By Carol Baldwin
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Wakaw Recorder
Legislative Secretary for Education, Barret Kropf, and Secretary of State, the Honourable Buckley Belanger, on behalf of Secretary of State (Children and Youth), the Honourable Anna Gainey, announced the next phase of the National School Food Program in Saskatchewan, which will provide funding to school divisions across the province to expand existing or develop new food programs.
Earlier this year, the Governments of Saskatchewan and Canada signed a $15.8 million three-year agreement under the National School Food Program. Through the agreement, the Government of Saskatchewan is providing $6.4 million of federal funding to school divisions in the 2025-26 school year to support programs that are responsive to the needs of students attending urban, rural or northern schools.
Jesse Green, Communications Officer, Horizon School Division, said Horizon is now receiving dedicated funding through the National School Food Program for the first time and has committed to allocating these funds to schools by December 1. This will help strengthen existing programs, expand current offerings and ensure schools can continue supporting students with reliable access to nutritious food. The funding announced through the National School Food Program will allow Horizon schools to increase the number of students who can access healthy meals and snacks at school. The additional funding will also improve the quality of food offered in division schools.
Currently, all schools in the Horizon School Division provide supplemental food for students who need it. Other food programs, such as breakfast, snack, and lunch, vary by school and are supported through a combination of grants, community and business donations, student representative councils, school community councils, First Nations partners, Jordan’s Principle, and other local contributions.
Wakaw School has a breakfast program that is supported through a grant, donations, and its school community council. This new funding will be supplemental to their existing funding sources, much the same as other schools will experience.
“The National School Food Program investment will help us further achieve our goal of providing a better quality of life for Saskatchewan students, families and communities,” Education Minister Everett Hindley said.
Funding is provided to Saskatchewan school divisions based on the Prekindergarten to Grade 12 funding distribution model, which considers factors that influence the cost of programming, such as school location, enrolment and student needs. As part of this agreement, the ministry will hold ongoing consultation meetings with stakeholders, including school divisions, First Nations partners, and representatives from the francophone community. These meetings will be used to gather feedback, assess progress throughout the year, and identify potential improvements for programming in the coming years.
“By securing this National School Food agreement with the province and taking action to make this program permanent, our federal government is helping make sure kids across Saskatchewan get a good meal at school while putting more money back in parents’ pockets. It’s a simple, practical way to support families and set our kids up to do their best in the classroom and in life,” said Canada’s Secretary of State (Rural Development), the Honourable Buckley Belanger.
As announced in Budget 2024, the Government of Canada is investing $1 billion over five years to implement the National School Food Program, working with provinces and territories and Indigenous partners to enhance and expand school food programming across Canada. The National School Food Program is expected to provide access to nutritious food at school for up to 400,000 children each year. By supporting the health and academic success of students, including those living in food-insecure households, the program promotes healthier futures and more affordability to Canadian families. That is why the Government of Canada intends to make the National School Food Program permanent. The program will receive permanent funding of $216.6 million per year, starting in 2029-30.
More than a decade ago, a House of Commons Standing Committee report found that youth today may be the first generation to have sicker, shorter lives than their parents.
“This is probably one of the most important things that we can do for a whole generation,” says Debbie Field, national coordinator for the Coalition for Healthy School Food, a non-profit organization. “We know that those countries who have invested in universal school food programs show outcomes at the educational and health level that are fabulous.” (All provinces and territories join Ottawa’s national school food program, David McGinn, Globe and Mail, March 11, 2025)
Many people think of school meals as charity provided to children who might otherwise be unable to eat. They do that, of course, but a National School Food Program could and should be so much more. It can be a means to instill life-long healthy eating habits, for children to learn about where food comes from and how to prepare it, and to participate in culture and community.
In 2022, Canada ranked 30th out of 38 high-income countries in the UNICEF report card series on child well-being. In Finland, every child and young person attending pre-primary, primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education is entitled to a free school meal, meaning nearly 850,000 pupils and students benefit from free school lunches. Additionally, children who participate in before- and after-school activities or school clubs receive a snack. Providing good school meals is viewed as an investment in the future. (https://www.oph.fi/en/education-and-qualifications/school-meals-finland)
What we make time for in our schools shows students what it is we value. Canada’s first-ever National School Food Policy and Program represents a generational opportunity to do just that. ~Amberley T. Ruetz, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Saskatchewan & Co-Chair of the Canadian Association for Food Studies’ School Food Working Group and Terence Hamilton, Domestic Policy Specialist, UNICEF Canada & Director, Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children. Dec. 2022