WRFoodNews April 12, 2011

Welcome to the first issue of WRFoodNews since the launch of the Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable’s new website. You now have the option to get these updates as soon as they are posted by subscribing to the RSS Feed of our blog. For those of you who don’t know what that means, you don’t have to do anything, since WRFoodNews will continue to summarize new information on the Roundtable’s website and send it out to you in these handy emails. Please find the latest Waterloo Region food news below.

1. Update your profile on the Roundtable’s new website

You saw the news of the Roundtable’s new website last week. Perhaps you even clicked on the link and took a look at it. But have you updated your Foodie profile? Or if you didn’t have one, have you created one? Until you do, your fellow Foodies in Waterloo Region won’t know about your involvements in the movement for a healthy food system, and won’t know which of the Roundtable’s food system priorities are of most interest to you. So what are you waiting for?! Create or update your Foodie profile today!

And while you’re at it, if you are involved in a food-related project or work or volunteer for an organization working on food issues, please create a profile for that project or organization! The more information we have on the website, the better a tool it will be to help people connect to the work of building a healthy food system in Waterloo Region.

2. Register today for the Waterloo Region Food Summit

Get a full update on who is doing what to build a healthy food system in Waterloo Region, and meet the people who are doing it! Find out how you can plug into the exciting work. Plan on attending the 2011 Waterloo Region Food Summit on Saturday, April 30^th, from 9am-4pm at the Lyle Hallman School of Social Work in downtown Kitchener. RSVP now to ensure your place.

3. Put Food in the Election
The People’s Food Policy Project needs your help to make to make a national food policy an issue in the federal election. Read where all the parties stand on food policy and get questions you can ask at your local all-candidate debates in our election blog post.

4. Waterloo Council Turns Down Urban Hens Again
The City of Waterloo has decided to extend its ban on keeping hens in the city. Read the blog post by Waterloo Hen Association’s Matthew Bailey-Dick, which includes commentary on the City Council’s decision, a video of the Hen Association’s presentation, and links to media coverage of the Council meeting.

5. Proposed European Trade Agreement a Threat to Food Sovereignty
Canada is negotiating a Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union which has several potentially negative implications for Canadian food sovereignty. The National Farmers' Union (NFU) has taken a strong stand against the agreement. It argues that the CETA would, among other things, severely restrict farmers’ ability to save seeds and undermine local and provincial governments’ ability to preference local food. For more background, see our blog post on the issue.

6. Foodie Discussion Forum
You’ll notice that the latest postings on the Roundtable’s online Discussion Forum now appear on the front page of our website. Keep checking in at www.wrfoodsystem.ca for the latest in Foodie Discussions! This week, you can read and reply to a question about gleaning: is there any system in place whereby Waterloo Region farmers allow people to “glean” what’s left from their fields after their harvesting is done? Also on our Discussion Forum this week, you can post feedback on the new website features or read about organic farmers suing Monsanto or the City of Toronto’s plans to permit growing vegetables on boulevards.

7. Upcoming Food Events
You can now post your own Foodie events on our website! Go to our new and improved Events page on the Roundtable's website to view details on these and other upcoming events, or to post your own.

Current Research in Food and Agriculture – Thursday, April 14, 12-4pm, University of Waterloo
Farm to Fork Food Career Trade Show – Thursday, April 14, 3-7pm, Best Western Guelph
How and Why of Local Food – Saturday, April 16, 9-11am, Kitchener Market
Vegetable Garden Planning – Saturday, April 16, 2-4:30pm, Waterloo
Taste of Woolwich – Monday, April 18, 5-8pm, Calvary United Church, St Jacobs
Patchwork Community Gardens Early Buds Spring event – Saturday, April 23, 2-5pm, Albert McCormick library, Waterloo
Climate Change and Agriculture – Tuesday, April 26, 7-9pm, KPL Forest Heights branch, Kitchener

_______________________________________________
WRFoodNews mailing list
WRFoodNews@wrfoodsystem.ca
http://wrfoodsystem.ca/mailman/listinfo/wrfoodnews_wrfoodsystem.ca