Low income Manitobans feeling inflation pinch at the grocery store

Fresh fruit, vegetables and meat are a luxury that is becoming more out of reach for Sharice Sinclair.

Sinclair, a resident of Churchill, Man., a remote town located about 1,000 kilometres north of Winnipeg, says she can't afford the rising cost of groceries with her monthly take-home income of $600 to $800.

"The rising cost in this town is ridiculous," said Sinclair, who works at a library part-time.

"You know, I lived in Winnipeg for two, two and a half years and I never had financial issues like I do here. You can go to Safeway, or Superstore or wherever or Walmart, and you can walk out with six to eight bags, $100 worth of stuff. But here in Churchill, you're lucky to walk out with a bag, bag and a half."

In September, Statistics Canada said the overall cost of living in Manitoba had gone up by 4.4 per cent, according to the consumer price index when compared to a year prior. Food prices in the province overall went up by 1.8 per cent but research from Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab suggests that prices are even higher.

And in the north, groceries cost even more than they do in the rest of Canada.

Sinclair said a small bag of cherries starting to get mouldy will cost $20 while a half rack of ribs may set her back $40. The rising cost of goods has left her turning to cheaper frozen foods and high-sugar alternatives that have taken a toll on her dental health.

"The dentist is like, 'you should try and introduce some fruit and veggies' and giving me this list. And I'm just looking at it and I'm like this costs about $500 here, buddy, are you planning to pay out of your own pocket? Because there's no way I can afford it."

Ikayuktiit Incorporated is working to fill the gap by providing grocery rebates, hampers, fresh caribou, char and muktuk to about 400 Inuit across Manitoba.

"People are so excited and so grateful to get it because it's so hard to get that sort of food up here. A lot of people like to share it," said Janet Kanayok, program at Ikayuqtiit, the charity created by the Manitoba Inuit Association to improve health, education and employment outcomes for Inuit in the province.

In Churchill, Ikayuktiit Incorporated is giving a $350 monthly grocery rebate to Inuit in the town who face food insecurity.

The rebate has been a lifeline for Sinclair, who's been laid off from her job at various times during the pandemic. It means she can buy what she calls luxuries like toilet paper and sometimes meat when it's on sale in the town.

In Winnipeg, even a slight increase in groceries is a big deal to Delilah Boehm, 54.

She lives on social assistance, which is not adjusted to inflation. She's keeping a close eye on grocery prices, especially in the meat aisle.