Just Food’s request for adequate funding is responded to:
Today, a staff direction introduced by Councillor Rawlson King has been passed at City Council directing staff to explore the creation of a dedicated emergency food security fund.
Staff will review the Office of Emergency Management’s framework and present options for establishing a rapid-response funding stream, potentially up to $1 million, to support residents facing food loss during extreme events. The City will consult community food organizations, food banks, and emergency response partners to design an equitable, fast-delivery model prioritizing high-needs neighbourhoods.
Recommendations and financial options will return to Council ahead of the 2027 budget.
This is a critical step in ensuring community agencies can confidently commit to their role in the City’s Emergency Food Security Response Plan, ultimately leading to a more resilient Ottawa.
Just Food’s Ask:
This follows Just Food’s delegation at the committee-level Nov 20th (read more about it here) to address this.
The expectation to date has been that community organizations would respond in the case of a one-time emergency, using their own reserves to pay for overtime, transportation, food costs, utilities, etc. This is a significant barrier for participation from these community organizations that are already stretched thin, with increasing, unrelenting demand already for daily food access programs.
Just Food – a member of the City’s Emergency Food Security Response Task Force – delegated on the need for an Emergency Food Security Response Fund.
The Task Force consists of community organizations that would be engaged to act in the case of one time food emergencies.
You can watch Councillor King’s direction to staff here:
