The United Way Bruce Grey has shared startling new data that shows how much financial anxiety Canadians are dealing with.
The new report from United Way Canada says that 60 per cent of Canadians reporting anxiety when thinking about their personal finances. Francesca Dobbyn, the Executive Director of United Way Bruce Grey, says that reflects what they're seeing locally, with so many people struggling to make ends meet.
"The United Way in Bruce and Grey is seeing an incredible demand on our programs, on our partner programs, such as food-based meal programs, around trying to meet basic needs. We're seeing a challenge in our utility assistance program," Dobbyn shared.
Dobbyn says nearly three out of four households using the utility assistance program in 2026 are brand new to the program. Also, in January and February of 2025, the United Way provided $5,500 in utility support, while this year, they've provided $23,250 in support. That’s an increase of over 300 per cent.
"Which is putting huge financial pressure on the program, which just tells us what's really happening out there around affordability, around people trying to meet their food needs, their basic needs just to stay warm, stay housed and have food on the table," Dobbyn said. "Provincially, the LEAP program (Low-Income Energy Assistance Program) which does the natural gas and electricity relief program, they have to turn their phones off around 11 a.m. most days because the queue is full, and they will never get to the end of the queue if they keep taking calls so they stop taking calls. That's never happened before."
According to the United Way Canada Financial Anxiety Index, conducted by Léger, nearly half of Canadians (46 per cent) say they could cover basic expenses for only one month or less before falling into debt if they lost their primary source of income. The report also found that 38 per cent are experiencing food insecurity and 40 per cent report losing sleep due to financial stress.
With all that in mind, Dobbyn says United Way is hoping that governments and society as a whole sees how critical it is to not only support assistance programs that are helping people, but to try and find a way to ensure there's a way out of this affordability crisis. She says the needs and the demand for financial assistance has exploded to levels not even seen during the pandemic.
"It's actually worse than what it was. You know, I'd love to go back to 2020, not the isolation part of it but to the level of support in the community, to the level of understanding that this is affecting everybody and this study and this information shows that that's really the case," Dobbyn added.
The challenges became so significant that United Way of Bruce Grey recently announced a temporary pause on new Utility Assistance Program applications after funding allocated for the program was fully committed. Dobbyn says that decision was incredibly difficult.
"Making the decision to pause applications was incredibly difficult and it underscores how many people in our region are struggling to keep their heat on, pay their hydro bills, and maintain stable housing. The need continues to outpace available resources," she said.
The national report also highlights the importance of community supports, with 40 per cent of Canadians who accessed community organization services reporting a positive impact on their financial situation and 36 per cent reporting reduced financial anxiety. Residents seeking support can contact 211 Ontario by dialling 2-1-1 or visiting www.211ontario.ca to connect with local community, social, and government services.
The new report can be seen here: https://www.unitedway.ca/financial-anxiety-surges-across-canada-with-six-month-spike-as-more-people-struggle-to-keep-up-with-basic-costs-united-way-centraide-canada-poll/
