Meet a Manitoba mom forced ‘to basically eat stuff from a can’ to survive financially | Globalnews.ca

over a period of six weeks, as part of Out of pocket seriesGlobal News investigates how inflation is affecting Canadians from coast to coast.

Chantel Green, 29, flips to her wall calendar, which shows a detailed ⁠—and bleak ⁠—details of expenses each month.

The single mom manages a car wash and laundromat full-time on Fisher River Cree Nation, 200 kilometers north of Winnipeg.

On that income, she supports her father and her 12-year-old daughter, Chante, who has unique needs associated with autism.

Green’s budget is $1,800. After truck payments, car insurance, gas, and groceries—she’s in the hole for $1,200 to $2,200 a month.

As Canadians are feeling more stretched with their budgets, the blow of tough economic times really sinks in when it comes to necessities like food.

The grip of inflation has forced many to make tough choices, but for some, like Greene, it means giving up dietary essentials like protein and fresh vegetables.

“My diet is terrible. I basically eat stuff from the can ⁠— like ravioli ⁠— or the freezer section.

“I don’t have much fresh food,” said Green. “Whatever fruits or vegetables I buy, I try to bring them to my dad.”

His freezer would be empty if not for the meat package his band gave him on Christmas. This will only last for a few weeks.

“With two adults in the house we made sacrifices,” she said. “We can give up meat, we can give up milk.”

She admits that sacrifice has taken a toll on her and her father’s health.

“I definitely think so, because my dad is a kidney cancer patient and he also has diabetes and I have my own health issues, but not like the other two people in my house,” she said.

Green said her daughter has food sensitivities and will only eat a certain type of brand-name soup.

“It’s the only way I can get him to eat meat and vegetables, so I buy it,” Greene said.

There are only a few grocery stores within an hour’s radius of her, so shopping for bargains on soup isn’t realistic since she’ll be spending the savings on fuel to get there.

Chantay is also lactose-intolerant and two liters of its milk cost $7 or more.

Green says her grocery costs have jumped from $150 or $200 to $400 or $500 every two weeks in recent months and she has nowhere to cut her budget.

A truck is a necessity in the winter for commuting where she lives and she says it’s “a struggle” to keep it on the road. All she can do is decide which bills to pay.

“I can’t remember the last time I bought myself a new sweater—like spent on something like a sweater for myself,” she said.

“I have no problem buying something for my father or my daughter or my mother, but when it comes to me, I ask if I want something, or I want something.”

While inflation has taken a toll, he is thankful that he is no worse off. She lives in band housing, so rent is not on top of her expenses. Green also pointed out that people receiving social assistance in her community are struggling even more – living on as little as $235 per month.

“I take it day by day,” she said, hopeful but not expecting inflation relief. “I grew up budgeting so I’ve been preparing like this my whole life.”

First Nations family ‘conflict’

A 2019 report First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Studies found that 48 per cent of First Nations households in Canada had difficulty putting enough food on the table, four times the national average.

One of the report’s lead researchers, Canada Research Chair in Nutrition and Health Inequalities Malek Buttal, said the more remote the households, the more likely 75 to 80 percent of households in some areas would be food insecure.

The study found that people who had children were more likely to suffer.

It’s been four years since the report, and with inflation skyrocketing, Batal said in an interview that today’s reality would be described as dire in many communities.

“Things haven’t improved, they must have gotten worse,” he said. “We don’t have those numbers, but we have heard from communities saying they are struggling more.”

The study urged the federal government to “urgently address systemic problems related to food, nutrition and the environment” affecting First Nations communities. A key recommendation was to help improve access to traditional foods such as fish and game, which have health, environmental and cultural benefits.

Buttall points to the success of the Okanagan Nations Alliance, which last fall saw a record salmon harvest after First Nations restored salmon stocks depleted by development.

The Okanagan Nation Alliance fed eight bands in that BC region alone, and Buttle said there is much to learn from this food security and sovereignty success.