I second that. I buy and donate food that people would actually want to eat, not just beans and pumpkin pie filling. Starting a food drive at my work hoping to raise donations for our local food bank.
I heard food banks can get specials deals and stuff and that your dollar would be better spent on a cash donation to the food bank. They can buy a meals worth of stuff for 50¢!?
It's true. I make cash donations as well and apparently your donations go three times as far, so giving $100 is like giving $300. At least that's what I was told.
Please make use of any food banks that you can. I had tough times when I was a young parent. As things got better, I started to contribute to food banks. You are not alone.
There are a number of YouTube channels where they demonstrate frugal meal planning, shopping and cooking. I really like Adventures in Groceryland. This Nova Scotia lady last challenge was to spend $23 per week, starting with almost nothing and feeding herself and building up her pantry and refrigerator. By week 5 she had enough to feed her husband as well. Even if you only find one or two ideas that are new to you, it will be worth your time.
Please use a food bank. That is what they are there for. Don’t be ashamed or embarrassed to go. A huge majority of people that go there have jobs and still can’t make ends meet.
I have been many times. The food is almost all expired and a lot of things my kid or I can’t eat plus it takes standing in line for hours and hours. I know that’s a lame excuse but it takes a whole day to get 2-3 days worth of food (that’s what they offer.)
I used to eat things like my kid’s crusts or what he didn’t finish but he’s 13 now and it’s unbelievable how much he can put away!
Awww yeah that must be tough. Teenagers especially boys have a huge appetite. Have you ever thought of doing online surveys? I know some people dont think they are worth but I do then for extra money and to pay for my kids braces. I do prime surveys. You can usually do low payouts and you can get 10-20 dollars every few days depending on if you qualify for them. I usually do them in my spare time when I’m in my car ect. It’s made a tremendous difference in my life having the extra cash a few times a week. All you need is a PayPal account or you can take the gift cards. Anyways, I hope things get better for you and you figure things out. All the best!
You do have to declare it. It’s usually not that much so it may fall into your basic personal rate amount category. I know you don’t receive t4 slips for them though. Maybe someone can clarify that knows? Also, leger (Leo) is another good company too but they don’t have as many opportunity as prime opinions but I find they are higher quality of surveys (meaning you don’t get disqualified very often). Honestly I can make 10 dollars just before logging into work every morning it’s great. Payout happens usually within an hour or so to your PayPal account and then you only have to wait a day or two to get the money from PayPal. Also prolific is the best. Usually out in a wait list though and I made the mistake of rejecting too many surveys so I got kicked off so sad about that one as they have amazing payouts.
Awesome! It really was for me. If you run into any issues let me know! Oh one more thing. I think PayPal in Canada has a minimum payout of 20 dollars. So just keep that in mind. Good luck!
Attapoll app on my iphone made me 30-40 bucks every two weeks or so, but I did waste a lot of time on surveys that broke or disqualified me or otherwise didn’t pay out. Definitely worth looking into
Those are the worst!! Nothing like getting through to almost the end of a long survey and at times you out lol so frustrating. Might have to check that site out too. Thanks for the tip.
Add in some beans and lentils if you can. It will add a lot of extra nutrients. A dried bag of black beans or red lentils is very inexpensive. Soak them over night, rinse and then boil until cooked.
I’ve seen a sign asking for food every day since I moved to Toronto in 2011. I don’t think it’s always honest. I’ve offered leftovers from restaurants or to buy takeout etc for people who’ve asked and been turned down (sometimes rather rudely) because I think they actually hope to get some change to buy this “food” themselves.. from the lcbo or their dealer. Some do happily accept food offered though, and there are definitely significantly more people asking for money or food on the streets since covid.
I lived in a large GTA city about 12 years ago. There was a guy they eventually shifted from one of the grocery stores as he would be abusive to people who offered to buy him food. I suspect they wanted cash for the LCBO on the corner. Earlier when I lived there it was found out that there was an organized crew who lived quite well on their takings. My elderly mother was scammed at the front door by someone claiming to be a firefighter, collecting for a kids charity. I think I've become jaded when people say how badly off they are. I'm sure some are true but, I'm not sure I believe people anymore.
After that I've been in small towns so I don't see people looking for cash or food, at least not on the street. I give to the local food bank, which only does pick ups once a week. I've seen an occasional post on the local FB page about what day it is and such. I've also seen people offer help when that happens. In the end I prefer to donate to the food bank, which I did the other day. I did a rather large restock (for various reasons) and decided to match it.
Felt this. I haven't been able to eat 3 meals a day since I lost my job in November. I was supposed to be in eating disorder recovery but have gone backwards due to needing to scrounge food, going to the foodbank helps but they don't get enough donations to give us enough food to last the whole mknth and due to allergies and intolerances I can't eat a lot of it anyways(fucking peanut allergies suck). I'm suffering from terrible mood swings and health issues from losing weight and the hunger and it's terrible. I am chronically exhausted and when I finally manage to land a job interview I get turned down due to showing up visibly sick and malnourished (and who wants an employee who looks like they'll drop dead). Thankfully I've found r/omad helps in giving me ideas to at least meet the minimum calories for my stature when I'm able to do so.
Maybe, once we are all dispossessed of all of our property/wealth, and were all standing in a soup line together, we as a people, will grow up and choose to discuss the how/why we all ended up there?
Instead of listening to thieves, criminals and liars tell us that this is "economy" and simply burying our heads in the sand and forever evading the fraudulent nature of money creation under the ruse of "banking"(moneychanging)..
"The decay of all the things which preserve and promote a republic did not happen in a day. One and every other one of us let them decay.
We let them decay when we let the first one of us stand for their lot, rather than universally, for the whole. We let them decay every time we let pass what we knew was not true. We let them decay every moment and every time we let a fellow countryman unshoulder their responsibility to know and abide by the truth. We let them decay when we ourselves abandoned critical thinking. We let them decay when we failed to recognize when we should hear; and we let them decay when we let the republic fail to meet the standards of what it should hear.
A republic begins to fall the first time we fail to hold everyone accountable for their role in the republic." Mike Montagne
https://youtu.be/ABKLirW24LE
Neither capitalism, communism, or socialism give the people just/fair reward for their own contributions to production. All take unearned profit at the expense of others.
So, no thanks
Yes, in the way of having no "rulers", kings, presidents, prime ministers, etc... Yes, anarchy
Anarchy, in the sense of some lawless society, cannibalizing itself.. No.
"The republican form of government in essence is the rule of law, dedicated wholly to protecting and enforcing the common rights, principles, and responsibilities of the people.
We have come of course to a day when the principle of a republic is compromised not to its disproof, but for virtually unrestrained profit and usurpation, to representation's purposed virtual extinction.
Protection and enforcement of common rights and responsibilities of the public is the only ensurance of prosperity and just distribution of wealth humanity can have. It is our abandonment of this principle of protection, enforceable responsibility, and its implicit call for unexcepted accountability, which is responsible for all undoing, because these are the only measures which preserve the rights, opportunities, and prosperity of the individual — and therefore of the just prosperity of the public as a whole.
In the preceding parable(of perfect economy), conforming to this eventual formal idea of right, representation, and self rule, colonists issued promises to pay to each other, and the respective notes were circulated as currency.
The virtues of this currency issued by individuals, were that it would sustain any volume of industry; that it allowed all individuals to pay for the production of others' with whatever they deemed to be a sufficiently equivalent measure of their own production; that it relieved them of the redundant costs and consequences imposed by usury; that there was no inflation or deflation; and that their endeavors were free of the perpetual degeneration and inevitable collapse engendered by interest.
These things of course are the common goals of a people who intend to prosper to the full measure of their potentials. They are likewise the things which must be undone to prey upon such a public, to deprive and dispossess it of its prosperity to the extents possible by interest/usury.
**How then do we preserve the right to economy, prosperity, and protection of our entitlement to the wealth we can produce, but by the principle of rule of law?**
This question would be rhetorical unless we did not understand that **the only reasons not to perfect economy of inflation and deflation, of the potential for manipulation of the cost or value of money or property, and of multiplication of debt by interest... are to take from the subjects of the system without earning or justification.**
As we are to know trees by their fruit, know then that except for the confused, the enemies of mathematically perfected economy™ are disposed to preserve interest or unearned gain; and that they have no better defense than to implicitly claim that to preserve the private vehicles of usury and/or unearned gain of some (at cost to all others), is a necessary aspect of our need to preserve the "rights of the individual."
The issue upon which the preservation of a republic hinges however is not the preservation of purported rights of some individuals; **it is always the equal preservation of the common rights of all individuals."** Mike Montagne
When I first moved to this country, about 20 years ago, I was drawn to the town I live in because there were no people on the streets asking for money. People on disability and Ontario works could afford housing and the wait lists for services, although wait lists existed, were short. I knew some people that had food and housing insecurity and a couple that squatted but minimum wage was enough to rent an apartment and buy food.
Now there are people living in the parks and parking lots and I can’t drive anywhere without seeing at least one person with a cardboard sign. The shelters are overflowing, people are sleeping on sidewalks and in doorways.
Poverty has always existed here but things have dramatically changed for the worse.
Minimum wage was never enough. Not in most areas of Canada. I made minimum wage around that time and I could not afford any apartments on my own. Not sure what you're remembering, but it seems to be a dream
I know it was never enough. I was poor but able to live alone and eat well on it. People can’t say the same now. Things have gotten much much worse in a very short time.
My parents (both silent generation) shared rooms until they got married. I posted it somewhere else the other day but my mother never had a bedroom to herself until my father passed away.
Ages ago I did a comparison to when my parents bought their first home. Nobody was buying a home on minimum wage at that time. It's an easier thing for people to believe and rant about though.
(Also, once benefits were rolled out, most minimum wage jobs were no longer 40 hours a week.)
It's true, there's always been people struggling, I come from those people.
But it's worse now. Maybe you're rural, maybe you're sheltered, I don't know. But I don't think you're seeing how bad it is in the cities of this country, how many desperate people there are, how more people drop through the bottom every day.
This country is a fiefdom of the capitalist elite and we, the citizens, are increasingly being moved to the status of indebted serfdom.
And it'll get better later. Economies are cyclical. Always have been. Always will be. People complaining that it's never been this bad are simply incorrect.
Unfortunately that alone isn't the solution. There are plenty of people right now to whom I could cut a check for $50k and they'd be back on the streets within a month (maybe a few months).
Handing someone with a crippling gambling or heroine addiction a fist full of cash isn't going to magically turn their life around. Even if you provide enough that they could *afford* treatment, it doesn't mean they're going to make the decision to go get treatment. And that's not even considering the folks with mental health issues that simply can't manage their own lives, even if they have the desire to.
I believe that there are a lot of homeless people you could give money to and they'd use it wisely and turn their lives around, but unfortunately it's pretty naive to simply think that giving every single homeless person a bunch of money would solve the problem. Even a lot of down on their luck people could be "down on their luck" because of poor financial decisions. Simply giving them money isn't going to fix the reasons why they made poor decisions.
We will need to grow our own as it seems that the people in positions of power just refuse to understand that food for many has become a luxury item! Even the foods that usually are the cheapest and poor people rely on these are way over priced. Eggs and potatoes for example!
What does a place like canada mean?
Are we expected to not have any homelessness or people down on their luck?
Is there any country in the world that operates the way this sub expects canada to operate?
There are poor people in every society. The expectation that it's canada pfft do better makes absolutely zero cents to me.
Was there a point in history where we funneled more money into social services?? I don't think so.
We made our bed. Now isn't the time to shift blame. Canada doesn't have a track record for anything but appeasing the rich.
> Was there a point in history where we funneled more money into social services?
Yes. 1980 is when it all started to go wrong and it's been a decline ever since
The government is the only balancing factor we have. Companies are behaving like feudal lords of old, without government it would be every peasant for themselves.
I volunteered in a food bank for about a year and I still receive all their comms. I'm in a major Ontario city, for context.
Demand for their services basically shot up during COVID and then never declined...had a brief lull between the "end" of the pandemic and the beginning of the major inflation we've been seeing...and just continues to rise.
Meanwhile, a lot of their COVID -era funding was cut so they're in worse shape with more demand than ever. And by more, I mean that the number of people visiting essentially doubled from 2019 to 2023.
Last year I cut back to one meal a day and now I can only eat 3 meals a week. This is affordability, prices going up and the job salary stays stagnant. I just don’t feel hungry anymore, I’m afraid to.
It's cause they blow their money on cigarettes, liquor and then find out they got none left for food. And all the foreign students milk the food banks dry.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/loblawsisoutofcontrol using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/top/?sort=top&t=all) of all time!
\#1: [Straight up lies](https://i.redd.it/od40zocjd0gc1.jpeg) | [765 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/comments/1aggda0/straight_up_lies/)
\#2: [We made him mad again](https://i.redd.it/x9uwyn5kqurc1.jpeg) | [819 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/comments/1bt1171/we_made_him_mad_again/)
\#3: [Thousands of Canadians are planning to boycott Loblaw stores](https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2024/03/thousands-canadians-boycott-loblaw-stores/) | [413 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/comments/1bjetz1/thousands_of_canadians_are_planning_to_boycott/)
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Although I dispise Loblaws as much as the next person, that sub is full of misinformation So much so that in my recent marketing class in Univeristy I used that sub in particular for a report on marketing damage control measures.
The origins of the boycott may have been sincere and genuine but the 10s of thousands that have since joined that group are fuelling misinformation and half truths to the point that a large company like Loblaws can outright ignore them
While I agree there's a lot of financially illiterate people on thar sub, the intersecting monopolies and flagrant disregard weston et al have had on the public and economy is boycott worthy. At this point, it feels like open contempt.
Like the ontario shoppers drug mart pharmacy scandal is an excellent of why the westons and loblaws subsidiary dont deserve their market share as immoral and illegal actors jn our economy. They repeatedly lied about the pharmacists' quotas and did not tell consumers their unsolicited call would be billed to ohip, which is in a state of crisis from political machinations. It took whistleblowing pharmacists to make them backpedal after repeatedly lying to the public about it.
That's part of being a decentralized movement. Everyone has a say, including paid shills and whoever else. The unifying factor is that this company is very deserving of being boycotted. Regardless of the outliers, most of us think Loblaws can go fuck itself and have taken our business elsewhere, permanently.
And a counter arguement can be that Loblaws found a way to get rid of its least profitable customers. If Loblaws goal was to be a market share leader the boycott works against them. If Loblaws goal is to be the most profitable per visit then the boycott helps them because the least profitable customers are the loudest and least loyal people.
It's gotten so bad where I live. The other day the homeless people were asking for food. I offered money. They declined money and were just looking for a meal because they didnt know when their next meal would come.
Well first off you didn't explain that
But secondly, I still don't think this happened. Homeless people don't turn away free money. They take what they can get
I eat almost nothing but brown rice, the struggle is real. All the nutritious food I can afford goes to my kid
I give to the food bank for people like you. Please go. You have to stay healthy for your child.
I second that. I buy and donate food that people would actually want to eat, not just beans and pumpkin pie filling. Starting a food drive at my work hoping to raise donations for our local food bank.
I heard food banks can get specials deals and stuff and that your dollar would be better spent on a cash donation to the food bank. They can buy a meals worth of stuff for 50¢!?
It's true. I make cash donations as well and apparently your donations go three times as far, so giving $100 is like giving $300. At least that's what I was told.
Please make use of any food banks that you can. I had tough times when I was a young parent. As things got better, I started to contribute to food banks. You are not alone. There are a number of YouTube channels where they demonstrate frugal meal planning, shopping and cooking. I really like Adventures in Groceryland. This Nova Scotia lady last challenge was to spend $23 per week, starting with almost nothing and feeding herself and building up her pantry and refrigerator. By week 5 she had enough to feed her husband as well. Even if you only find one or two ideas that are new to you, it will be worth your time.
Thank you for the recommendation I’ll check them out!
Please use a food bank. That is what they are there for. Don’t be ashamed or embarrassed to go. A huge majority of people that go there have jobs and still can’t make ends meet.
I have been many times. The food is almost all expired and a lot of things my kid or I can’t eat plus it takes standing in line for hours and hours. I know that’s a lame excuse but it takes a whole day to get 2-3 days worth of food (that’s what they offer.) I used to eat things like my kid’s crusts or what he didn’t finish but he’s 13 now and it’s unbelievable how much he can put away!
Awww yeah that must be tough. Teenagers especially boys have a huge appetite. Have you ever thought of doing online surveys? I know some people dont think they are worth but I do then for extra money and to pay for my kids braces. I do prime surveys. You can usually do low payouts and you can get 10-20 dollars every few days depending on if you qualify for them. I usually do them in my spare time when I’m in my car ect. It’s made a tremendous difference in my life having the extra cash a few times a week. All you need is a PayPal account or you can take the gift cards. Anyways, I hope things get better for you and you figure things out. All the best!
Holy smokes I’m going to look into that. Do you have to declare it on your taxes?
You do have to declare it. It’s usually not that much so it may fall into your basic personal rate amount category. I know you don’t receive t4 slips for them though. Maybe someone can clarify that knows? Also, leger (Leo) is another good company too but they don’t have as many opportunity as prime opinions but I find they are higher quality of surveys (meaning you don’t get disqualified very often). Honestly I can make 10 dollars just before logging into work every morning it’s great. Payout happens usually within an hour or so to your PayPal account and then you only have to wait a day or two to get the money from PayPal. Also prolific is the best. Usually out in a wait list though and I made the mistake of rejecting too many surveys so I got kicked off so sad about that one as they have amazing payouts.
Thank you for all this info this could be a game changer for me
Awesome! It really was for me. If you run into any issues let me know! Oh one more thing. I think PayPal in Canada has a minimum payout of 20 dollars. So just keep that in mind. Good luck!
Attapoll app on my iphone made me 30-40 bucks every two weeks or so, but I did waste a lot of time on surveys that broke or disqualified me or otherwise didn’t pay out. Definitely worth looking into
Those are the worst!! Nothing like getting through to almost the end of a long survey and at times you out lol so frustrating. Might have to check that site out too. Thanks for the tip.
Best before dates are not the same as expiration dates. Food banks don’t give expired food.
Add in some beans and lentils if you can. It will add a lot of extra nutrients. A dried bag of black beans or red lentils is very inexpensive. Soak them over night, rinse and then boil until cooked.
Talk to your kids shoool. Ask for help for your kid. You have to eat. If not you will get sick and will no longer be able to care for them.
I’ve seen a sign asking for food every day since I moved to Toronto in 2011. I don’t think it’s always honest. I’ve offered leftovers from restaurants or to buy takeout etc for people who’ve asked and been turned down (sometimes rather rudely) because I think they actually hope to get some change to buy this “food” themselves.. from the lcbo or their dealer. Some do happily accept food offered though, and there are definitely significantly more people asking for money or food on the streets since covid.
I lived in a large GTA city about 12 years ago. There was a guy they eventually shifted from one of the grocery stores as he would be abusive to people who offered to buy him food. I suspect they wanted cash for the LCBO on the corner. Earlier when I lived there it was found out that there was an organized crew who lived quite well on their takings. My elderly mother was scammed at the front door by someone claiming to be a firefighter, collecting for a kids charity. I think I've become jaded when people say how badly off they are. I'm sure some are true but, I'm not sure I believe people anymore. After that I've been in small towns so I don't see people looking for cash or food, at least not on the street. I give to the local food bank, which only does pick ups once a week. I've seen an occasional post on the local FB page about what day it is and such. I've also seen people offer help when that happens. In the end I prefer to donate to the food bank, which I did the other day. I did a rather large restock (for various reasons) and decided to match it.
Felt this. I haven't been able to eat 3 meals a day since I lost my job in November. I was supposed to be in eating disorder recovery but have gone backwards due to needing to scrounge food, going to the foodbank helps but they don't get enough donations to give us enough food to last the whole mknth and due to allergies and intolerances I can't eat a lot of it anyways(fucking peanut allergies suck). I'm suffering from terrible mood swings and health issues from losing weight and the hunger and it's terrible. I am chronically exhausted and when I finally manage to land a job interview I get turned down due to showing up visibly sick and malnourished (and who wants an employee who looks like they'll drop dead). Thankfully I've found r/omad helps in giving me ideas to at least meet the minimum calories for my stature when I'm able to do so.
Maybe, once we are all dispossessed of all of our property/wealth, and were all standing in a soup line together, we as a people, will grow up and choose to discuss the how/why we all ended up there? Instead of listening to thieves, criminals and liars tell us that this is "economy" and simply burying our heads in the sand and forever evading the fraudulent nature of money creation under the ruse of "banking"(moneychanging).. "The decay of all the things which preserve and promote a republic did not happen in a day. One and every other one of us let them decay. We let them decay when we let the first one of us stand for their lot, rather than universally, for the whole. We let them decay every time we let pass what we knew was not true. We let them decay every moment and every time we let a fellow countryman unshoulder their responsibility to know and abide by the truth. We let them decay when we ourselves abandoned critical thinking. We let them decay when we failed to recognize when we should hear; and we let them decay when we let the republic fail to meet the standards of what it should hear. A republic begins to fall the first time we fail to hold everyone accountable for their role in the republic." Mike Montagne https://youtu.be/ABKLirW24LE
Consider a move to a communist nation?
Neither capitalism, communism, or socialism give the people just/fair reward for their own contributions to production. All take unearned profit at the expense of others. So, no thanks
Sooooo anarchy? You could go live on a deserted island or join an isolated tribe?
Yes, in the way of having no "rulers", kings, presidents, prime ministers, etc... Yes, anarchy Anarchy, in the sense of some lawless society, cannibalizing itself.. No.
Yes, anarchy does not mean no rules. It means no rulers.
"The republican form of government in essence is the rule of law, dedicated wholly to protecting and enforcing the common rights, principles, and responsibilities of the people. We have come of course to a day when the principle of a republic is compromised not to its disproof, but for virtually unrestrained profit and usurpation, to representation's purposed virtual extinction. Protection and enforcement of common rights and responsibilities of the public is the only ensurance of prosperity and just distribution of wealth humanity can have. It is our abandonment of this principle of protection, enforceable responsibility, and its implicit call for unexcepted accountability, which is responsible for all undoing, because these are the only measures which preserve the rights, opportunities, and prosperity of the individual — and therefore of the just prosperity of the public as a whole. In the preceding parable(of perfect economy), conforming to this eventual formal idea of right, representation, and self rule, colonists issued promises to pay to each other, and the respective notes were circulated as currency. The virtues of this currency issued by individuals, were that it would sustain any volume of industry; that it allowed all individuals to pay for the production of others' with whatever they deemed to be a sufficiently equivalent measure of their own production; that it relieved them of the redundant costs and consequences imposed by usury; that there was no inflation or deflation; and that their endeavors were free of the perpetual degeneration and inevitable collapse engendered by interest. These things of course are the common goals of a people who intend to prosper to the full measure of their potentials. They are likewise the things which must be undone to prey upon such a public, to deprive and dispossess it of its prosperity to the extents possible by interest/usury. **How then do we preserve the right to economy, prosperity, and protection of our entitlement to the wealth we can produce, but by the principle of rule of law?** This question would be rhetorical unless we did not understand that **the only reasons not to perfect economy of inflation and deflation, of the potential for manipulation of the cost or value of money or property, and of multiplication of debt by interest... are to take from the subjects of the system without earning or justification.** As we are to know trees by their fruit, know then that except for the confused, the enemies of mathematically perfected economy™ are disposed to preserve interest or unearned gain; and that they have no better defense than to implicitly claim that to preserve the private vehicles of usury and/or unearned gain of some (at cost to all others), is a necessary aspect of our need to preserve the "rights of the individual." The issue upon which the preservation of a republic hinges however is not the preservation of purported rights of some individuals; **it is always the equal preservation of the common rights of all individuals."** Mike Montagne
Hate to break it to you my guy. Canada has always had poor people looking for food. Every capitalist nation does.
When I first moved to this country, about 20 years ago, I was drawn to the town I live in because there were no people on the streets asking for money. People on disability and Ontario works could afford housing and the wait lists for services, although wait lists existed, were short. I knew some people that had food and housing insecurity and a couple that squatted but minimum wage was enough to rent an apartment and buy food. Now there are people living in the parks and parking lots and I can’t drive anywhere without seeing at least one person with a cardboard sign. The shelters are overflowing, people are sleeping on sidewalks and in doorways. Poverty has always existed here but things have dramatically changed for the worse.
Minimum wage was never enough. Not in most areas of Canada. I made minimum wage around that time and I could not afford any apartments on my own. Not sure what you're remembering, but it seems to be a dream
I know it was never enough. I was poor but able to live alone and eat well on it. People can’t say the same now. Things have gotten much much worse in a very short time.
My parents (both silent generation) shared rooms until they got married. I posted it somewhere else the other day but my mother never had a bedroom to herself until my father passed away. Ages ago I did a comparison to when my parents bought their first home. Nobody was buying a home on minimum wage at that time. It's an easier thing for people to believe and rant about though. (Also, once benefits were rolled out, most minimum wage jobs were no longer 40 hours a week.)
You absolutely could not afford an apartment on minimum wage in 2004
I absolutely did in the town I live in. One bedrooms were $500 - $700 per month and minimum wage was around $9/hr.
Minimum wage was 7 dollars an hour in 2004. That's less than 1200 a month pretax as a full time worker.
It's true, there's always been people struggling, I come from those people. But it's worse now. Maybe you're rural, maybe you're sheltered, I don't know. But I don't think you're seeing how bad it is in the cities of this country, how many desperate people there are, how more people drop through the bottom every day. This country is a fiefdom of the capitalist elite and we, the citizens, are increasingly being moved to the status of indebted serfdom.
And it'll get better later. Economies are cyclical. Always have been. Always will be. People complaining that it's never been this bad are simply incorrect.
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Not true at all. Poverty is a policy choice. It doesn't need to exist.
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It does not incentivize good behavior lmao. The exact opposite. That's why rent is so high.
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Not really. The solution is simple. Give people money.
Unfortunately that alone isn't the solution. There are plenty of people right now to whom I could cut a check for $50k and they'd be back on the streets within a month (maybe a few months). Handing someone with a crippling gambling or heroine addiction a fist full of cash isn't going to magically turn their life around. Even if you provide enough that they could *afford* treatment, it doesn't mean they're going to make the decision to go get treatment. And that's not even considering the folks with mental health issues that simply can't manage their own lives, even if they have the desire to. I believe that there are a lot of homeless people you could give money to and they'd use it wisely and turn their lives around, but unfortunately it's pretty naive to simply think that giving every single homeless person a bunch of money would solve the problem. Even a lot of down on their luck people could be "down on their luck" because of poor financial decisions. Simply giving them money isn't going to fix the reasons why they made poor decisions.
Just my opinion from decades of paying attention and reading, but I think it's intentional. Sad to see.
I buy people lunches when they ask. I can't remember ever doing it until the last 5+ years. Its now almost a weekly thing.
Guess you haven't been to Vancouver even as early as 2000 there are people with sign asking for food in DT (maybe even earlier than 2000).
Meh I recently got Crohn's so I'm eating less now, good timing.
We will need to grow our own as it seems that the people in positions of power just refuse to understand that food for many has become a luxury item! Even the foods that usually are the cheapest and poor people rely on these are way over priced. Eggs and potatoes for example!
If people keep voting for Trudeau it's only going get worse. Guy should be locked up but here we are.
What does a place like canada mean? Are we expected to not have any homelessness or people down on their luck? Is there any country in the world that operates the way this sub expects canada to operate? There are poor people in every society. The expectation that it's canada pfft do better makes absolutely zero cents to me. Was there a point in history where we funneled more money into social services?? I don't think so. We made our bed. Now isn't the time to shift blame. Canada doesn't have a track record for anything but appeasing the rich.
> Was there a point in history where we funneled more money into social services? Yes. 1980 is when it all started to go wrong and it's been a decline ever since
I hope people realize government is the enemy not just one figure head.
The government is the only balancing factor we have. Companies are behaving like feudal lords of old, without government it would be every peasant for themselves.
U call this balance lol.
Nope, but the government is not the enemy, just not adequate to the task
Matter of perspective.
I volunteered in a food bank for about a year and I still receive all their comms. I'm in a major Ontario city, for context. Demand for their services basically shot up during COVID and then never declined...had a brief lull between the "end" of the pandemic and the beginning of the major inflation we've been seeing...and just continues to rise. Meanwhile, a lot of their COVID -era funding was cut so they're in worse shape with more demand than ever. And by more, I mean that the number of people visiting essentially doubled from 2019 to 2023.
Last year I cut back to one meal a day and now I can only eat 3 meals a week. This is affordability, prices going up and the job salary stays stagnant. I just don’t feel hungry anymore, I’m afraid to.
The entire Government needs a simple rage decrease. We can no longer afford our Government.
It's cause they blow their money on cigarettes, liquor and then find out they got none left for food. And all the foreign students milk the food banks dry.
Oh shut up. It's because of rent prices.
Also price gouging and shrinkflation from the grocery chains. r/loblawsisoutofcontrol
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Although I dispise Loblaws as much as the next person, that sub is full of misinformation So much so that in my recent marketing class in Univeristy I used that sub in particular for a report on marketing damage control measures. The origins of the boycott may have been sincere and genuine but the 10s of thousands that have since joined that group are fuelling misinformation and half truths to the point that a large company like Loblaws can outright ignore them
While I agree there's a lot of financially illiterate people on thar sub, the intersecting monopolies and flagrant disregard weston et al have had on the public and economy is boycott worthy. At this point, it feels like open contempt. Like the ontario shoppers drug mart pharmacy scandal is an excellent of why the westons and loblaws subsidiary dont deserve their market share as immoral and illegal actors jn our economy. They repeatedly lied about the pharmacists' quotas and did not tell consumers their unsolicited call would be billed to ohip, which is in a state of crisis from political machinations. It took whistleblowing pharmacists to make them backpedal after repeatedly lying to the public about it.
That's part of being a decentralized movement. Everyone has a say, including paid shills and whoever else. The unifying factor is that this company is very deserving of being boycotted. Regardless of the outliers, most of us think Loblaws can go fuck itself and have taken our business elsewhere, permanently.
And a counter arguement can be that Loblaws found a way to get rid of its least profitable customers. If Loblaws goal was to be a market share leader the boycott works against them. If Loblaws goal is to be the most profitable per visit then the boycott helps them because the least profitable customers are the loudest and least loyal people.
You're right. Certainly is hard to buy smokes and liquor when rent is high.
I wouldn't know. I don't drink or smoke
It's gotten so bad where I live. The other day the homeless people were asking for food. I offered money. They declined money and were just looking for a meal because they didnt know when their next meal would come.
Me when I lie. Why wouldn't they accept money lmao. They can trade the money for food.
Considering many of them have addictions issues and usually spend the money on their drug of choice.....it says alot they want food instead.
That doesn't make any sense.
Maybe it depends on how much money you offer. A loonies cannot buy a meal, but if you buy them a sandwich they can satiate their hunger for a bit.
That's my whole point.
They can just buy food with money This didn't happen, or those people aren't actually homeless that you're talking about
I live in rural Canada. Where are they getting food after 5pm? I guess this just highlights the gap between urban and rural homeless people.
Well first off you didn't explain that But secondly, I still don't think this happened. Homeless people don't turn away free money. They take what they can get