An Overview: Greed, Inflation, and Waste in Montreal – March 10, 2024
A Provigo store front on Rue Jeanne-Mance. Provigo’s parent company, Loblaws Co. Ltd., controls a significant amount of Canadian spending. The company owns other brands, including T&T, No Name, Shoppers Drug Mart, President’s Choice, No Frills, and more. Loblaws reported $621 million in Q3 profit in 2023, up from $556 the previous year. Full shelves in a Provigo, Ville-Marie. According to Centraide du Grand Montréal, one in four Montrealers is affected by food insecurity. However, shelves at Provigo and other retailers remain fully stocked.Birds eating from garbage in an alley. Despite Montreal’s food insecurity issue, a lot of food still goes to waste. According to a 2019 study done by Toronto-based organization Second Harvest, 58 per cent of all food in Canada goes to waste, a third of which could still be salvaged and donated. Multiple locks found on a dumpster. These locks prevent people from getting into garbage, thus preventing dumpster divers, who are usually already at-risk and vulnerable people, from potentially accessing free food. A deppaneur on St. Laurent Blvd. Depanneurs are known for being humble, cheap, and convenient places to get the bare minimum in Quebec. In Montreal, they can be found on just about every other corner.The price of a loaf of bread is 5 dollars in one depanneur. Despite being known for their cheaper prices, depanneurs have not been immune to inflation. According to LeDevoir, food prices rose 11 per cent in 2022. They rose another 5 per cent to 7 per cent in 2023.2 loaves of bread going for seven dollars at Provigo in Ville-Marie. Loblaws has pledged to donate 1 billion pounds of food by 2028. Food Banks Canada says the rise in food bank usage is due to inflation and higher costs.Le Frigo Vert, a local business in Montreal, is a non-profit. However, they have still been affected by inflation and have had to increase prices. They do give away free food to community members, though, and still offer cheap, vegetarian options.Makeshift tent near Chinatown. People experiencing homelessness often struggle to find their next meal, and according to Homeless Hub, only 12 per cent of respondents had employment. Also, there is no data on how many homeless people die, and their cause of death in Quebec. The office of Premier François Legault in Montreal. In November of 2023, the CAQ government said it would be giving $20.8 million to various food organizations in Quebec, including $10 million to Food Banks of Quebec Network. This comes less than a month after Quebec food banks requested $18 million amid high usage.
