A food bank in Ontario—the Ste Louise Outreach Centre of Peel—has reportedly closed its doors to international students after experiencing an influx of students since September. Ste Louise Outreach Centre board president Catherine Rivera said that the food bank has seen international students coming to the centre in groups every day and that other food banks are running out of supplies because of the number of students. Rivera told The Star that international students are required to prove they meet a set minimum income to support themselves when they arrive in Canada. Neil Hetherington of Daily Bread Food Bank, and Jindi Singh of Khalsa Aid expressed their surprise about the decision to The Star and CBC respectively, pointing out that international students are more likely to experience food insecurity than domestic students. The centre and the Sai Dham food bank in Etobicoke are calling for postsecondary institutes to implement more supports for all students, so they do not have to show up at food banks in the first place.
