Quebec reports that it recently allocated nearly $28 million to several organizations under its agreement with Ottawa for food assistance in schools. These funds were eagerly awaited in the field.
Last winter, the Quebec government reached an agreement with the federal government to receive its share of the national school food program. The budget for this agreement is $65 million over three years.
Of this amount, the Ministry of Education (MEQ) confirmed last July that $16 million would be paid directly to service centers and school boards for the current school year.
Radio-Canada reported earlier this week that organizations working to distribute meals and snacks in schools to students in need have, in turn, begun to receive a share of the $65 million after several months of waiting.
On Friday, the MEQ confirmed to The Canadian Press that it had just awarded $27.5 million as part of a call for projects. Nearly 20 organizations will share this amount for the years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027.
According to a table provided by the ministry, Breakfast Club of Canada and La Cantine pour tous share approximately 70 per cent of the funds distributed. They receive $10.2 million and $9.3 million, respectively.
“In a context where needs on the ground continue to grow, these funds will make a real difference. The Club highlights this important new step forward for school meals and is ready to reach more children,” commented a spokesperson for the Breakfast Club in an email.
The organization can also count on an additional $30 million from Quebec for the period 2025 to 2027.
For its part, La Cantine pour tous hopes to use federal funds to increase the number of schools it serves with its lunch program. The amount will also enable it to secure funding for just over 40 schools that have joined the program this year.
“This means more children will have access to affordable meals. This is very important in a context where there is food insecurity in schools,” said Executive Director Thibaud Liné in an interview.
Next year, the organization expects to “significantly” exceed 200 schools.
“We have waiting lists of schools and families hoping to have the program in their homes. (…) Our ambition is clear. We believe that there should be a program like La Cantine for everyone in all schools in Quebec,” says Liné.
The organization will also receive an additional $10.8 million in funding from Quebec for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years.
On the ground, the funds from the $65 million agreement were eagerly awaited by the operating organizations, confirms the Quebec Collective of the Coalition for Healthy School Food, several of whose members were asked to submit projects last summer.
The grants were welcomed with “relief,” as there had been “radio silence from Quebec City for a while in the fall,” the Collective’s coordinator, Sébastien Desaulniers, told The Canadian Press.
He noted a “concern” about the delays in the funds arriving. The funds arrived during the school year, which poses “a challenge” for operators in rolling out programs, said Desaulniers.
“The launch of new programs and new support services is usually planned during the summer, precisely so that services can be up and running at the start of the school year,” he said.
“We were hoping to get the funding much earlier,” said Liné. “We have to launch programs mainly in September.”
La Cantine pour tous decided to expand its program to some 40 schools even before receiving a response from the MEQ, which came before Christmas.
“If we had waited and done nothing, launching the programs in March would not have been very successful. We are ultimately happy that we took the risk of moving forward. Because that way, we avoid falling behind on the rollout,” explains Liné.
“Now we have confirmation that we have the means to take on these schools,” he adds.
Of the agreement with Ottawa, $21 million remains to be paid. Quebec City specifies that these remaining funds will be granted for the 2026-2027 school year, “according to terms to be confirmed.”
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
