Ste. Louis Outreach Centre of Peel based in Brampton, Ont., is banning international students.
A passerby, Darshan Maharaja saw the sign outside the food bank that said “No International Students.” He shared the picture on X which drew attention to the issue.
“We have to be rational about this, instead of being emotional, because someone being denied food affects us on an emotional level,” Maharaja said.
The board outside the Brampton food bank says "No International Students." Photo credit: Courtesy, Darshan Maharaja
Maharaja said many students are abusing food banks as many international students on YouTube are making videos to do so.
International students in Canada have to prove they meet a minimum income requirement of $10,000 ($833 a month), according to a federal website.
Maharaja said this is a separate issue because this amount of income is not sufficient in today’s environment as everything is very expensive.
He said the limit of the minimum income requirement has to increase.
“There are so many cases where the funds are not actually there,” he said. “It’s just a short-term loan from India and once the student arrives here, they have to send it back”.
Humber News tried reaching out to Catherine Rivera, the board president of Ste. Louis Food Bank, but would only provide a statement through email.
Rivera said in a statement that volunteers at Ste. Louis have been helping out there for more than 20 years. She said they had not seen anything like this in its 41 years of service in the Brampton community.
She said a person in need will provide papers with identification but the international students want food but are not ready to provide paperwork.
Food Banks have been facing difficulty in keeping up with the demand for food due to the cost of living crisis.
According to a new Ipsos poll, 23 per cent of Canadians are accessing charitable services to meet needs such as food, clothing, or clothing.
Neil Hetherington, CEO of Daily Bread Food Bank, said Ste. Louis Food Bank is not accredited or part of any network.
“I’m disappointed in their decision but since they are an independent food bank, they are free to make that type of decision,” he said.
Hetherington said the funds the international students are required to bring are not enough.
“I think that the federal government needs to have an honest conversation about international student visas,” he said.
He said he hopes there would be some decisions taken by government to tackle this problem.
“Nobody chooses to be food insecure but we have chosen policies, which are resulting in more and more people in the country being food insecure,” Hetherington said.
Harman Singh, a first-year Police Foundations student at Sheridan College, said he is saddened by the food bank banning students.
Singh came to Canada in August and said he is still looking for a job. He said it is impossible to survive on the funds he brought from India.
“We didn’t choose to be in this position and if we will be banned from the food banks where would we go for help?” he asked.