Ontario Municipal Elections Update
Posted: October 6, 2010
Categories: News from Sustain Ontario
Food and farming issues are put on the municipal elections agenda
Sustain Ontario members are busy talking to municipal elections candidates across the province about farming and food issues.
Here is a snapshot of what people are doing to get their regional farming and food issues discussed and addressed.
Guelph-Wellington
The Guelph-Wellington Food Round Table is organizing an event on October 12th inviting all of Guelph’s electoral candidates for a Kitchen Table discussion on the state of Guelph’s food system. This event is organized to identify actions that will enhance food sustainability as well as to promote the Guelph-Wellington Food Charter.
“Food on the Table a Dialogue for Guelphâ€
October 12, 2010 6pm-8:30pm
Norfolk St. United Church, 75 Norfolk St Downtown Guelph
www.guelphwellingtonlocalfood.ca or call 226-251-3012
Ottawa
In Ottawa, a Mayoral Candidate Debate was held on Sunday September 26th with a focus on environmental issues. Food was one of the top seven questions addressed at the debate. Following the debate, Just Food adapted Sustain Ontario’s, “Ontario Election Toolkit: Putting Healthy Food and Farming on the election agenda†for the Ottawa context and sent the toolkit to all mayoral and council candidates as well as to the broader public through a membership newsletter.
Just Food is working with staff to prepare presentations on food which will be presented to the new council, post elections.
Contact: Moe Garahan 613-236-9300 x311 or moe@justfood.ca
www.justfood.ca
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay’s Food Security Research Network is developing questions to be addressed to a panel of candidates on October 14th. The questions are designed to both educate candidates about local food issues and solicit support. The research network is also planning to educate the larger public about food issues and encourage people to vote for food-supportive candidates.
Contact: Dr. Connie Nelson, (807) 343-8447 or connie@foodsecurityresearch.ca
http://www.foodsecurityresearch.ca/
Toronto
Members of Food Forward have worked together with a number of local organizations to come up with their own food policy priorities for the in-coming City Council, and have been busy educating candidates and conducting outreach. The work has already led to two mayoral candidates launching food platforms, and others lending their support to the priorities. In a city of 2.5 million people with 44 wards, it isn’t easy to reach all of the candidates. Students at York University and the University of Toronto in the FoodShed project, as well as members of the Toronto Youth Food Policy Council, are working with Food Forward to do outreach in a number of key wards by educating residents at farmers’ markets and community food centres on the importance of contacting candidates.
A successful “Eat In” at City Hall in July brought residents and candidates together to launch the food policy priorities, which include support for urban agriculture, community food projects and buying local and sustainable foods.
Contact: Darcy Higgins, darcy@pushfoodforward.com
www.pushfoodforward.com