As the cost of living keeps rising, more people than ever are feeling the effects, says advocate

Bridges to Hope, a food bank in St. John's, says it's facing the highest demand for their services ever experienced throughout its 32 years in operation. 

"This is the greatest need we've ever had," said Jody Williams, the executive director of Bridges to Hope. "It's an everyday struggle to keep food on the shelf.… We've just been scrambling."

The price of just about everything, including groceries, has been steadily increasing for months. In what they say is an effort to help people cope with rising costs, the provincial government announced Wednesday it will provide a $500 cheque to most Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

The cheque will be sent to every adult who filed a 2021 tax return with an income of less than $100,000 a year. People who haven't filed their 2021 tax returns will receive a cheque if they file before the end of the year.

Williams says many of his clients are homeless or don't have a steady income so they don't file tax returns — so the cheques won't go to people who need them the most.

"Some of them don't even have bank accounts for them to deposit this money into. So it's very privileged."

He said Wednesday's announcement made him laugh.

"I thought it was a bit of a joke," said Williams.

The situation is so dire, however, that labour advocate Alyse Stuart says even people who have steady jobs and incomes are feeling the effects of the rising cost of living, albeit far differently.

For instance, those who typically don't struggle to pay for groceries are now paying more attention to and rethinking their food purchases. Stuart also says she's having more conversations about the challenges affording necessities like food and home heating.

"We have inflation across the board and wages aren't really catching up to that, which is why people are feeling the squeeze and the pressure" said Stuart.

"So people have to start thinking about, 'OK, how do I make this life work?'"

Stuart says people may initially breathe a sigh of relief for the cost-of-living payment, because the money could help them pay down small debts or afford extracurricular activities for their children.

But the one-time payment doesn't address long-term problems, she said.