How the 2026 City Budget Can Respond to Toronto's Worsening Food Insecurity Crisis for Families (and Children)

December 04, 2025

On September 15, the Toronto Board of Health voted in support of the 2026 Toronto Public Health budget submission, including a $15 million increase to the Student Nutrition Program (SNP). The SNP provides free nutritious meals and snacks to over 295,000 students in 81% of Toronto school communities, supporting the healthy development and school success of children and youth, while also advancing the City’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. If this bold new investment is supported by Toronto City Council, the SNP will be able to:

The $15 million proposed increase will build on the $6 million in additional funding in the 2025 budget which supported SNP expansion to serve more than 21,500 additional students across 48 new school communities.

However, the Toronto Public Health budget submission, including SNP funding, still requires approval from Toronto City Council, with final budget votes taking place on February 10. Strong community support will be essential to realizing this plan and advancing Council’s vision of a Universal Student Food Program for Toronto’s children and youth

TPH budget increases to support Student Nutrition Program (SNP) expansion 

Proposed: Increase to Operating Budget by $15.020 million.

1) Expand to 78 additional school communities in Winter 2026: $7.2 million (fully funded by the City)

  • Provide operational and start-up costs for the Phase 3 expansion of morning meal programs to 78 additional school communities to advance the City’s vision for a universal school food program, as approved at City Council in June 2025. 

2) Expand to 77 additional school communities in Fall 2026: $7.0 million (fully funded by the City) 

  • Provide operational and start-up costs for the Phase 4 expansion of morning meal programs to 77 additional school communities to advance the City’s vision for a universal school food program, as approved at City Council in June 2025.

3) Increase capacity of existing programs to feed additional students: $0.4 million (fully funded by the City) 

  • Increase funding for existing 686 programs (incl. Phase 1 & 2) at former 20% municipal funding level in response to additional participants accessing programs. 

4) Enhance Food Safety Program: $0.4 million (cost-shared) 

  • Public health is legislated under the Health Protection and Promotion Act to inspect food premises. 
  • Expansion of SNPs to more schools requires two additional Public Health Inspectors and one Coordinator to maintain a safe food environment at additional schools.

Source: Toronto Board of Health, September 15, 2025.

Toronto City Council has committed to creating a Universal Student Food Program, with “a universal morning meal[…]in all Toronto school communities by the 2026/2027 school year and a strategic path to achieving a universal lunch program no later than 2030.” The proposed budget will allow the City to deliver on its commitment to creating a universal morning meal program in the 2026/2027 school year and advancing its plan for a universal lunch program.

In addition to a $15 million increase, the 2026 Toronto Public Health budget submission includes $3.692 million in its capital budget for refrigeration, freezers, and food storage equipment to support the expansion of the morning meal program. Funds are also included to cover rising food costs and for the full-year implementation of SNP expansion initiated in 2025. 

SNPs are designed to provide students with healthy, nutritious food in an accessible and non-stigmatized manner, benefitting all children and youth. For families struggling with the rising cost of living, these programs are an essential support. Recent research demonstrates the urgent need for effective programs to reduce poverty and alleviate its effects:

  • 25.3% of Toronto’s children live in a low-income household—up 8.5 percentage points in a two-year period—and the depth of child poverty is growing, according to Fighting for Our Future, Social Planning Toronto’s 2024 report card on child and family poverty in Toronto. 
  • The report card also shows the highest rates of child poverty in Toronto among children in one-parent families, Indigenous, racialized, immigrant and newcomer children, as well as children from non-permanent resident households.
  • 1 in 4 food bank clients are children, and nearly 1 in 5 (18%) respondent households with children reported their children went hungry at least once a week in the past three months, according to Who’s Hungry, the 2025 report by Daily Bread Food Bank and North York Harvest Food Bank.

The federal and Ontario governments also contribute to school food programs—although the amounts that support Toronto SNPs from senior orders of government is considerably less than the City of Toronto’s own investment. In October, the Ontario government announced a $5 million increase to school food programs in Ontario, bringing its total investment to $37.5 million for 2025-26. In 2024, the federal government committed $1 billion over a 5-year period for its National School Food Program, including $201 million for 2025-26. 

On January 8, the City of Toronto will launch the 2026 staff-prepared budget. Some parts of the budget (like the Toronto Public Health and Toronto Public Library budgets) are available earlier than the launch date. While these budget submissions are available now, no final budget decisions have been made. Much will depend on the Mayor’s budget (to be released by February 1) and final budget votes by Toronto City Council at its February 10 meeting. To make good on its commitment to a Universal Student Food Program, City Council must support the Toronto Board of Health’s call for new investments in SNPs. Community support will go a long way to making this a reality. 

This post was researched and authored by Rebecca Smith, SPT placement and TMU social work student.