School Food Program: Last in Class
Ontario spends 10 cents per student per day on school food — the lowest in Canada and a quarter of the national median. Despite a $108.5M federal deal, Ford's government hasn't increased its own core investment in a decade, leaving 2 million+ students underserved.
📚 An in effect Education policy from October 2024 · Well sourced
Updated · Created
"Supporting Students with Federal Partnership"
Ontario signed a $108.5 million bilateral deal with the federal government to expand the school food program and provide millions more meals to students.
"10 Cents Per Student Per Day — Dead Last in Canada"
Ontario spends 10 cents per student per day on school food — the lowest in Canada and a quarter of the national median. Provincial funding has been frozen at $38 million for a decade. The federal deal papers over the gap temporarily, but Ontario's core commitment remains the worst in the country while Quebec increased its own allocation 156%.
- Ontario: 10 cents per student per day vs national median of 39 cents (2024-25)source
- Provincial SNP funding frozen at $37.6M annually for 10 years despite inflationsource
- $108.5M federal deal signed — 9.8 million additional meals per yearsource
- National per-student median rising to 63 cents/day by 2025-26 — Ontario still at the bottomsource
This section represents editorial interpretation of documented evidence.
Figures are approximate, using publicly available Ontario cost data.
The Next One →
Get new investigations in your inbox.
One email per case. No spam. No tracking pixels. Unsubscribe anytime.