Sask. 2nd-last province to sign on to National School Food Program

School food programs in Saskatchewan are going to be available for more students in more schools.

On Monday, the province and the federal government announced an agreement under the National School Food Program that will see the federal government spend about $15.8 million over the next three years.

The money, which will be used to expand and enhance school food programs in the province, was welcomed by Shawn Davidson, president of the Saskatchewan School Boards Association.

"Essentially, this money amounts to nearly a doubling of existing investment in school food," he said in an interview. "It's quite significant for school divisions and we're very happy to be able to roll out some additional opportunities for students."

School boards have been advocating for more support for nutritional programs in schools. Saskatchewan has the second-highest child poverty rate among of the provinces, with nearly one-fifth of children experiencing poverty, according to information provided by the school board association.

About half the schools in the province offer some form of food program, often in partnership with school boards and community-based organizations.

"When kids are hungry, they can't focus, it's that simple," Jenna Sudds, federal minister of families, children and social development, said in a statement. "That's why we're making sure more kids in Saskatchewan get healthy meals at school. Filling their bellies with nutritious food will set them up for success. It also helps parents save hundreds on groceries."

Details about how the federal funding would be used were scarce on Monday, despite the fact Saskatchewan is the second-last province to sign on to the program.

When the first provinces signed on last fall, government announcements specified how many students would benefit (a further 4,100 kids in Newfoundland and Labrador and 19,080 kids in Manitoba, for example). But in Saskatchewan, the announcement referred only to "more students."

No one in the provincial Ministry of Education was made available for an interview, and the department responded to a short list of questions with a two-sentence statement that did not answer the questions.

"We are pleased that we were able to reach an agreement with the federal government to expand on our government's ongoing record of delivering nutritious food to children across the province," the ministry's statement said. "This funding builds on the work being done through the Saskatchewan Child Nutrition Program which has assisted school divisions and community-based organizations to provide healthy meals to Saskatchewan students for 35 years."

Saskatchewan and the Yukon both announced agreements under the National School Food Program on Monday, leaving Alberta as the only province or territory that has not signed on.

Provinces have also been signing agreements to extend the federal child-care program until 2031. However, Saskatchewan and Alberta are the only two provinces that have not yet signed agreements on that.