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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, D ec em be r 13 ,2 01 8 | 6 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca newsroom@theifp.ca IndependentAndFreePress @IFP_11 WHO WE ARE Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Steve Foreman Regional Director of Media Holly Chriss Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Distribution Representative Iouliana Polar Classified/Real Estate Kristie Pells Regional Production Manager Manuel Garcia Production Shelli Harrison Halton Media General Manager Vicki Dillane CONTACT US The Independent & Free Press 280 Guelph Street, Unit 77 Georgetown, ON L7G 4B1 Phone: 905-873-0301 Classifieds: 905-234-1016 Fax: 905-873-0398 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, con- dense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail lpolar@miltoncana- dianchampion.com or call 905- 234-1019. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT THEIFP.CA EDITORIAL Storm clouds are threatening economic growth in Ontario and Canada. Last week, the central bank held interest rates amid slowing growth and fears of a major slowdown as early as 2020. The oil price crisis is hurt- ing more than just Alberta's economy. Ontario's manu- facturing sector has suffered a setback with news of GM's Oshawa pullout. Other automakers are similarly pinched and more job losses are widely expected. Growth forecasts for 2019 have already been reduced. Against this worrisome backdrop, consider these recent reports. The number of Ontario seniors needing to use food banks jumped an alarming 10 per cent last year. And that's not just because more people have achieved se- nior citizen status. That's a growth rate three times faster than the growth of the province's senior pop- ulation, according to the authors of the report, the Ontario Association of Food Banks. A half-million On- tarians rely on food banks. The growth trend is expec- ted to continue. There are a host of "why's." Let's look at a few. The changing workforce in Ontario features a rise in part- time jobs, contract work and precarious employment. More and more people are having trouble and living below the poverty line. But according to the report, housing costs are the single biggest driver of the crisis. It states that nearly 90 per cent of food bank users are rental or social hous- ing tenants, and they spend the majority of their inade- quate monthly income on housing. OAFB chair Mi- chael Maidment says: "If rent consumes as much as 70 per cent of your income, there's little left over for any- thing else, like transit or food or even things like rais- ing kids ..." Adding to this, the provincial government has re- moved rent controls on some kinds of rental units, meaning prices will continue to rise. If all this isn't worrisome enough, consider food prices. Canada's Food Price Report 2019 predicts an increase overall of about 3.5 per cent. Bakery, dairy, fruit and vegetables are forecast to get between three and six per cent more expensive. The average family grocery bill will grow by $400 next year. For many of us, that's an inconvenience. For low income citizens, it's much more. Consider the single social assistance recipient, receiving a little above $700 monthly, probably paying more than 70 per cent of that on housing. Or the single senior receiving the Old Age Security of $586 monthly. Or the CPP recipient getting the average of about $630, which when combined with OAS offers up about $1,200. For these folks, an extra $400 for food is not a minor glitch. It's a potential disaster. Governments can do something to mitigate these combined threats. They can expedite funding and pol- icy around affordable housing. They can finally imple- ment evidence-based rates for social assistance so they reflect the real cost of living. A national pharmacare program could make a huge difference. The federal government could pick up the Basic Income Pilot pro- ject killed by Ontario. The point is, there are opportunities to prepare for the storm pretty much everyone agrees is coming. Will we seize them, or sit back and wait? LOOMING ECONOMIC STORM THREATENS VULNERABLE CITIZENS Family doctors work with undifferentiated dis- ease, the grey zone of medi- cine, separating life-threat- ening illnesses from the less so. To do that, your family doc not only has to know medicine, but also you and what is normal for you. I spent one summer training with Dr. X in Sum- merside, P.E.I. He was a Jack-of-all-trades family doc - office practice, anes- thesia, minor procedures, in-patient care and so on. His patients would speak of him with pride, and vice versa. One day, a middle-aged man, otherwise healthy, booked an urgent appoint- ment. His concern: Head- aches. As the medical stu- dent, I went in first, took a thorough history, did a physical and then - the hard part - told Dr. X what I wanted to do next. Headaches are one of the top 10 reasons why someone sees their family doc. The vast majority of the time, headaches are managed with lifestyle changes and when needed, medications. Rarely are headaches a sign of some- thing serious. Eighteen years of study- ing and practising medi- cine, I've diagnosed some- thing serious twice. The first time was that day in Summerside. "Normally, we don't or- der CT scans for a head- ache," Dr. X said. "Why this time?" The reason? The story didn't fit. He was an avid cy- clist, his physical exam was normal but for the past week, he kept falling off his bike. Dr. X added, "I've known this man since he was a kid. He never complains, never worries. For him to come in, something is going on." Turned out, the man had a brain tumour. We saved his life. This story is important. For one, it shows how a family doctor's job is to spot the one time a head- ache isn't just a headache. For another, it really mat- ters that your family doc- tor knows you. Knowing you takes years and can change medical decision- making. That kind of familiarity, that relationship, is even more challenging in a sys- tem as fragmented as ours. Think about it: When you're worried about an illness, op- tions include your family doc, a walk-in clinic, the emergency department, Te- lehealth, a virtual doc, etc. Of those, your family doctor is the only one who knows what's normal for you. Next time you're weigh- ing your options, consider saving your visit for your family doctor. Knowing you might just save your life. Nadia Alam is a Georgetown physician and president of the Ontario Medical Association. She can be reached at na- dia.alam@oma.org. DOCTOR/PATIENT RELATIONSHIP IMPORTANT IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE, WRITES DR. NADIA ALAM NADIA ALAM Column