Local Food Act in Committee
Posted: October 10, 2013
Categories: GoodFoodBites / News from Sustain Ontario
1. Local Food Act Reaches Committee
The Local Food Act was reintroduced in Ontario by Premier Kathleen Wynne’s government this past March, setting out three primary purposes:
- To foster successful and resilient local food economies and systems throughout Ontario.
- To increase awareness of local food in Ontario, including the diversity of local food.
- To encourage the development of new markets for local food.
The Act subsequently reached a second reading in the legislature, occupying approximately eighteen hours of House time, which consisted of input from all parties on the necessity of supporting Ontario’s food and farming sector.
The Local Food Act continues to make its way through the legislature and is now in committee after having passed a second reading in the House. On October 8th and on October 22nd, the Standing Committee on Social Policy will be hearing from those who wish to make a presentation or written submission on the proposed Act.
Program Manager Carolyn Young will be presenting on behalf of Sustain Ontario on October 22nd at 4:00p.m.
While the presentation sessions are full, there is still an opportunity to send written submissions to propose ideas for the Local Food Act. Submissions should be sent to the Clerk of the Committee, William Short, no later than 5 p.m. on October 22nd at:
William Short Clerk, Legislative Committee on Social Policy Tel: 416-325-3883 Fax: 416-325-3505 william_short@ontla.ola.org 99 Wellesley Street West, Room 1405, Whitney Block Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON M7A 1A22. NDP and PC Put Forth Proposed Amendments to the Act
In the lead-up to the committee hearings, both the NDP and PC have issued statements detailing the amendments they will be proposing to the Act. Jonah Schein (NDP, Davenport) has stated that his party will be pushing amendments for:
- Clear goals for local food purchasing by public institutions
- Ontario-grown fruit and vegetables in our classrooms
- Food literacy in our schools
- Support for small food processors
In an accompanying release on his official website, Schein further fleshes out the NDP’s ideas for the Act in greater detail and reiterates the positive impact of Ontario’s local food producers, stating:
“Many Ontarians want to support local farms and eat fresh, sustainably grown food. Farmers markets, food based organizations, and food advocates in my riding and across the province are prime examples of the growing appetite for local food. Not only does local food taste better, it can reduce our carbon footprint and has a direct, positive effect on the local economy.”
PC Agricultural Critic Ernie Hardeman (Oxford) has also issued a statement outlining the amendments his party hopes to propose, which are as follows:
- Requiring food education in all grades to increase food literacy.
- Creating a tax credit to assist farmers who donate crops to a food bank; and
- Creating a separate Local Food Week so it does not replace Ontario Agriculture Week.
In a previous release, Hardeman called the Act in its current form a “missed opportunity,” in particular calling for a greater emphasis on food literacy in the Ontario school curriculum:
“We need a real Food Act that addresses the challenges with our food system from the need to bring together supply through a regional food terminal, to the red tape facing our processors, the lack of small abattoirs and the need for food literacy to be part of our curriculum.”