While taking my aunt to her neighbourhood supermarket I noticed what I at the time identified as strange anomalies. For one thing, there was a security guard at the front of the store. There were cameras everywhere; you would have to see it to believe it. There were multiple cameras along the walls. There were cameras in the aisles and cameras along the front of the store. There were so many cameras that I lost count. This was nothing like my neighbourhood supermarket.
Also, I noticed that baby formula and various other products were locked in a cage. This is also very different from my neighbourhood grocery store.
I visited a friend. She needed to do groceries so I gave her a ride. I noticed that her neighbourhood grocery store was similar to my aunt’s. I visited another grocery store that was ten minutes drive from my friend and sure enough there was a security guard and an inordinate number of surveillance cameras. Also, baby formulas were kept behind a cash register instead of in the aisles.
I noticed that this was the norm for economically challenged neighbourhoods. It felt strange t be in the presence of so many surveillance cameras and to see baby formula and tooth brushes locked up. According to Health Canada, there are many factors that influence breastfeeding (which is generally healthier for the child and is more cost-effective than formula) post secondary education and higher income were two factors that positively contributed to breastfeeding—two factors that these neighbourhoods generally did not have. The trend for economic inequality has been getting worse not better. It is possible these types of supermarkets will be the norm across many neighbourhoods in our cities.
The gap between the rich and the poor in Canada is said to be growing and it is estimated that 20 percent of the ultra rich control nearly 70 percent of the country’s wealth. According to the Toronto Star, The bottom 20 percent control -0.1 percent of wealth—in other words these individuals are in debt. The near bottom 20 percent control 2.2 percent of the country’s wealth. The next 20 percent of people—the middle class control only 9 percent of the country’s wealth. The near top 20 percent control 21.5 percent of wealth while top 20 percent (the super rich) control 67.4 percent of wealth. Over the past thirty-years, the rich have been getting richer and the poor have been getting poorer. Full-time quality jobs with good pay and benefits have been replaced by lower paying part-time jobs and or contracts.
The Canadian economy has been slow to recover from the 2008-2009 recession. According to Statistics Canada, the unemployment rate is currently holding at 6.8 percent. According to Statistics Canada, in April 2015 the economy lost 67,000 part-time jobs and gained 47,000 full-time jobs. Higher unemployment or underemployment results in greater difficulty in accessing quality food.
According to HungerCount 2014, a comprehensive study carried out by Food Banks Canada, 841,191 individuals accessed food banks every month. Food Banks Canada asserts that this number is 25 percent higher than the 2008 figures.
The report communicates that one- third of food bank users are children and families and nearly half of that number is two-parent households. Forty-three percent of food bank users are single-unattached adults; in 2001 this number was 30 percent and has grown to nearly 50 percent of individuals accessing food banks. Of those who access food banks, one in every six households are said to be currently or recently employed.
Poor income distribution policies and lack of investments in innovative social programs can only further aggravate the income inequality gap. The Financial Post reports that studies done by the Canadian Payroll Association conclude that 51 percent of working Canadians would find it difficult to meet their financial requirements if their paycheque was delayed by one week. That is 51 percent of working adults. That is an astounding number.
Poor has become a dirty word in this country. Poverty has a criminal element to it. Economically disadvantaged communities are over policed, under-served and marginalized. As income inequality grows, and households scale down the income latter, those communities will grow.
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