On Thursday, November 20th, Just Food delegated to the Emergency Preparedness and Protective Services Committee in relation to the need for the City of Ottawa to fund the City’s Emergency Food Security Response Plan.
We invite you to watch the delegation, or read the transcript below.
My name is Kate Veinot and I am here on behalf of Just Food, which is a member of the Emergency Food Security Task Force. We appreciate the work that this Committee and City staff are doing to strengthen Ottawa’s emergency preparedness in a time of growing climate instability, increased extreme weather events, growing socio-economic unrest and rising household food insecurity.
Today, I want to speak to a single, urgent point: the 2026 Draft Budget must include dedicated funding to support the food security sector’s role in the City’s food security emergency response plan.
The City’s Emergency Food Security Plan, still in the process of being vetted, relies on a network of community organizations such as food banks, community kitchens, neighbourhood-serving groups, and distribution hubs, to activate during a crisis. These are the organizations expected to keep residents fed when basic systems are disrupted.
But right now, the expectation that non-profits and charities can simply “step in” during an emergency without committed resources to do so is not realistic, not responsible, and not in line with how the City funds other essential emergency functions.
These organizations are already operating far beyond their capacity to deal as social services providing to those dealing with hunger on a daily basis in our city.
We are all managing unprecedented demand due to inflation, high housing costs, and funding levels that are just keeping their heads above water.
We are all relying on overburdened staff and volunteer networks who are already doing everything they can just to maintain daily operations.
To ask our organizations to take on additional emergency responsibilities without any designated funding for staff time, coordination, utilities, food purchasing, equipment, or transportation is to set up the system for failure at the very moment residents need it to succeed.
Let me be clear:
Non-profit organizations want to help during emergencies.
We are committed to the wellbeing of our communities.
But we cannot be expected to absorb unfunded emergency obligations on top of existing workload.
When we talk about emergency preparedness, we talk about reliability.
We talk about predictable systems that activate when needed.
In an emergency… We fund fire services. We fund paramedics. We fund public works. We fund police.
Because we understand that emergency response cannot depend on goodwill alone.
Food access during one-time crises is no different.
It is a core component of public safety and emergency preparedness.
And it must be funded as such.
If the City intends for community organizations dealing with information, housing connections, seniors, and food provisioning to be partners in emergency food response, then the City must budget accordingly so these organizations know that when we commit to being part of the plan, we do so with the confidence that it is funded, coordinated, and taken seriously.
Right now, that is not the case.
The 2026 Draft Budget presents an opportunity to correct this.
We are asking this Committee to:
Include a dedicated budget line for emergency food security response;
Fund staffing, infrastructure, coordination, and food procurement costs required for organizations to activate safely and effectively in an emergency; and
Work with community partners in 2026 to finalize a transparent funding model so that commitments are clear well before the next emergency occurs.
Ottawa’s emergency food response system will only be as strong as the resources we put into it.
Right now, the system is running on hope, volunteerism, and exhausted staff.
That is not a plan. And it is not fair to the organizations your emergency plan depends on.
We urge you to ensure that the 2026 Budget recognizes emergency food response as the essential City function that it is… and to fund it at the level required to keep our residents safe, fed, and supported in the moments that matter most.
Thank you for your time, and for your commitment to building a more resilient Ottawa.
