A new report says visits to Toronto food banks were up nine per cent in the last year to levels not seen since the last recession.
The study found there were almost one million visits to charities belonging to the Daily Bread Food Bank and the North York Harvest Food Bank between April last year and March of this year.
The annual report says the average length of time that people are relying on the food banks increased to 24 months in 2017 - double the 12 months in 2010.
The report says seniors are the fastest-rising age group of clients at food banks, which raises concerns about the income security system for an aging population.