This deputation was presented to Toronto’s Executive Committee on June 17, 2025 in response to item EX24.3: A Vision and Strategy for a Universal School Food Program in Toronto by Melissa Wong, Director, Engagement & Strategic Initiatives. The item was approved by City Council (with amendments) on June 26, 2025.
Good morning, Mayor Chow, Councillors, and Members of the Committee,
My name is Melissa Wong, and I’m joining you on behalf of Social Planning Toronto, an organization committed to building an equitable, inclusive, and accessible Toronto that is rooted in social and economic justice. For over 65 years, Social Planning Toronto has tracked, reported and organized communities to advance solutions and investments that will address the root causes and reduce the impacts of poverty in our City.
I’m here to speak in strong support of the City’s plan to fully implement a Universal School Food Program. This is an important public investment that reflects the kind of values-based leadership Toronto families deserve. I also want to applaud the Mayor and City Council for their leadership thus far to boost the Student Nutrition Program. I’ve seen how these investments have already had an impact in my own child’s school.
The urgency of a program like this cannot be understated. The staff report cited Social Planning Toronto’s own research which revealed that child and family poverty in Toronto has ballooned to 25.3%, up 8.5 percentage points since 2020. This is just the average rate across the City—some Toronto neighbourhoods have over 60% of children living in poverty. That’s not just a statistic; it’s one in four children showing up to school hungry, tired, and unable to focus.
Universal school food addresses this, not just in terms of calories but also with dignity, equity, and community. A truly universal school food program can help improve attendance, boost academic outcomes, and offer some financial relief to families. But for this to succeed, it must be truly universal, stigma-free, and equity-driven.
As your report identifies, inequities currently exist in the student nutrition program, with some schools supplementing their current program through fundraising creating a disparity between schools that do not have the capacity to fundraise. That’s why I urge the City to ensure the rollout ensures a targeted universalism approach prioritizes the highest-need schools first, those with the fewest fundraising dollars, in neighbourhoods with the most significant barriers to food access.
I also emphasize the crucial role of the nonprofit and community sectors. Organizations that run school food programs, many of them grassroots, culturally grounded, and deeply trusted, are operating under enormous strain. Volunteers are stretched thin. Infrastructure is lacking. As we move toward scale, sustained public funding for staffing and capital needs is not only helpful, it’s essential. These community organizations do more than just feed children, they are a resource for families and their expertise and experience should be engaged in the rollout of this strategy. We also recognize that the full implementation of this strategy will require a significant amount of work and advocacy to secure additional provincial and federal funding, but this is a battle worth fighting and we will be there to fight it with you.
Finally, I encourage City Council to see this not as a one-off program but as part of a larger conversation: How are we updating and resourcing Toronto’s poverty reduction strategy at this moment? How do we make sure the City has an actionable and measurable strategy that is creating a tangible change in the lives of low-income residents?
Thank you for your leadership to make midday meals a reality for all children. I am excited to see this initiative move forward with urgency, focus, and a shared commitment to the right of every child in this City to be well-fed, included, and ready to learn.