Locavore News – Ontario by Elbert van Donkersgoed
Posted: March 24, 2010
Categories: News from Sustain Ontario
- Waterloo Region Opportunity to Include Food Policies in Official Plans
- Niagara slow to ‘Go Local,’ policy brief says
- New North Perth Market for Poultry
- 500 New Jobs Coming To North Perth
- Niagara Food Festival makes top 100 list again
- Farming for the local consumer
- Bringing the farm to school
- Some Welcome Increased Consumer Food Interest
- Loblaw stores to go greener
- Groups push for greenbelt expansion
Perspectives on good food and farming
March 24, 2010
Waterloo Region Opportunity to Include Food Policies in Official Plans
In 2009, the Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable and many other people and organizations gave input into the Region of Waterloo’s Official Plan (ROP) with a view to encouraging the Region to include food policies in it. Now, each of the seven area municipalities in the Region must create Official Plans of their own which conform to the ROP. There is an opportunity for these municipalities to include food-related policies that would address things like community gardens, the keeping of urban hens and bees, locating food stores, etc. The Roundtable’s Discussion Forum contains information on the public input processes planned by the Cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, and invites you to post any information you may have on the other municipalities (Cambridge or the four rural townships). Contact the Roundtable if you want to help advocate for food policies to be incorporated into area municipal official plans.
Niagara slow to ‘Go Local,’ policy brief says
If a vegetable is planted in a local farmer’s field, will anybody in Niagara eat it? Likely not, according to a new policy brief by Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory. The eight-page discussion paper suggests there’s more than 7,000 farms in Niagara producing everything from peaches to apples to nuts. But many locals aren’t buying what area growers are selling. Niagara’s 435,000 residents like the idea of supporting local growers and buying food that’s good for them, but are accustomed to quick-fix shopping at large grocery store chains, the report finds. These stores are stocked with foreign goods, which are cheaper for large-scale retailers and consumers to purchase than local fruits and vegetables, writes report authors Sophia Papastavrou and Frances Chandler. St. Catharines Standard story. Report (2MB PDF).
New North Perth Market for Poultry
The province’s chicken and turkey farmers have a new market in North Perth. Erie Meat Products will be processing chicken and turkey into hot dogs at the former Campbell’s plant on the outskirts of Listowel. The company’s George Tiesma says they expect to turn out about 4 tonnes of processed meat a day when the plant is fully operational. They expect that will be by the end of this year. The North Perth poultry processing operation will create about 500 jobs over the next three years. CKNX Radio 920AM Winghamstory.
500 New Jobs Coming To North Perth
The McGuinty government is helping turn a former Campbell’s Soup factory into a poultry processing plant in Listowel as part of its Open Ontario Plan. Erie Meat Products Limited is expected to hire and train 500 workers over the next three years to process chicken and turkey meat for sale around the world. Ontario Premier’s website.
Niagara Food Festival makes top 100 list again
Niagara Food Festival was once again ranked in the top 100 celebrations across the province by Festivals and Events Ontario. Festival co-ordinator Jane Thompson learned the good news this week while attending FEO’s annual conference in Ottawa. The peninsula’s tastiest party nabbed a spot in the top 100 out of more than 1,200 eligible festivals and events from across the province. Thompson said interest is continuing to grow around Niagara Food Festival, especially thanks to networking opportunities such as the FEO conference. While networking with other event organizers, she said everyone was impressed not only with the festival but with its state-of-the- art mobile culinary theatre. The theatre will be doing a lot of travelling this summer, with several out-of-town festivals booking it for an appearance. Welland Tribune story.
Farming for the local consumer
Leaving a profitable job as an X-ray technician wasn’t an easy decision for Chantal Lewington. She quit her $30 an hour job to be a full-time farmer. But it’s a decision the 23-year-old doesn’t regret. It was a lifestyle choice,” she said. I wanted to do something to prevent illness rather than just diagnosing it.” Lewington and her husband Dave own Dalew Farms, a 140-acre (56hectare) property in Lavigne where they operate a small-scale farming operation growing a multitude of vegetables, grass-fed beef and lamb, pastured pork and poultry. North Bay Nugget.
Bringing the farm to school
The county is bringing the farm to Lansdowne Public School. In celebration of National Nutrition Month on Thursday, Lansdowne school’s Student Nutrition Program will welcome Simone Edginton, a regi s t e re d dietitian with Lambton’s Community Health Services Department. In keeping with this year’s theme “Celebrate Food . . . from field to table” students will also have the opportunity to learn about the value of eating locally grown food with Zekveld’s Garden Market. Sarnia Observer story.
Some Welcome Increased Consumer Food Interest
Some farm leaders are welcoming the increased consumer interest in how food is produced and where it comes from. Huron Federation of Agriculture president Wayne Black says it gives farmers the chance to get their story to consumers. Black says the Foodland Ontario program is one way consumers can get a better idea where their food is coming from. But he says supporting local farming goes beyond just buying what’s available at the local farmers market. Black says getting the story out about Ontario agriculture is a challenge – especially when faced by well-financed activist groups who prefer to paint all of agriculture as highly-mechanised factory-farm operations. CKNX Radio 920AM Wingham story.
Loblaw stores to go greener
Loblaw stores are installing solar panels on the roof tops of four Ontario stores in an effort to become a greener company. The stores will be in Toronto, Ajax, Whitby and Orleans. “This initiative is part of Loblaw’s overall effort, through the use of renewable energy sources to reduce our carbon footprint,†said Bob Chant, vice president, corporate affairs, Loblaw Companies Limited. Loblaw will work with the Northland Power Income Fund to install the panels to create clean and renewable power. Toronto Sun story
Groups push for greenbelt expansion
A push to get the Dalton McGuinty government to approve a major expansion of the greenbelt westward through Brant County and in other directions in southern Ontario is gaining fresh energy with the entry of new groups and controversial development activities. For much of the past two years, a collection of groups has been advocating, either independently or in concert as the emerging Greenbelt Alliance, for expansions of the greenbelt area’s original 1.8-million acre territory around the Greater Golden Horseshoe. They want the protective environmental and agricultural zone to grow westward into Brant, northward through Guelph, the Town of Oakville, Markham and Simcoe County, and eastward to Prince Edward County. Brantford Expositor story.
AND if You Have Time
Biodegradable Heat-Activated Coffee Cup
Check out this new product proposal called the Heatswell from designer Scott Amron. He’s created a thin paper collar that expands when it comes in contact with heat and is non-toxic and biodegradable. The material appears to expand about two or so inches, and in different, random shapes. The idea is to cut down on the ubiquitous cardboard coffee sleeve, and the changing size of the cup allows it to be stacked prior to use, reducing environmental impact from shipping. Eat Me Daily story. Video