Cape Breton University food bank cannot keep up with demand: student union president
Cape Breton University food bank cannot keep up with demand: student union president
A sign outside of Cape Breton University is pictured in an undated file image. (CTV Atlantic)
SYDNEY, N.S. -
The student union president at Cape Breton University said food insecurity has become a concern for many students and the on-campus food bank cannot keep up with demand.
Damanpreet Singh said the student-run food bank at the university in Sydney, N.S., gives out 50 packages of food daily, but as many as 100 students a day are reaching out to the food bank for help each weekday.
"We are really struggling with big line-ups for the food bank," Singh said in an interview.
"We need more food packages, and in order to make more packages, we need more staff, more space and more money."
Singh said the food bank has recently set up a system for students to sign up for a food package on a first-come-first-serve basis online. This means students can book an appointment to pick up the food instead of waiting in long lines, but the demand still far exceeds what they can offer.
The student union president said he believes that the need for food is likely tied to the rising cost of living in Sydney and the scarcity of available work.
Singh said that since he moved to Sydney in May 2021, the typical rent he and his friends pay has jumped from $350 per month for a room to between $500 and $800 monthly. There are also fewer units available, he added.
The housing crunch coincides with Cape Breton University's recent population growth. The university has acknowledged the rapid hike in student numbers and said in December it would reduce the number of new student spaces for some of its popular programs.
The increase in student population is due in large part to international student recruitment, and the university has been criticized for accepting more students that it can adequately house.
An October 2021 report from the Association of Atlantic Universities found that this fall, nearly 4,000 international students were enrolled at Cape Breton University out of about 5,900 total students. That is up from about 2,400 international students in 2021, when the school had about 4,200 students. In 2017, the university had fewer than 900 international students out of about 2,600 total students.
International students at Cape Breton University pay between $18,915 and about $19,580 a year in tuition, which is about twice as much as the $9,810 that Canadian residents pay.
A spokesperson for the university said there are currently 7,300 registered students at the school in total, with 1,500 set to graduate in May.
Singh said that in order to deal with the rising cost of housing and food, many students try to work part-time or full-time jobs alongside their studies, which is proving difficult.
"But because Sydney is a small town, we don't have many jobs here and right now students are struggling to find both accommodations and jobs," he said.
Singh would like to see the province and the university offer more assistance to student-run support services such as the food bank.
"We're using some of our union budget for the food bank, and recently we got some donations from organizations," he said. "But we are hopeful for any donations (from) any organization or government because the demand is really high here."
A spokesperson for Nova Scotia's Department of Community Services said it hasn't received a funding request from Cape Breton University's food bank, but that it has recently put money toward food banks in the province.
Jill Elsworth, a spokesperson for the university, said in an email that it supports its employees in donating to the student union food bank.
She added that some students are not familiar with the purpose of food banks in Canada and said the school is working on information sessions to assist students with cooking on a budget and using a food bank if necessary.
Singh said it's possible that some students are confused about the purpose of the food bank, but that the "majority of them are really in need."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2023.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
At the moment, wildfires are burning across six provinces and one territory in Canada — and they’re still spreading in what’s being called an unprecedented fire season. While firefighters work tirelessly to battle the merciless flames and prevent further destruction, scientists say the wildfires are linked to climate change and that this will be the new normal.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he raised concerns about reports that LGBTQ2S+ rights and democracy are under threat in Poland during a Friday visit with its prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, in Toronto.
Air Canada says travellers should be prepared for further flight disruptions as it works to return service to normal following a technical malfunction Thursday.
As more Canadians pass their family cottages down to the next generation, 'major shifts' in the ownership of recreational homes will occur, according to Re/Max. But amid concerns around the cost of housing, some may be wondering whether they can afford to keep that family cottage. Here's what younger generations need to know about inheriting a recreational property and the market today.
A 38-year-old sergeant in the Canadian Army was fined $3,000 and issued a severe reprimand after he made what a military judge described as 'utterly disgusting' anti-Jewish comments while conducting an infantry training course in 2021.
Pierre Poilievre is off to Manitoba to rally Conservative supporters ahead of a byelection that Maxime Bernier is hoping will send him back to Parliament. The far-right People's Party of Canada leader lost his Quebec seat in the 2019 federal vote and lost again in the 2021 election.
The number of people in Canada with inflammatory bowel disease is increasing rapidly and is expected to grow to 470,000 by 2035, according to a new report from Crohn's and Colitis Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is committed to keeping David Johnston in place as Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference, despite a majority of MPs voting in favour of his stepping down from the gig.
Three Toronto men have been charged with attempted murder after they allegedly shot an innocent dog walker in Schomberg, Ont. in a case of mistaken identity.
A dozen sheriffs and Calgary Police officers roamed Calgary's core for three months, but the provincial pilot program is officially over as of this week.
A Calgary father and son face a lengthy list of criminal charges after being arrested in connection with the sexual exploitation, assault and extortion of multiple teen girls.
Teachers' groups held a protest outside the National Assembly this morning to voice their opposition against the Quebec government's new education bill.
A popular beach in Bracebridge is open to the public two days after sewing needles were found in the water, but a second beach has since closed over safety concerns.
Around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, officers responded to two separate calls where citizens believed they heard gunshots in the 100 block of Albert Street near Talbot Street.
The largest fundraising event for My Sisters’ Place in downtown London, Ont. is coming up next weekend, putting women, children, and men through the paces.
A bronze statue of Queen Elizabeth that was toppled and damaged by protesters two years ago was put back in its place Friday on the grounds of the Manitoba legislature after a lengthy set of repairs.
Gatineau police arrested an 18-year-old man in connection to the investigation into a hidden camera discovered in the washroom at an elementary school.
In a Canadian first, the University of British Columbia has adapted its early childhood education program to support young people who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH).
The Weyburn Police Service (WPS) says it has charged a 27-year-old woman following the theft of several "high-powered" firearms and a large amount of ammunition from a residence in nearby Yellow Grass.
A 38-year-old sergeant in the Canadian Army was fined $3,000 and issued a severe reprimand after he made what a military judge described as 'utterly disgusting' anti-Jewish comments while conducting an infantry training course in 2021.
A sign outside of Cape Breton University is pictured in an undated file image. (CTV Atlantic)
