[WRFoodNews] February 9, 2009 Update

[xmarc at region.waterloo.on.ca]

I have recently added you to an email list which will enable you to receive
periodic updates on Waterloo Region's food system as described on the
website of the Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable at
www.wrfoodsystem.ca.

Because content on the website is being updated regularly, I will send out
notices to people on this list with summaries interesting information which
has been posted there.  This will include details of upcoming events,
interesting discussions happening online in our Discussion Forum, and other
News.

If you find all that information overwhelming, you can unsubscribe to the
list at any time, and check out www.wrfoodsystem.ca at your own discretion.
Below is our first installment.

1. Eighty people attend Roundtable event on How Much Should We Pay for
Food?
You can download a video of the first hour of the event, listen to a radio
interview with two of the event's panelists, and read newspaper coverage of
the event on the site at http://www.wrfoodsystem.ca/index.php?p=55.  Some
people who attended the event also posted their take on what transpired
that evening on our Discussion Forum: read their comments at
http://www.wrfoodsystem.ca/index.php?p=forum/view_thread&thread_id=10127.

2. Discussion Forum lights up
Web site traffic on the Roundtable's website has spiked in 2009, and new
website members have started contributing to online discussions on several
food issues.  One discussion (started by yours truly) invites discussion on
how we can move towards a society where we can pay farmers more for food
and ensure everyone can afford it (see
http://www.wrfoodsystem.ca/index.php?p=forum/view_thread&thread_id=10162).
Other Discussions invite comment on Woolwich Township's Community Profile
(see
http://www.wrfoodsystem.ca/index.php?p=forum/view_thread&thread_id=10160)
and point to a Oscar-nominated documentary film on the destruction of a
14-acre community garden in Los Angeles (see
http://www.wrfoodsystem.ca/index.php?p=forum/view_thread&thread_id=10145).
To view all the discussions go to "Discussion Forum" at www.wrfoodsystem.ca
.  Remember, to contribute to the discussions, you must register yourself
on the website.

3. Roundtable comments on food dimensions of Regional Official Plan
The Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable made its first public comment on
food policy when it submitted a letter to Region of Waterloo Council on
January 22, 2009 with its comments on the draft Regional Official Plan
(ROP).  Roundtable spokesperson Ron Laurie presented the group's comments
to a special Council meeting on January 28th.  The comments focused on a
proposed new section of the ROP called "Access to Healthy Food" and on some
of the plan's farmland preservation policies.  View the entire brief at
http://www.wrfoodsystem.ca/index.php?p=54.

4. Upcoming Food Events in Waterloo Region
The Upcoming Events page at www.wrfoodsystem.ca is updated regularly.
There have been several food-related events in the Region lately: see "Past
Events" (http://www.wrfoodsystem.ca/index.php?p=47) for a sampling.  The
next few events are listed below: for full details see "Upcoming Events" (
http://www.wrfoodsystem.ca/index.php?p=9) on our website.
Habitat Gardening: Bringing Landscapes to Life - February 12, 7pm, rare,
Cambridge
Fermented Foods - February 21, 1pm, Little City Farm, Kitchener
Canning and Preserving - March 7, 10am, St John's Kitchen, Kitchener

All this and lots more is available on our website!  Enjoy!

Marc Xuereb
staff support to the Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable
c/o Region of Waterloo Public Health
99 Regina St S, 3rd Floor
Waterloo, ON N2J 4V3
tel: 519.883.2004 x.5872
  email: xmarc at region.waterloo.on.ca