Healthy meals for kids, savings for Ontario families

CANADA, November 22 - School food programs make life easier. They provide healthy meals to kids throughout the school year. They also save working families hundreds of dollars in grocery bills.

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced an agreement with the Government of Ontario to increase school food programs in the province. This agreement, under the federal government’s National School Food Program, will deliver healthy meals to 160,000 more kids in Ontario this school year. With this agreement, a two-child family in the province will save $800 in grocery bills a year.

This initial federal investment of $108.5 million over three years will help families and keep more money in their pockets. Along with increasing funding to school food programs in the province, this investment will also contribute to reduced costs for food transportation, storage, and preparation equipment. All in all, this will result in over 9.8 million more meals served to our kids. This includes 130,000 more school meals served to kids in Indigenous communities across Ontario this year.

Our National School Food Program is a direct investment into the middle class – helping teachers and making mornings a little easier for working families. It is also a safety net for the kids who need this support the most. We’re going to work with provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners to ensure every child in Canada has the food they need while at school.

The National School Food Program is part of the federal government’s work to put more money in your pocket. Earlier this week, the Prime Minister announced a tax break for all Canadians and the Working Canadians Rebate, giving millions of Canadians cheques in their mailbox and relief at the cash register. We’re creating more jobs, building more homes, expanding affordable dental care, and giving every Canadian a tax break – so they can buy the things they need and save for the things they want.

Quotes

“Today’s agreement with Ontario, under our National School Food Program, will get healthy school meals to 160,000 more kids and reduce hundreds of dollars in grocery bills for families. With the tax break for all Canadians, the Working Canadians Rebate, and now the school food agreement with Ontario, our government is putting more money in your pocket.”

The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

“Kids who aren’t hungry learn better, play harder, and feel stronger – it’s why we’re working with Ontario to make sure families will benefit from the National School Food Program. Today’s agreement demonstrates a shared goal toward ensuring that more children in the province have access to the healthy meals they need to succeed. And for parents, it gives them peace of mind, knowing that their kids are getting the fuel they need to focus on just being kids.”

The Hon. Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

“Through this new partnership with the Government of Ontario, we’re helping to deliver local, nutritious food to even more kids, so they have the energy they need to learn and grow, and their parents have one less thing to worry about. This program is making a real difference, and I’m thrilled to see it in progress.”

The Hon. Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

“Kids can’t learn on an empty stomach. This program makes a real difference – not just for kids, but for families – by ensuring healthy meals are within reach and by easing the burden of grocery bills for parents. Together, we’re building a foundation for healthier, happier, and more successful futures for children, both in the classroom and beyond.”

The Hon. Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario

“Ontario has a long and proud history of supporting both the Student Nutrition Program and the First Nations Student Nutrition Program. We are pleased to partner with the Government of Canada to ensure more children and youth across the province have access to healthier meals. This builds on our government’s investment of more than $30 million in both student nutrition programs. With this partnership, we can help give more children and youth the healthy start they need to learn, grow, and succeed.”

The Hon. Michael Parsa, Ontario’s Minister of Children, Community and Social Services

“Students struggle to fully engage in learning when they’re hungry. It’s simple: when children eat well, they can concentrate on learning and developing important skills, like reading, writing, and STEM disciplines. This agreement is a historic investment in the future of our children and youth and will support not only their academic success, but also their overall well-being.”

The Hon. Jill Dunlop, Ontario’s Minister of Education

“Together, we recognize that setting up Ontario’s next generation for success begins with ensuring they have a strong, nutritious start to their day. Investing in Indigenous youth through the First Nations Student Nutrition Program supports their health and well-being on a daily basis so they can focus on achieving their goals.”

The Hon. Greg Rickford, Ontario’s Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation

Quick Facts

• Announced in Budget 2024, the National School Food Program will feed hundreds of thousands of kids across Canada every year. The Program will also be a safety net for the kids who are most impacted by the lack of access to food, including lower-income families and some Indigenous communities.
• School food programs provide children and youth with meals and snacks at school, often at no-to-low cost for participating families. School food provides many benefits, including reducing hunger, improving nutrition and health outcomes, supporting local economies, and reducing food-related spending for families.
• Budget 2024’s investment of $1 billion over five years includes distinctions-based funding for First Nations on reserve as well as Inuit, Métis, and Modern Treaty and Self-Government agreement holders. We are working directly with Indigenous partners on the rollout of that funding, with more information to come.
• In addition to the National School Food Program, the federal government launched the new School Food Infrastructure Fund in September. The Fund will deliver over $20 million to help not-for-profit organizations invest in infrastructure and equipment to support school food programming across Canada.
• In addition to today’s federal investment, Ontario invests $28.2 million in the Student Nutrition Program and $4.4 million in the First Nations Student Nutrition Program.
  • The Student Nutrition Program serves healthy meals and snacks to more than 600,000 children and youth in Ontario schools throughout the school year.
  • Student nutrition programs operate in about 3,800 provincially funded schools. Over 70 per cent of provincially funded elementary and high schools across the province have a student nutrition program.
  • Each year, the First Nations Student Nutrition Program delivers over 1.4 million nutritious meals and snacks to Indigenous children and youth at 159 sites across 66 First Nations and 27 urban Indigenous communities.
  • Last year, Ontario launched the Healthy Students Brighter Ontario Campaign – the first ever province-wide partnership with community, corporate, foundation, and private donors – and raised more than $5 million for student nutrition programs over the school year.
• Ontario is the latest province to announce an agreement with the federal government through the National School Food Program, after Newfoundland and Labrador and Manitoba. To give every child the best start in life, the federal government is also:
  • Giving families more money through the Canada Child Benefit, to help with the costs of raising children and make a real difference in the lives of kids in Canada. The Canada Child Benefit, which is providing up to $7,787 per child in 2024-25, is indexed annually to keep up with the cost of living and has helped lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty since its launch in 2016.
  • Working with all provinces and territories to deliver an early learning and child care system, which has already cut fees for regulated child care to an average of $10-a-day or less in over half of all provinces and territories, and by 50 per cent or more in all others.
  • Improving access to dental health care for children under 18 with the Canadian Dental Care Plan, because no one should have to choose between taking care of their kids’ teeth and putting food on the table.

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