Citizen's Choice

A growing number of Canadians have created online fundraising campaigns to help with monthly bills and essential needs, says major crowdfunding platform GoFundMe. It’s a trend that experts say underlines the affordability crisis and weaknesses in the country’s social support system, as many Canadians struggle with rising expenses and high inflation. For the essential needs category, almost 12,000 fundraisers have been started to date from January through April in 2026, a seven per cent increase year-over-year, GoFundMe spokesperson Aisha Vernon said in an email to CTVNews.ca this week.

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Peen shaped vegies are apparently getting ridiculously expensive

TORONTO – For Sylvie Gagné, peppers, tomatoes, and lettuce growing in her backyard offer some relief from the pressure of grocery bills that have climbed sharply since 2019.

“It’s nice to have fresh stuff and just going into the back yard to get it,” she said. “It also teaches the kids and the rest of the family how much work goes into growing food.”

Grocery prices have soared by roughly 30 per cent since 2019, according to a report from TD Bank. To address those soaring costs, Ottawa unveiled the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit earlier this year, a revamped version of the GST/HST credit that includes a one-time top-up, which began going out Friday.

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Rising grocery prices are continuing to strain household budgets across Canada, with more people turning to community support as the cost of basic food remains high. In Calgary, thousands lined up on a chilly spring day for free groceries from the Guru Nanak Free Kitchen, a non-profit distributing 80,000 pounds of potatoes along with other staples. The line stretched for blocks, with some people waiting for more than an hour. Many arrived with bags, wagons, and suitcases, hoping to stock up on essentials. “The lineup’s impressive,” said Evan Godfrey, a Calgary resident. “I think there’s a lot of people that are kind of on harder times.”

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Eat the rich