# Canadian foodstamps? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 9, 2005, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-foodstamps/293640 "2005-03-09T05:58:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-foodstamps/293640/1 "2005-03-09T05:58:44Z")
Does Canada have anything resembling foodstamps? How do welfare agencies distribute food? Do they just give people cash instead? ---
**Author:** ![lynxie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e99b99/32.png) [@lynxie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lynxie)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-foodstamps/293640/2 "2005-03-09T06:54:36Z")
No food stamps, just a cheque. (Ontario) ---
**Author:** ![Brendan\_Donovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@Brendan\_Donovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brendan_Donovan)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-foodstamps/293640/3 "2005-03-09T09:08:24Z")
There are food banks if it means anything to you. But these are not government run or sponsored, rather they are simple charities. Stamps would never really take around here anyway b/c it’s too mmmmm something… I’m not sure what exactly but ugh anyway. /slight nit, its cheques not checks/ 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Brendan\_Donovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@Brendan\_Donovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brendan_Donovan)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-foodstamps/293640/4 "2005-03-09T09:09:30Z")
:smack: sorry, wheres my head? I was reading something else and well sorry. I’m an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-foodstamps/293640/5 "2005-03-09T10:47:03Z")
Canada does not have a food stamp program. When I was young I was always confused by the references to food stamps in MAD. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-foodstamps/293640/6 "2005-03-09T13:47:43Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Does Canada have anything resembling foodstamps? How do welfare agencies distribute food? Do they just give people cash instead? Yes, they just get a cheque. In Alberta they get their Alberta Healthcare premiums paid, and free prescription drugs. Rules vary for different provinces, but here’s some stuff on Alberta [Income Support](http://www3.gov.ab.ca/hre/isp/index.asp) ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-foodstamps/293640/7 "2005-03-12T16:43:25Z")
> [@lynxie](#): > > No food stamps, just a cheque. (Ontario) Doesn’t that lead to alot of fraud? How do they make sure people use them to actually buy food. ---
**Author:** ![Brendan\_Donovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@Brendan\_Donovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brendan_Donovan)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2005, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-foodstamps/293640/8 "2005-03-12T19:08:07Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Doesn’t that lead to alot of fraud? How do they make sure people use them to actually buy food. Second question first, I think a good clue of people using them to buy food is the fact that no recipients have died from mal-nutrition. They can buy whatever kind of food they like and obesity is not an indicator of who is on welfare or not. Yes there is fraud but it is not rampant. from a phamplet: > [@](#): > > Q: How many people were convicted of welfare fraud this year? > > A: In December 2001, there were 682,862 people receiving social assistance in Ontario. In 2000-2001, Ontario investigated 52,582 social assistance recipients for fraud. Only 430 people were criminally convicted of welfare fraud. (Source: Ministry of Community, Family and Children’s Services). This was however a few years after a large provincial crack-down of fraud. I don’t understand the food stamp program. If I can hijack slightly can someone tell me what they are and how they are used. ---
**Author:** ![Brendan\_Donovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@Brendan\_Donovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brendan_Donovan)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-foodstamps/293640/9 "2005-03-12T19:15:39Z")
> [@Brendan Donovan](#): > > I don’t understand the food stamp program. If I can hijack slightly can someone tell me what they are and how they are used. On reflection I believe that this hijack merits it own thread. I put one [here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=306646)