Inflation creating dire tradeoffs as low-income Montrealers juggle food, heat and rent

In almost any Montreal grocery store you step into these days, the shoppers will tell you they're feeling sticker shock. 

“We used a lot of oil before," said one 72-year-old woman, originally from Southeast Asia, in Pointe-St-Charles.

"I used to buy $3.99 for three litres -- now, yesterday, I bought three liters, and it's $10.75." 

But for some, inflation hits harder than for others.The organization Share the Warmth, which helps people in need in Montreal's southwest, says higher prices are driving more and more people to come seeking food assistance.

“I was looking at our numbers,” said Kimber Fellows, of the organization, “and 70 per cent of the people we’re serving are new to our services."

Inflation averages five per cent so far this year, but the three sectors most affected are also the most non-negotiable, for many people: groceries, gas, and housing.

The new clients "come to our food banks, and they’re noticing the price increases in the grocery stores," said Fellows.

Share the Warmth also offers a service called Pay-as-you-can, which, as the name implies, allows shoppers to pay what they can afford for fresh food. In this case, the organization feels the weight of inflation even more directly.

“We’re the ones that are experiencing the inflation rates and the increases in the price of foods,” said Fellows, “because we buy all of our food from the market.”

A recent Leger poll for Quebecor shows that 37 per cent of the Quebec population is adapting to the inflation by switching to more affordable food -- which also means lesser quality.

And It's not only food prices that have gone up throught the roof in recent months. The average price of rent has steadily increased above inflation in recent years, leaving people with very few options when it comes to trimming their budget.

At the Sun Youth organization, where food baskets are provided to people in emergency situations, this year's higher prices are also glaringly obvious.

“I think people are really feeling it at the grocery store,” says the organization’s Eric Kingsley.

“Often times, food is the only way they can cut. They can't cut their rent, they can't cut electricity -- they cut on the food.”

When it comes to electricity, though, this year has also been especially tough, with the colder-than-usual winter months. That has further eroded people's buying power.

"We do offer a service where we can negotiate with Hydro for a payment plan -- we've never had so many cases early on in the winter,” said Kingsley.

"Usually they wait until the springtime when Hydro is threatening to cut the service."

As the pandemic enters a new stage, with hopes that the economic recovery will continue at full pace, it's another reminder that even if that happens, many will still be left behind.