Inflation on P.E.I. having 'devastating' impact

At 7per cent, P.E.I.'s annual inflation is the highest in Canada and some Islanders, already struggling, are being forced to turn to service agencies for help.

Upper Room soup kitchen manager Lorraine Goley said two years ago the downtown Charlottetown dining room would typically see 60 to 70 people for meals. Now they can be 80 to 90 for lunch and close to 100 for evening meals.

Some of those new people coming in have jobs, but aren't earning enough to feed their families.

"They're having a hard time anyway, so all these increases are just making it doubly hard," Goley said.

"It's quite devastating. When you see family men coming in, and they're working, and they're still having to come here, and they're apologizing to us in some cases."

'I can't see an end to it'

Fuel costs and housing were singled out by Statistics Canada and the province as the biggest sources of inflation.

Both gasoline and heating oil are up about 50 per cent, and homeowner replacement costs are up 17 per cent.

"With the rent and the cost of living going up, with the prices of food going up right now it just isn't manageable for some people. They just can't afford both," said Goley.

"I can't see an end to it soon."

Anti-poverty advocate Gina Younker, who works with both provincial and national groups looking for solutions, said the rise in inflation adds urgency to the drive to establish a guaranteed income.

She said a guaranteed annual income would do more than just ensure people had food on the table.

"Your mental health for sure will be better, because you're not worried so much. You're not having so many anxieties," said Younker.

"You're not wondering where your next income is coming from."

Poverty can also lead to social isolation because you don't have the money to go out, she said.