Health committee  You know, for the folks we work with, there are things that are really important. As I said earlier, they're not receiving adequate income. We need to absolutely prioritize a guaranteed livable income in this country. We also need to be building housing. When I talk to folks who are accessing charitable food, it's largely because they're spending the bulk of their money on housing.

Health committee  Without a doubt. We just have to look at public transit vehicles and look at who is taking the most risk—excuse me, who has been forced to take the most risk. It is the Black and brown low-wage workers who are out exposing themselves to this pandemic, and of course, are then forced to deal with the brunt of its impacts and the disproportionate rates of illness and ultimately death.

Health committee  One of the things that we've seen pretty consistently with the government is an investment in charitable-based responses. It might seem weird coming from an organization like FoodShare, but to do the work we do with integrity and authenticity is to recognize that charity is not a solution to food insecurity and poverty.

Health committee  The biggest impact that school food programs have are on educational outcomes. We know educational outcomes are connected to income potential down the road and overall health. It's an essential type of intervention that we need to be advancing and not neglecting. I wouldn't necessarily connect it to food insecurity.

Health committee  Certainly. That data comes from research that FoodShare conducted in collaboration with PROOF, a research initiative at the University of Toronto that's focused on policy interventions for food insecurity. This research challenged the mainstream understanding of the causes of food insecurity in this country.

Health committee  Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. My name is Paul Taylor. I'm the executive director of FoodShare Toronto, an organization that works in partnership with communities across the city. We serve as a catalyst advancing meaningful solutions to food access injustices.