The Intersection of Food Insecurity, Anti-Black Racism, and a Guaranteed Livable Income: A Conversation with Paul Taylor from FoodShare Toronto

Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the Centre

On this episode of Appointed, we continue our guaranteed livable income discussion with Paul Taylor, the Executive Director of FoodShare Toronto. Mr. Taylor discusses the origins of food banks in Canada and their ineffectiveness in addressing food insecurity, and the ways in which racism, social services, and income and housing inequality intersect to create the racialization of hunger. We also discuss the role a guaranteed livable income, coupled with comprehensive social services, including a race-based data collection of who is food insecure, could play in addressing food insecurity in Canada.

Paul Taylor is the Executive Director of FoodShare Toronto, a food justice organization focusing on those most affected by poverty and food insecurity – Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, and People with Disabilities. FoodShare Toronto’s goal is to provide long-term solutions for food insecurity by providing affordable, fresh, and nutritious food. Mr. Taylor has been a lifelong anti-poverty activist. He used his life-experiences of growing up materially poor in Toronto to fuel a career focused on helping others and dismantling systems that lead to poverty and food insecurity in Canada – specifically capitalism, white supremacy, colonialism, and patriarchal structures.

Stay tuned for the next episode in the Guaranteed Livable Income series!

Resources mentioned during the show and further reading:

Learn more about FoodShare Toronto here

Read Senator Pate’s perspective on guaranteed livable income here

The Other Way Covid Will Kill: Hunger - New York Times Article

Black Food Insecurity in Canada by Melana Roberts

Anti-Black Racism and Food Insecurity in Canada