Jan
6
Good food jobs can grow in Ontario
Submitted by Darcy Higgins on Sun, 01/06/2013 - 23:49
If Toronto and Ontario want to be successful economically and socially over the next few years, we must create more jobs.
This has been on the mind of the public, businesses, and politicians lately, but hasn’t been prioritized in the way it needs to be. If we create new jobs in a good food sector, we have more work that is meaningful, and that improves the health of our communities and environment, while giving a leg up to newcomers, young people, and others looking to have a job and make a difference.
The GTA alone already has 110,000 direct food jobs, with those in processing being more resilient and higher paying than those of many other sectors. Most food grown in Ontario is also processed in Ontario.
However, the vast majority of food consumed in Ontario is imported. Farmers are suffering with an income crisis, while our food is being subsidized by off-farm incomes, cheap farm labour, environmental pollution, poor treatment of animals, and processed foods. So our health, environment, and work standards are affected. It doesn’t need to be that way. The solutions are complex, but there are some things we could be doing right away to make a change.
Quality grown foods sold to local markets can often yield farmers a better price while bringing good food through bakeries, dairies, and restaurants to consumers. The GTA Food and Farming Action Plan, endorsed by all area municipalities, champions a quite notable goal of creating the greatest food and farming cluster in the world. Working towards that goal would quickly bring good new jobs to Ontario. Political leadership in 2013 would support the sector in making it happen.
The Liberal Party leadership race has been talking jobs and entrepreneurship. You’ve heard it from Glen Murray, Charles Sousa and others. Eric Hoskins mentioned growing food sector jobs specifically in a leadership debate, while Kathleen Wynne has vowed to bring back the Local Food Act and become Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs if she becomes premier.
A stronger Local Food Act that puts job creation at the forefront could go a long way. In the United States, the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act has been proposed and co-sponsored by dozens of congressman and senators, and would provide policies and funding for good food jobs.
We need that in Ontario too. Many ideas to do it have already been proposed, and we now need them supported by better legislation, regulations, funding, and programs.
The Local Food Act must be strengthened to create further goals, targets, research, and support for hospitals, universities, and all other public institutions, to increase the amount of fresh, local, and ecologically produced food, as suggested by Sustain Ontario. The NDP’s Buy Local Food Act contained targets for local and organic food. The City of Markham’s local food policy has brought procurement of local sustainable food to 30%.
The Province should also work with businesses, municipal governments, public health and economic development departments, and other agencies to build the capacity needed to bring local food infrastructure back to Ontario.
A review of regulations that hamper small food enterprise could also lead to the creation of new jobs in Ontario. In rural, suburban, and urban parts of the province, entrepreneurs are finding unclear and outdated, intelligence-challenging regulations that don’t affect health, safety, or the environment, but hamper their ability to undertake a business venture.
PC MPP Ernie Hardeman has launched a survey of food processors, asking what regulations are causing headaches and to determine how the sector can be better supported. Some regulations don’t work for small-scale local enterprises and have resulted in closures. Governments need to be leading or supporting, not hindering the local economy.
Finally, the government can create jobs by investing in our communities, as has been proposed by the Green Party. Community food solutions from social entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations are forming healthier communities through community development programs, food literacy, and local economic development. Their work is often high-impact but low-budget. Governments have been largely missing in action, and must engage more closely with this on the ground work.
Providing stable community grants and funding to this work would be money well spent in creating good food sector jobs. Shifting a relatively small funding pool through in any of a number of ministries could be used by organizations to implement preventative health solutions while creating multiplier social and economic effects. Young people are ready with the skills and passion to work in this area and to show results.
By focusing on strong good food procurement and capacity, better regulations, and community funding, we can create healthier urban centres alongside more vibrant rural communities. The quicker we act, the sooner we see more people employed in this most critical sector.
Contact Darcy Higgins, Executive Director, at darcy@pushfoodforward.com
Dec
17
Kitchen Questions...
Submitted by Darcy Higgins on Mon, 12/17/2012 - 17:17
Questions to ask when renting a new kitchen space
(for business activity)
Rental Requirements
Do you rent the kitchen for commercial purposes?
Do you require renters to have insurance? What kind?
Is the rate hourly/daily? Is there a discounted rate for non-profit/unwaged?
Kitchen Amenities
What is the kitchen outfitted & certified to make? Are there any relevant restrictions? (for example no deep frying permitted)
What equipment is included in the kitchen - is there anything I am required to bring myself?
Storage and Access
What hours is the space available? Is there a way to get access in off hours in order to pick up/drop off product?
How much space is available for storage (for equipment, ingredients, and product)?
What kind of storage (dry and refrigeration) is there? If required, can I bring my own refrigeration space?
How long can I leave products in the space? Is the space secured from other users of the kitchen?
A project of Housing Services Corporation's Social and Environmental Enterprise Development and Food Forward's Food Entrepreneur Training Program
Dec
11
Growing Food & Justice Initiative (GFJI)
Submitted by Darcy Higgins on Tue, 12/11/2012 - 18:23
Food Forward has been supporting the development of the Growing Food and Justice For All Initiative (GFJI) Local Empowerment Group (LEG). Soon after our founding we began discussing the connections between food, equity and racism/oppression in Toronto, and soon connected with folks from Afri-Can Food Basket, Green Thumbs Growing Kids, and others who did early work in food justice and in forming GFJI and Toronto’s LEG. Food Forward staff and volunteers, Caitlin Langois Greenham, Linda Swanston, Vanessa Ling Yu, and Darcy Higgins (see here) have been working collaboratively to support the convening and strategic planning for our LEG, which plans to be an active food justice contributor in Toronto, connected as a strong partner of the international movement. In 2011, we provided anti-oppression training for Food Forward volunteers and members with positive interest, and a desire for more practical applications in community settings.
Most recently, Vanessa with others from Toronto visited Growing Power in Chicageo to attend GFJI’s Intensive Leadership Facilitator Training: A Dismantling Racism through the Food System to further develop her roster of knowledge and skills around racial healing through food, and connect with the broader community of food justice activists. We are also pleased to connect with Hurly Navarro-Meraveles, Project Coordinator of Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) Positive Spaces Initiative and Food Forward advisor to deepen our examination of gender and sexual identities and newcomer communities, as we make anti-oppression relevant to our every day work together.
In 2013, we are excited to move forward with further anti-oppression training for Food Forward members and friends and supporting diversity work in the food and environmental movements with our partners in collaboration with the Sustainability Network and significant volunteer support from Sabrina Bowman. We also look forward to sharing key next steps for action from the growth of the GFJI network locally and welcome further participation. GFJI Toronto LEG does not yet have a website, so contact Darcy to get involved and join the listserv.
