What to know

Toronto City Council approved a pilot to launch four city-run grocery stores, prioritizing neighbourhoods with limited access to affordable, full-service food options.

Community leaders say rising food costs are forcing residents to choose between essentials like rent and groceries, increasing reliance on food banks.

Advocates argue the initiative could improve long-term health outcomes by making nutritious food more accessible and reducing future healthcare strain.

Toronto City Council has passed a motion to introduce a pilot for city-run grocery stores, and a community centre is speaking out about the benefits of the project. 

On Thursday, councillors voted to approve a pilot project moved by Coun. Anthony Perruzza, which includes launching four municipality-run grocery stores across the city offering food for the most affordable prices possible. 

The grocery stores will be located within the city’s Community Council districts, which are within the downtown core and East York, Etobicoke York, North York, and Scarborough, while neighbourhoods with limited access to full-service grocery stores and lower average incomes will be prioritized. 

With food prices skyrocketing across the country, the motion aims to improve affordability, while also addressing food insecurity, especially in certain neighbourhoods where residents might need to rely on convenience stores for groceries.

Read More

Local community group welcomes the initiative

Black Creek Community Health Centre’s Integrated Client Services Manager and certified dietitian Julie Fung tells Now Toronto she often hears from residents in the community that it is challenging to keep up with food costs, with many saying they’ve had to prioritize other expenses such as rent over getting groceries. 

The community holds many low-income households while access to full-service grocery stores is limited, with residents often having to rely on emergency food support and food banks to eat. 

“Sometimes it’s heartbreaking to hear those stories when things have to be a priority other than food…We’ve done some food access programmes, such as the emergency food hamper as well as the emergency food bags. But, it’s very demanding, and we sometimes have more clients [who] need [the programmes] and less resources to give,” Fund said.

Besides not being able to keep up with demand, staff say support from centres, including Black Creek Community Health Centre and local food banks is only a “Band-Aid solution” and don’t actually offer long-term relief to residents. 

Black Creek Community Health Centre Executive Director Cheryl Prescod explains that having access to quality and affordable food options is essential for residents to maintain their health in check, especially for those who have to manage chronic health conditions. However, residents often have to turn to less healthy options due to costs. 

“Once we give advice around how to manage these [chronic health] conditions, for example, ‘You should eat healthy foods, healthy vegetables,’ we hear from people that ‘I can’t afford it.’ It’s very challenging and heartbreaking, because you know that it’s a reality. And what I’m concerned about now is that the prices aren’t going down, they will only be going up,” she said. 

With Perruzza’s initiative now approved, both Prescod and Fung hope a city-run grocery store will give residents access to healthier options and help avoid future health-care issues. 

“Having this store within the community, and then people buying their foods actually puts an encouragement for them to cook from scratch as well, instead of going to convenient foods. Because, again, convenience foods can be very pricey and unhealthy and not as nutritious,” Fund said.

Although the initiative would require funding from the city, Prescod believes the stores are worth the price. She explains that by eating better, residents could avoid future health issues, which could further burden local hospitals and lead to more costs down the road. 

“If we don’t address it today, we will address it 10 years from now, with much, much more of a costly intervention at the hospital, in healthcare. That’s what we believe in prevention and proactive measures,” she said. “Food should not be a privilege, it should be a right for everyone.”

Now that the motion is approved, Prescod hopes the city will work with local centres to determine the needs of communities to support the pilot. 

Moving forward, Toronto’s city manager is set to present implementation measures for the pilot at a City Council meeting on April 22.