Waterloo Food Issues Group (WatFIG) A community of students and faculty researching food issues
Hayley Lapalme Getting local sustainable starts with asking, just ask!
African Community Wellness Initiative Promoting holistic wellness in the local African communities.
National Farmers Union - Wellington & Waterloo Local National, provincial and local family farm advocacy
WRFoodNews April 23, 2010
Please find below the latest update on Waterloo Region's food system as described on the website of the Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable at www.wrfoodsystem.ca. Join discussions of the topics below and many more on our Discussion Forum.
1. Learn how to start your own Local Food Buying Club this Tuesday
Wish you could walk to pick up fresh local produce and other local foods? Come learn how you can start a buying club or become a satellite of a pre-existing buying club so that you can pull your groceries home in the little red wagon. A neighbourhood local food buying club is a great way to buy more directly from local farmers and get to know your neighbours. Nina Bailey-Dick of Bailey's Local Foods will be sharing how she started her buying club and the steps needed to start your own. Tuesday, April 27, 7-9pm, Kitchener Public Library, 85 Queen St W, Kitchener. Part of the Roundtable's Healthy Food System series.
2. Foodlink receives Trillium grant
Foodlink Waterloo Region recently learned that it will receive $180,000 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation over 30 months for an executive director, network support and administration. These will help the organization strengthen its capacity to support local food initiatives in Ontario communities as it expands into a province wide organization.
3. Who has the skills to prepare and cook food?
Region of Waterloo Public Health recently released a report on Food Skills. The study of 703 Waterloo Region adults found, among other things, that higher-income people tend to have fewer self-reported food skills than lower-income people. It also found that Most adults are not skilled in freezing and canning foods, but those who grow food in their gardens are more likely to report having “good” skills in food preservation than their non-gardening counterparts.
4. New Information on Gravel Pits and Food
The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) released a report in March on the state of aggregate resource industry in Ontario (there hadn’t been one since 1992). It examined the long-standing policy of sourcing aggregate as near to its end-use as possible, and examined recycling and re-use options. The report projects that demand for aggregate is going to outpace supply in next 20 years, even accounting for recycling.
Meanwhile, local activist Louisette Lanteigne posted an article on the Roundtable's Discussion Forumabout a group of Flamborough residents who successfully prevented a new gravel pit in their county. The group, Friends of the Rural Community and the Environment (FORCE), persuaded the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to put a zoning freeze on the lands proposed to be turned into a quarry, effectively providing long-term groundwater protection for the area.
5. Upcoming Food Events
Full details on upcoming food-related events in Waterloo Region can be viewed under Upcoming Eventson the Roundtable's website. To share news of your event, email details to the Roundtable's Site Administrator, who will post it to the website. Some upcoming highlights include:
Walkable Local Foods - Tuesday, April 27, 7-9pm, KPL Main Branch, Kitchener
People's Food Policy Project webinar - Friday, April 30, 1-2:30pm, online
Heritage Tomato Seedling Sale - Saturday, May 16, 2-4pmWaterloo
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