By Jonathan Migneault

Sudbury Star

Millions of Canadians are struggling to feed their families because of a lack of money. Ontario is exploring how a 'basic income guarantee' could help.

A national basic income guarantee would be the best way to ensure millions of Canadians are able to properly feed their families, says a University of Toronto professor.

“We have a very big problem in Canada. Our estimate is that more than four million Canadians are living in houses where they're struggling to put food on the table because of a lack of money,” said Valerie Tarasuk, a professor with the University of Toronto's Department of Nutritional Sciences.

Tarasuk was a guest speaker at the Northern Policy Institute's Basic Income Guarantee conference in Sudbury on Oct. 5.

“This isn't just about food,” Tarasuk said at the conference. “By the time someone is struggling to put food on the table, what we've got is a measure of extreme material deprivation.”

A basic income guarantee would supplement people's incomes to help them meet basic needs, and would likely replace other government benefits such as the Ontario Disability Support Program and the Canada Child Benefit.

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