Ontario has seen a 26.5% increase in first-time visitors at food banks across the province since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Feed Ontario.

In their 2020 hunger report, Feed Ontario says Ontario residents are reporting concerns of increasing debt, job insecurity and uncertainty for the future of Canada.

Government support helped lessen the need for food banks at the onset in March, but as the benefit programs like the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) have run out, food banks are reporting rapid growth in the use of their services.

“With the onset of COVID-19, people across Ontario and Canada have been faced with extensive job losses, closures, and increased stress as we continue to face the uncertainty of how long this pandemic will last and to what extent it will impact our economy and the long-term health and wellbeing of Canadians in the years that follow,” writes the report. 

Before the pandemic, food bank usage in Ontario was already on the rise. Between April 2019 to March 2020, over half a million people accessed food security services, a 5.3% increase since 2018. The total number of visits was at 3,282,500, a 7.3% increase since their previous hunger report.

Half of surveyed visitors to food banks said they are worried about eviction or defaulting on their mortgage in the next two to six months. When asked if they had to borrow money, take a payday loan or use credit to pay for monthly necessities, 93% reported they had.

The report concluded that there is an inadequate safety net in place for those on social assistance, causing people who already rely on government benefits to become food insecure. Most food bank users were already on social assistance.

With benefits programs ending and the pandemic still affecting Canada with closures, lockdowns, and layoffs, Feed Ontario expects the food bank network will continue to see a steady increase in the need for their services.

In September, it was revealed that government lockdowns have led to a dramatic spike in the cost of food across Canada.

Canadians are becoming less supportive of the idea of mandatory coronavirus vaccinations according to a new poll by Ipsos.

The poll found that 59% support mandatory vaccinations as of late November, a decline of 13% from Ipsos’ last survey in May.

The poll also showed that 71% are nervous about taking a vaccination approved so quickly, with 69% concerned about long term health effects which have not been studied.

“We know when we start going through the concerns that people have, they’re very worried about anything that has been rushed or they might perceive has been rushed. They’re very worried about anything that might have side effects associated with it,” Ipsos Public Affairs CEO Darell Bricker.

“They haven’t heard enough reassurance, I would say, to convince them that the concerns that they have are being dealt with appropriately or validly. And as a result of that, what we do is we end up in a situation where the more time goes on, the more worried we get.”

In October, a similar poll by Leger found that only 39% of Canadians support mandatory vaccinations, a decline of 18% from a poll conducted in July.

As vaccines are set to become available in early 2021, countries and businesses have been considering the idea of making it mandatory if people wish for life to return to normal.

On Monday, Ireland became one of the first countries to state that the coronavirus vaccine will not be mandatory for all citizens.

Qantas Airlines of Australia has made it clear that passengers in the future will have to show proof they have been vaccinated in order to fly internationally.

Last week, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said the province will not make vaccines mandatory. Kenney suggested that he will be amending the Public Health Act to take away cabinet’s power to force vaccinations.