“Gary Hoyer and Chinh Do of George Brown College have just released Generating Success for Farm to School, a report that researches the benefits of farm to school. Its recommendations include instituting a universal healthy school food program across Canada, complemented with a farm to school approach.” This article is definitely worth a read, it… Read More
Food banks are a relatively long-standing part of community landscapes across the country, and fill a critical role of feeding individuals and families who rely on their services. However, this was not always the case. When food banks were first introduced into Canada in 1981, they were meant to be a temporary measure, designed… Read More
How can urban growing reach more people? Who is at risk of being excluded from urban agriculture initiatives? How can community and municipal leaders identify and remove barriers to accessing growing space? In the process of implementing equitable agricultural initiatives in the city, these are the questions that need to guide decision-making, to ensure that all… Read More
Across the country, community organizations, school food programs, school districts and parents continue to pay close attention to recommendations as governments continue to release guidelines and frameworks for what the return to school will look like. As of the end of July all provinces and territories have released some form of documentation framing what school… Read More
The Alternative Federal Budget Recovery Plan is an offshoot project of the Alternative Federal Budget project. It is a collaboration among organizations and researchers from a variety of sectors including: populations, and areas of expertise including human rights, labour, environmental protection, anti-poverty, arts and culture, social development, child development, international development, women, Indigenous peoples,… Read More
Over the past months, the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that Canada’s patchwork approach to school nutrition programs is inadequate to support children’s health, nutrition, and academic success. Food security, already a pressing issue across Canada, has now been made even more urgent during the COVID-19 pandemic as low-income people are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19,… Read More
Over the past several months, the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified long-standing vulnerabilities within Canada’s food system. News reports have highlighted, for example, grocery stores’ struggles to keep certain items stocked, livestock herds being culled in huge numbers due to bottlenecks at meat processing plants, and produce sitting wasting in farmers’ fields due to restaurant closures… Read More
This article coming from Foodfirst.org highlights the various issues faced by both migrant food workers as well as local food workers. It highlights key points of interest such as: Free market Food Systems and Exploited Labor. Corporations, Worker Vulnerability, and Forced Labor Migration. Organized labor, Solidarity, and Resilience. All of which play an important… Read More
This past March marked the start of my family’s fourth growing season as Member Farmers at Fresh City Farms. After planning through the winter months, it was finally time to plant our seedlings in the Downsview Park greenhouse, and prepare our 2000 square feet of land for another summer of farming. As the Government of Ontario began… Read More
From being labelled ‘heroes’ and ‘essential workers’ to losing pay premiums in the midst of a crisis: What happens to frontline food workers when the pandemic is over? I recently came across an article published in The Atlantic which has been on my mind. It voices the frustration of a frontline grocery store worker who is tired of being called a ‘hero’. The article’s title, Calling Me a Hero Only Makes You Feel Better, strongly suggests that frontline workers, even as they are hailed as heroes, struggle with the challenge of making… Read More