40% to be eligible for the benefit in Nova Scotia.

We also currently have over 1,100 people experiencing homelessness in the HRM, and more than 7,000 waiting for public housing in Nova Scotia. 

Those spending more than 6% of their after-tax income on utilities are considered to be living in energy poverty. In 2023, 43% of Nova Scotians fit the definition of “energy poor”, and income support programs for energy are not sufficiently addressing this issue. You can read more about energy poverty here.

Lack of access to affordable childcare has long been identified as a barrier to work for families, as well as an expense that can leave households struggling. While the government is focused on rolling out $10/day childcare, along with additional childcare providers in 2026, current childcare is unaffordable for many, and there are long wait times. This is especially pressing in a time where 38% of children in Nova Scotia live in food insecure households.

The truth is, free healthcare is not available to everyone in Canada, and many people end up paying out of pocket for coverage. This includes migrant workers, who play an invaluable role in our food systems, and international students within their first year of study. 

Some aspects of healthcare services are also not covered, such as ambulance fees, and services like the Federal Dental Care Program require a history of tax filing to be eligible, meaning those who do not file are forced to pay out of pocket. The cost of prescription medicine continues to be an issue for all Nova Scotians, and many residents face high co-pays under the existing support programs. To further exacerbate the issue of high prescription costs, the government of Nova Scotia has not yet signed a Pharmacare funding agreement with the federal government, which would cover contraception and diabetes medications.

Period poverty also affects thousands of Canadians each year. You can find more information here.

Food sovereignty focuses on the right of people to have healthy and culturally appropriate food, and their right to define their own food and agricultural systems.

Nova Scotia is not particularly well situated for food sovereignty, as we only grow 10% of the food consumed here. We lack the infrastructure to support small farmers, and this impacts the ability to expand the local market.

Indigenous food sovereignty is a pressing issue for Nova Scotia, as they face problems stemming from a lack of land, lack of access to traditional foods, colonial projects, and environmental racism.

Previously known as a food desert, food apartheid occurs in areas lacking access to food stores. Using apartheid instead of desert acknowledges that this lack of stores does not happen naturally, and that racist and classist planning policies are what shape these communities.

Restrictive Covenants

Restrictive covenants are agreements tied to property deeds that control how land is used and play a large role in food apartheid. These covenants can restrict retailers from opening both on the land and within a radius of nearby properties, and are a tool often used by grocery retailers to restrict competition surrounding their stores.

Where there is only one grocery store in a community, they can set prices at whatever they want, knowing that people have no choice but to purchase their goods and with no competition to keep prices in check. In 2019, the HRM alone had at least 55 food-based covenants. 

Almost half of the Nova Scotian population live in rural areas, and accessing food can be difficult without personal transportation, as rural areas often do not have transit systems.

Rural areas also face a lack of physical infrastructure when it comes to food programming and production. In smaller communities, many food banks and food programs may be found in religious institutions that aren’t welcoming to everybody or may lack physical accessibility features.

Farming in Nova Scotia continues to trend downwards, with 68% of Nova Scotian farmers planning to transition/retire within the next decade. New farmers face significant barriers, including the cost of land and equipment, as well as low profit sharing.

We are also losing farmland at unprecedented rates, especially compared to the rest of Canada.

While there is a shop local movement happening in Nova Scotia, these programs often benefit big grocery retailers more than small producers.  

Migrant farm workers are an integral part of our food system, making up 20% of all farm workers in the province. They earn very low wages, and do not have access to benefits such as healthcare while they are working here. They are often on closed work permits, meaning they are tied to their employers and aren’t able to work elsewhere. Because of this, migrant workers are more prone to abuse, live in rough conditions, and often experience food insecurity themselves.