Food Access: Community Food Program Donation Tax Credit – Webinar, Oct. 23rd
Posted: October 21, 2014
Categories: GoodFoodBites / News from Sustain Ontario / Webinars
This webinar will be the first in a series of conversations around food access and policy within our network and we invite you to consider taking part. Stay tuned for more details about the Food Access Peer Learning Circle (PLC) and how to be involved or contact Bronwyn Clement, bronwyn@sustainontario.ca for more information.
Join us for a free webinar this Thursday, October 23rd at 12-1:30p.m. to learn about and discuss the Community Food Program Donation Tax Credit that was introduced as part of the Local Food Act. This legislation means that farmers and farm businesses that donate agricultural products to eligible community food programs will now we eligible to receive a tax credit of 25% of the fair market value of donated product. We will be hearing about the tax credit from Ziyaad Vahed, Senior Policy Advisor from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs followed by a thoughtful conversation from Sustain Ontario members and allies about the potential impacts this new policy will have on Ontario’s food systems.
Register now!
Who’s coming?
The discussion will be moderated by Kathryn Scharf, VP National Programs at Community Food Centres Canada, joined by Ziyaad Vahed, Senior Policy Advisor from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Karen Eatwell, National Farmers Union Ontario President, and Bill Laidlaw, Executive Director at Ontario Association of Food Banks, as well as webinar participants from across the province!
Can you tell me more about the Food Access Peer Learning Circle?
Over the next few months, Sustain Ontario will be hosting a series of educational webinars and discussions to investigate, discuss, and share resources on a variety of food access topics. The peer learning circle (PLC) will be an avenue to strengthen existing collaborative networks, share tools, resources and best practices, support initiatives across the food community, and come to a place of agreement on ideas for government and the network to move forward on.
The Food Access Peer Learning Circle is one of four targeted learning circles to come out a project of Healthy Food for All: Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems in Ontario, a project intended to increase the capacity of local communities working towards a sustainable food system for Ontario.
Panelist Bios
Ziyaad Vahed, OMAFRA
Ziyaad Vahed works as a Senior Policy Advisor with the Economic Development Policy Branch at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Ziyaad works on a number of policy initiatives that support the agri-food industry including areas such as local food and food processing. He recently worked on developing the tax credit for farmers who donate to community food programs. The credit was first introduced as part of the Local Food Act, 2013 and was announced by the Minister on September 29, 2014.
Karen Eatwell, NFU-Ontario
Karen Eatwell is the President of the National Farmers Union-Ontario and comes with over 12 years as an active NFU member. She farms on an 150 acre farm in south western Ontario with her husband where they raise cattle, poultry, grains, and seasonal market vegetables. Karen’s work with the Union has focused on issues relating to the environment, health, and promoting the importance of diverse family farms in our agricultural landscape.
The National Farmers Union is a direct-membership organization made up of Canadian farm families that works to achieve agricultural policies that will ensure dignity and security of income for farm families while enhancing the land for future generations.
Bill Laidlaw, OAFB
Bill Laidlaw is the Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB). He is an experienced business executive with a background in both business and not-for-profit association management.
The Ontario Association of Food Banks is the provincial representative for food banks in the province. OAFB is a network of 120 food banks that support over 1,100 hunger relief programs in agencies across the province who support some 375,000 individuals every month.
Kathryn Scharf, CCFC
Kathryn Scharf is the Vice President of National Programs at Community Food Centres Canada. Coming from an extensive background in the community food security sector in Toronto on everything from grassroots work in community food programs and alternative food distributions systems to initiatives aimed at changing systems through food policy and action.
Have a question about the tax credit or the peer learning circle but can’t make it to the event? Post it in the comment section below and we’ll ask it for you during the webinar!