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Culture

Nine Percent Of Canada High Incomers Considering Using Foodbanks

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Few Canadians are immune to the rising cost of living, according to a new report from Statistics Canada, with 9 percent of those in the highest income quintile considering using a food bank.

Data from spring 2024 shows that while 42 percent of Canadians are concerned over rising food prices, about 9 percent of those in the highest income bracket report they may have to turn to a food bank or similar community organization for help. That number rises to 14 percent for those in the second-highest income bracket, StatCan said.

A cart is filled with bags of food during a Thanksgiving food drive for the Ottawa Food Bank, at a grocery store in Ottawa on Oct. 7, 2023. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

Nearly half of Canadians report struggling to meet day-to-day expenses, up 12 percentage points from 2022 to 45 percent.

The survey found that the number of Canadians who feel “quite a bit” or “extremely” stressed over financial issues increased slightly since 2022, from 33 percent to 35 percent this year.

Families with children and those living with a disability are struggling the most, StatCan said.

Fifty-five percent of families with children say rising costs have impacted their ability to cover daily expenses, compared to 42 percent of households without children and 37 percent of single Canadians.

Shrinkflation– a sneaky way of charging more by giving less. General Mills shrunk its “family size” boxes from 19.3 ounces to 18.1 ounces. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Those with disabilities are also more likely to be facing financial difficulties, with 57 percent saying they are struggling to meet daily costs, compared with 43 percent of those without a disability.

Housing is one of the biggest concerns Canadians cite, with nearly four in 10 saying they are concerned about their ability to afford a home because of rising prices. The number has risen from 30 percent in 2022 to 38 percent this year.

StatCan found that renters are more uneasy about increasing prices than homeowners, with nearly two-thirds of renters “very” concerned over housing affordability compared with about one-third of homeowners.

Food prices are another top concern for those surveyed, with more than one in five Canadians saying they may not be able to afford groceries. The number has risen to 23 percent, up from 20 percent two years ago.

Of those worried about food prices, 8 percent say they are very likely to need help from an organization such as a food bank. Another 15 percent say they are somewhat likely to need community help.

More than one in four families with children say they expect to turn to food banks and similar organizations, compared to one in five for other household types, StatCan said.

About one-third of Canadians with a disability say they expect to get food from a community organization in the next six months, compared to one in five of those without a disability, the agency said. For the Silo, Chandra Philip / The Epoch Times. The data was collected between April 19 and June 3.

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Earth

Canada- Discarding Used Solar Panels in Landfills Poses Significant Pollution Risk

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Global Affairs Canada is seeking a contractor who can present an environmentally friendly way to recycle solar panels.

Discarding Used Solar Panels in Landfills Poses ‘Significant’ Pollution Risk, Gov’t Says
A worker installs solar panels on the rooftop of a house in Pomona, Calif., on Oct. 19, 2023. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Via friends at the epoch times. Landfilling of used solar panels poses a “significant” pollution risk due to toxic chemicals potentially leaching into groundwater, a government document says.To solve this issue, Global Affairs Canada is seeking a contractor who can present a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to recycle solar panels, according to a July 23 notice on the government website.

“Solar panels have valuable materials, including critical materials such as aluminum, tellurium, and antimony as well as gallium and indium in some thin-film modules, which are currently not being recycled once the panels reach their end of life,” said the notice posted by Global Affairs Canada.

Solar panels and renewables are part of the federal plan to get to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the government says. As more and more panels are used, however, Ottawa needs a plan to recycle them in order to reduce the pollution risk.

The government has earmarked $1.15 million CAD for the contract.

“As the photovoltaic market grows, both for public and private use, the volume of end-of-life solar panels will also grow, which will result in significant pollution risks,” the website notice says.

“The overall environmental impact of solar panels is much higher if they are dumped in landfills, where hazardous chemicals and heavy metals can leach into groundwater.” For the Silo, Chandra Philip.

Chandra Philip

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As part of the contract, proposals must ensure that all materials removed from the solar panels are free from contaminants like metals and radiation. Contractors are also required to manage the toxic chemicals from the panels, like lead and cadmium, ensuring they will not be released into the environment or cause health risks to humans.

Solar panels also contain some key elements that are worth recycling and reusing, the website says.

“These individual materials are often a part of the devices that Canadians use every day such as smartphones and computers,” Global Affairs says. “As such, recycling these materials should provide significant economic, environmental, and social benefits.”

Solar panel recycling can also reduce the need for critical mineral mining, an activity that has extensive negative environmental and social impacts, the government notice says.

The way solar panels are constructed, however, can make it difficult to separate and recycle these valuable materials, Global Affairs says.

“Separating those materials and uniquely recycling them is a complex and expensive process as opposed to the cheap method of discarding the entire panel into a landfill,” says the website.

Global Affairs says it wants a “scalable and cost-effective” recycling solution that can be used for solar panels at any time during their lifecycle: production, use period, and end-of-life stage. The agency says it may give out multiple contracts to help solve the problem.