September 2024 Board of Health Meeting - Middlesex-London Health Unit - Re: Support for Bills S-233 and C-223 Correspondence

Meeting Date
September 2024 Board of Health Meeting
Meeting Document Type
Correspondence
Middlesex-London Health Unit - Re: Support for Bills S-233 and C-223

The Honourable Justin Trudeau
Prime Minster of Canada
Justin.Trudeau@parl.gc.ca

The Honourable Chrystia Freeland
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
chrystia.freeland@parl.gc.ca

The Honourable Mark Holland
Minister of Health
mark.holland@parl.gc.ca

The Honourable Steven MacKinnon
Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Steven.MacKinnon@parl.gc.ca

The Honourable Andrew Scheer
House Leader of the Official Opposition
Andrew.Scheer@parl.gc.ca

Alain Therrien
House Leader of the Bloc Québécois
Alain.Therrien@parl.gc.ca

Peter Julian
House Leader of the New Democratic Party
peter.julian@parl.gc.ca

Standing Senate Committee on National Finance
nffn@sen.parl.gc.ca

July 24, 2024 Re: Support for Bills S-233 and C-223 “An Act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income”

Dear Prime Minster, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Minister of Health, House Leaders, and National Finance Committee:

The Middlesex-London Board of Health supports a guaranteed livable basic income as a policy option for reducing poverty, income insecurity, and food insecurity and for providing opportunities for people with lower incomes. As such, we urge your support of Bills S-233 and C-223 “An Act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income”, currently being considered by the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance and in the process of the second reading in the House of Commons.

  • Poverty, income insecurity, and household food insecurity have significant impacts on health and well-being.
  • Income has a strong impact on health, with better health outcomes associated with higher income levels, and poorer health outcomes associated with lower income levels 1.
  • Income increases access to other social determinants of health (e.g., education, food, housing)1.
  • Children living in poverty have an increased risk for cognitive shortfalls and behavioural conditions, and an increased risk of negative health outcomes into adulthood (e.g., cardiovascular disorders, certain cancers, mental health conditions, osteoporosis and fractures, dementia)2-4.
  • Food insecurity is associated with an increased risk of a wide range of physical and mental health challenges, including chronic conditions, non-communicable diseases, infections, depression, anxiety, and stress5-12.
  • Among young children, food insecurity is also associated with poor child health, low birth weight, chronic illness, developmental risk, and poor cognitive outcomes, including vocabulary and math skills13-15.

A guaranteed livable basic income has the potential to reduce health inequities and positively impact many determinants of health (e.g., income, unemployment and job insecurity, food insecurity, housing, and early childhood development). Evidence suggests that basic income positively impacts health and wellbeing16,17. Successful examples of a Canadian basic income include the Old Age Security (OAS) and Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS). In a cohort of individuals over 65 receiving OAS/GIS, compared to a cohort aged 55-64 years, the probability of food insecurity was reduced by half, even when age, sex, income level, and home ownership were taken into account18. In addition, evidence suggests income supplementation reduces food insecurity for low-income Canadians18 and positively impacts childhood health outcomes (e.g., birth weight, mental health)19.

In 2022, 10.9% of Ontarians lived in poverty based on the Market Basket Measure, an increase from 7.7% in 202120. In our community in 2021, 16.6% of London households with or without children (89,030 people) were low income based on the Census Family Low Income Measure (CFLIM-AT)21. Approximately one in five Middlesex-London residents (18.8%) live in a food insecure household, which represents just over 85,500 residents 22,23.

The Middlesex-London Health Unit conducts the Nutritious Food Basket survey annually to monitor the affordability of food in London and Middlesex County. The 2023 results demonstrate that incomes, particularly when dependent on social assistance, are not adequate for many Middlesex-London residents to afford basic needs24.

Upstream income-based solutions, such as a guaranteed livable basic income, are needed to address poverty, income insecurity, and household food insecurity and their significant impacts on health and well-being.

Yours truly,

Matt Newton-Reid
Chair, Middlesex-London Board of Health

cc:
Arielle Kayabaga, Member of Parliament - arielle.kayabaga@parl.gc.ca
Karen Vecchio, Member of Parliament - Karen.Vecchio@parl.gc.ca
Lindsay Mathyssen, Member of Parliament - Lindsay.Mathyssen@parl.gc.ca
Lianne Rood, Member of Parliament - Lianne.Rood@parl.gc.ca
Peter Fragiskatos, Member of Parliament - peter.fragiskatos@parl.gc.ca
Ontario Boards of Health
Standing Senate Committee on National Finance
National Finance Committee NFFN@SEN.PARL.GC.CA
Senator Percy Mockler, Chair, National Finance Committee Percy.Mockler@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Éric Forest, Deputy Chair, National Finance Committee Eric.Forest@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Clément Gignac, Clement.Gignac@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Larry W. Smith, LarryW.Smith@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Jean-Guy Dagenais, Jean-Guy.Dagenais@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Rosa Galvez, Rosa.Galvez@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Tony Loffreda, Tony.Loffreda@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Jane MacAdam, Jane.MacAdam@sen.parl.gc.ca


References

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  2. Lee, H., Slack, K. S., Berger, L. M., Mather, R. S., & Murray, R. K. (2021). Childhood poverty, adverse childhood experiences, and adult health outcomes. Health & Social Work, 46(3), 159-170.
  3. Maalouf, M., Fearon, M., Lipa, M. C., Chow-Johnson, H., Tayeh, L., & Lipa, D. (2021). Neurologic Complications of Poverty: the Associations Between Poverty as a Social Determinant of Health and Adverse Neurologic Outcomes. Current neurology and neuroscience reports, 21(7), 29.
  4. Wise, P. H. (2016). Child poverty and the promise of human capacity: childhood as a foundation for healthy aging. Academic pediatrics, 16(3), S37-S45.
  5. Jessiman-Perreault, G. & McIntyre, L. (2017). The household food insecurity gradient and potential reductions in adverse population mental health outcomes in Canadian adults. SSM - Population Health, 3:464-472.
  6. Vozoris, N.T. & Tarasuk, V.S. (2003). Household food insufficiency is associated with poorer health. The Journal of Nutrition, 133(1):120-126.
  7. Tarasuk, V., Mitchell, A., McLaren, L., & McIntyre, L. (2013). Chronic physical and mental health conditions among adults may increase vulnerability to household food insecurity. The Journal of Nutrition, 143(11):1785- 1793.
  8. Men, F., Gundersen, C., Urquia, M.L., & Tarasuk, V. (2020). Association between household food insecurity and mortality in Canada: a population-based retrospective cohort study. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 192(3):E53-E60.
  9. McIntyre, L., Williams, J.V., Lavorato, D.H., & Patten, S. (2013). Depression and suicide ideation in late adolescence and early adulthood are an outcome of child hunger. Journal of Affective Disorders, 150(1):123-129.
  10. Kirkpatrick, S.I., McIntyre, L., & Potestio, M.L. (2010). Child hunger and long-term adverse consequences for health. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 164(8):754-762.
  11. Melchior, M., Chastang, J.F., Falissard, B., Galéra, C., Tremblay, R.E., Côté, S.M., & Boivin, M. (2012). Food insecurity and children’s mental health: A prospective birth cohort study. PLoS ONE, 2012;7(12):e52615.
  12. Ontario Dietitians in Public Health. (2020). Position statement and recommendations on responses to food insecurity. Retrieved from https://www.odph.ca/membership/documents/5578.
  13. de Oliveira, K.H.D., de Almeida, G.M., Gubert, M.B., Moura, A.S., Spaniol, A.M., Hernandez, D.C., Pérez-Escamilla, R., & Buccini, G. (2020). Household food insecurity and early childhood development: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Maternal and Child Nutrition.16(3):e12967. doi: 10.1111/mcn.12967.
  14. Lye, C.W., Sivasampu, S., Mahmudiono, T., & Majid, H.A. (2023). A systematic review of the relationship between household food insecurity and childhood undernutrition. Journal of Public Health (Oxf). 29;45(4):e677-e691. doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdad070.
  15. Simonovich, S.D., Pineros-Leano, M., Ali, A., Awosika, O., Herman, A., Withington, M.H.C., Loiacono, B., Cory, M., Estrada, M., Soto, D., & Buscemi, J. (2020). A systematic review examining the relationship between food insecurity and early childhood physiological health outcomes. Translational Behavioral Medicine. 12;10(5):1086-1097. doi: 10.1093/tbm/ibaa021. https://academic.oup.com/tbm/article-abstract/10/5/1086/5921050.
  16. McKay, F.H., Bennett, R., & Dunn, M. (2023). How, why and for whom does a basic income contribute to health and wellbeing: a systematic review. Health Promotion International. 1;38(5):daad119. doi: 10.1093/heapro/daad119.
  17. Ferdosi, M., McDowell, T., Lewchuk, W., & Ross, S. (2020). Southern Ontario’s basic income experience. Retrieved from https://labourstudies.socsci.mcmaster.ca/documents/southern-ontarios-basic-income-experience.pdf
  18. McIntyre, L., Dutton, D.J., Kwok, C., & Emery, J.C.H. (2016). Reduction of food insecurity among low-income Canadian seniors as a likely impact of a guaranteed annual income. Canadian Public Policy 42:3, 274-286.
  19. Idzerda, L., Corrin, T., Lazarescu, C., Couture, A., Vallieres, E., Khan, S., et al. (2024). Public policy interventions to mitigate household food insecurity in Canada: A systematic review. Public Health Nutrition, 27(1), e83. Retrieved from https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/public-policy-interventions-to-mitigate-household-food-insecurity-in-canada-a-systematic-review/01E81A2540245BAC803B608D087B8649
  20. Statistics Canada. Table 11-10-0135-01 Low income statistics by age, sex and economic family type. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/1110013501-eng
  21. Statistics Canada. Table 11-10-0018-01 After-tax low income status of tax filers and dependants based on Census Family Low Income Measure (CFLIM-AT), by family type and family type composition. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/1110001801-eng
  22. Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (Public Health Ontario). Household food insecurity estimates from the Canadian Income Survey: Ontario 2019-2022. Toronto, ON: King’s Printer for Ontario; 2023.
  23. Middlesex-London Health Unit (2019). Total population and density. Retrieved from https://communityhealthstats.healthunit.com/indicator/geography-and-demographics/total-population-and-density
  24. Middlesex-London Health Unit. (2023). Report No. 69-23: Monitoring food affordability and implications for public policy and action (2023). Retrieved from https://www.healthunit.com/uploads/69-23_-_monitoring_food_affordabilit…
Middlesex-London Health Unit - Re: Support for Bills S-233 and C-223 - PDF