㽶Ƶֱ

Skip to content

B.C. seniors 㽶Ƶֱ and parents - skipping meals as 㽶Ƶֱsticker shock㽶Ƶֱ from food inflation hits

Greater Victoria residents open up about financial struggles and their sacrifices
31805983_web1_230203-VNE-inflation-seniors-shopping_1
Victoria seniors are struggling to afford food due to rising costs. (Pexels photo)

Gwen is a B.C. senior who doesn㽶Ƶֱt want her last name used because she㽶Ƶֱs embarrassed by how desperate her financial situation has become.

But she did share her reaction every time she goes to a grocery store.

㽶ƵֱI get sticker shock at the price,㽶Ƶֱ said Gwen, who at 81 lives on a fixed income that shrunk in half after her husband died in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. 㽶ƵֱI dread going grocery shopping because it㽶Ƶֱs a reminder of how poor I am now.㽶Ƶֱ

Gwen spoke with Black Press Media while she was shopping in the produce section of a Victoria store.

She never goes out to eat and cooks for herself, but has now been 㽶Ƶֱskipping㽶Ƶֱ a meal a day 㽶Ƶֱ usually lunch 㽶Ƶֱ in order to stretch her food budget.

Gwen says she simply can㽶Ƶֱt afford to eat three times a day because her rent also went up. The senior got rid of her car two years ago to save money each month, but walking has become more difficult as she gets older.

㽶ƵֱIt㽶Ƶֱs hard to watch the news because most days there are stories about inflation and it㽶Ƶֱs a yet another reminder of my situation,㽶Ƶֱ said Gwen, who is actively seeking a roommate to cut down on monthly costs.

She has also sold off a bunch of her jewelry.

㽶ƵֱThat really hurt,㽶Ƶֱ Gwen said.

The Victoria senior is hardly alone. Many residents are struggling as inflation drives up food prices and other items.

Black Press Media has spoken to a dozen customers shopping in area grocery stores in recent days to ask how they are managing.

Some parents said they were paying far more than 50 per cent of their monthly income on rent, which doesn㽶Ƶֱt leave much money for groceries. Parents described cutting back on Christmas presents and entertainment, as well as also skipping meals to ensure their children eat a proper number of meals each day.

㽶ƵֱYou sacrifice anything for your kids,㽶Ƶֱ one dad said.

Statistics Canada said recently that upward pressure is being placed on rent prices as more Canadians are priced out of homeownership because of high interest rates.

In a client note, BMO chief economist Douglas Porter said core inflation edging up is a clear sign of persistent underlying inflation pressures.

㽶ƵֱTurning the temperature down on inflation is proving to be an achingly slow process, and we suspect this may be a theme for 2023,㽶Ƶֱ Porter said.

Economists expect Canadians facing higher shelter costs because of high interest rates to pull back on other spending. That process is expected to slow inflation.

The Bank of Canada has raised interest rates rapidly to cool decades-high inflation and slow spending in the economy.

㽶ƵֱWith files from Nojoud Al Mallees, The Canadian Press



Chris Campbell

About the Author: Chris Campbell

I joined the Victoria News hub as an editor in 2023, bringing with me over 30 years of experience from community newspapers in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley
Read more



(or

㽶Ƶֱ

) document.head.appendChild(flippScript); window.flippxp = window.flippxp || {run: []}; window.flippxp.run.push(function() { window.flippxp.registerSlot("#flipp-ux-slot-ssdaw212", "Black Press Media Standard", 1281409, [312035]); }); }