Stephen Svenson Interested in making the urban edible.
Krista Hulshof Rural Architectural designer-part of the rural creative economy
National Farmers Union - Wellington & Waterloo Local National, provincial and local family farm advocacy
WRFoodNews March 11, 2011
Below are a number of recent news items concerning the health of Waterloo Region's food system. You can read this issue of Waterloo Region Food News and all previous issues on our website at http://www.wrfoodsystem.ca/wrfoodnews. Upcoming events are listed at the bottom and on the Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable's website at www.wrfoodsystem.ca/events.
1. Food Summit Date set
The Roundtable has set a date for its popular event, the Waterloo Region Food Summit. The 2011 Food Summit will take place on Saturday, April 30, 2011, from 9am-4pm, at the WLU School of Social Work on Duke Street, in Kitchener. The morning will feature updates from members of the Roundtable on what is happening in Waterloo Region on the six Food System Priorities identified by the Roundtable following the last Food Summit in November 2009. After a hearty local lunch, the afternoon will focus on networking and strategizing ways of moving the priorities forward. More details will follow in the coming weeks.
2. Successful Event on Small Meat Processors
Thirty people participated in a lively discussion about the challenges facing the approximately 200 remaining small meat processors and abattoirs in Ontario at an event organized by the Roundtable on February 22nd at the KPL. Ontario Federation of Agriculture researcher Peter Sykanda began the night with a presentation on a survey he did with the sector, and then owners of three small meat processors shared their personal experiences. View the presentation and a link to a background article on the issue on the Small Meat Processors topic on the Roundtable’s Discussion Forum. Add your impressions of the event or opinions on the issue by replying to the post!
Several other topics on the Discussion Forum have been added or replied to since the last WRFoodNews: see our Discussion Forum for the latest postings.
3. Lots of Action on National Food Policy as Federal Election Looms
As the possibility of a federal election becomes stronger, several national organizations are ramping up their efforts to convince the federal government to adopt a national food policy. The People’s Food Policy Project hope to persuade Canadians to meet with their MPs to discuss their demands for a comprehensive food policy when they launch their “Resetting the Table” campaign on May 5th. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture is holding consultations on their proposed National Food Strategy, and invites Canadians to comment on their proposals now. Lastly, the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute is inviting feedback on its Agri-Food Destination report between now and May.
4. Federal Motion on GM Alfalfa delayed
Federal Conservative MPs delayed a vote on the motion for a moratorium on GM alfalfa at last week's Agriculture Committee meeting. The Liberals, NDP and Bloc members all support the moratorium so if the vote had happened that day, the motion would have been approved and passed to the House of Commons for a vote. The motion will be debated at the next Committee meeting which could be March 22. Details at http://www.cban.ca/Resources/Topics/GE-Crops-and-Foods-Not-on-the-Market/Alfalfa.
5. National Dialogue on Healthy Weights
The Canadian government is looking for ideas on how best to fight the rising costs associated with obesity as part of its national Healthy Weights Strategy. Currently, the top three ideas identified by Canadians are to develop a national cycling strategy, to ban all junk food advertising, and to encourage more family togetherness in eating and playing. Add your votes and comments at http://ourhealthourfuture.gc.ca/home/.
6. Global Food Prices
A combination of factors have driven up global food prices again, causing minor increases in Canada and devastating effects in many poorer countries. Wayne Roberts weighs in with his take on the issue in a recent column called The Pillars of Cheap Food are Cracking. Meanwhile, the Worldwatch Institute’s annual State of the World report, published last week, called for a move away from industrial agriculture and discusses small-scale initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa that work towards poverty and hunger relief in an environmentally sustainable way. In a very related topic, five global food experts with varying opinions debated how to prepare to feed a world population of over 9 billion in 2050 on TVO’s The Agenda with Steve Paikin on March 15th. View the 40-minute video at http://www.tvo.org/cfmx/tvoorg/theagenda/index.cfm?page_id=7&bpn=779974&ts=2011-03-15+20%3A00%3A00.0.
7. Job Postings
The Preston Towne Market, one of three Neighbourhood Markets in Waterloo Region, is looking for a Coordinator for the summer season. View the job description for this and other food-related job opportunities at http://www.wrfoodsystem.ca/jobs.
8. Farmland Viability discussed on CBC’s The Current
Waterloo Region farmer Steve Martin of Martin’s Family Fruit Farm appeared on CBC Radio One’s The Current on March 3rd to discuss farm viability. You can listen to his twenty-minute interview at http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2011/03/03/letters-farmland-disputes-chuckwagons-sentences/. Martin’s interview was a response to a story on farmland disputes, which ran a few days earlier: http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2011/02/28/farmland-disputes/.
9. Upcoming Food Events
Full details on upcoming food-related events in Waterloo Region can be viewed under Upcoming Events on the Roundtable's website. To share news of your event, please email details to the Roundtable's Site Administrator for posting to the website. Some upcoming highlights include:
Food Justice: Our Food, Our Bodies – Friday, March 18, 5:30pm-Sunday, March 20, 1pm, University of Waterloo
Starting Seedlings at Home – Saturday, March 19, 1-3pm, Little City Farm, Kitchener
Local Organic Food Skills Fair – Saturday, March 19, 11am-2pm, St George’s church, Guelph
Planning your Backyard Garden – Tuesday, March 22, 7-9pm, KPL Forest Heights Branch, Kitchener
Strategizing Towards a Resilient Community – Saturday, April 2, 9am-4:30pm, Winston Churchill School, Waterloo
_______________________________________________
WRFoodNews mailing list
WRFoodNews@wrfoodsystem.ca
http://wrfoodsystem.ca/mailman/listinfo/wrfoodnews_wrfoodsystem.ca
