Toronto Youth Food Policy Council |

November 25, 2013
by MeShell
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Continuing the Conversation on Migrant Labour Issues in Ontario – TYFPC Community Meeting

tyfpc

On December 2, the Toronto Youth Food Policy Council will be holding a community meeting with speakers Chris Ramsaroop from Justicia for Migrant Workers, Jenn Pfenning from Pfenning’s Organic Farm, and Ed Dunsworth, Researcher and Activist to continue the conversation on migrant labour issues that we touched on last year.

We also have been given the opportunity to share the Milagros for Migrants installation, this collaborative multi-media exhibit from Dr. Deborah Barndt & Min Sook Lee honours Ontario’s Migrant Farm Workers and explores the relationship between food and labour justice and places migrant workers’ issues in the broader context of global corporate agriculture.

Please join in, please invite your friends, and anyone else that might be interested in this topic.

Speaker Bios

Chris Ramsaroop – Justicia for Migrant Workers
Chris Ramsaroop is a representative of the organization, Justicia for Migrant Workers, which is a volunteer-driven collective, committed to organizing with and for migrant workers – irrespective of their status in Canada.

Jenn Pfenning – Pfenning’s Organic Farm
Jenn Pfenning started sorting and packing vegetables on the family farm back in the 1990s. Over the years, she has developed a keen sense of farming the land organically and running the business with her husband Ekk and brother-in-law Wolfgang Pfenning. Jenn spends most of her time in the office now working with valued customers.
Her focus is on marketing, advertising and human resources which also include supervising the temporary foreign workers taking part in the seasonal agricultural worker program at Pfenning’s farm.
In addition to the family business responsibilities, Jenn currently finds time to be a director on the boards of Foodshare Toronto, the National Farmers Union-Ontario Waterloo-Wellington Chapter and Vice-Chair/ Farmer Rep. for the Organic Council of Ontario

Ed Dunsworth – Researcher and Activist
Ed Dunsworth is an independent researcher and activist focused on the issue of temporary foreign labour. He worked with migrant farm labourers in the non-profit sector from 2009-12 and recently completed a master’s degree in history at Queen’s University.

Event Details

Doors open at 5:30 pm, so come early and check out the exhibit.
The meeting will begin at 6:00 pm
Room 310, Metro Hall (55 John St)

TYFPC Poster

November 11, 2013
by Juneeja Varghese
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TYFPC at the Healthy416 Seminar

On November 7th, TYFPC facilitated a ‘Food Policy in Your Sandwich’ workshop at the Health and Wellness seminar organized by United Way’s City Leader‘s youth. Right from the beginning, the excitement in talking about food related issues was quite evident in the group.
Coming from diverse educational backgrounds, the audience contributed to meaningful discussions around understanding the importance of what one eats and where food was sourced. The main activity broke down the different parts of a sandwich and briefly looked into the players involved in the food chain process from the farms to the distribution locations, and government and institutional policies that impact the process.

For some, this was seen as a platform to voice their own concerns regarding healthy food accessibility in the city. For others, the sharing of personal food experiences provided a source of information about local food security.

All in all, it was a great session and we look forward to seeing more community members coming out to TYFPC’s upcoming community meetings.

November 10, 2013
by MeShell
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Toronto Youth Food Policy Council Journal Call for Submissions

The Toronto Youth Food Policy Council is inviting submissions for our first Special Edition journal. The TYFPC is a youth leader in food policy—seeking to mobilize and engage youth to help build a just food system. The TYFPC Journal aims to bring together a progressive youth vision and voice in the food system. Our objective is to create a journal of poetry, short stories, art and photography as well as any other printable forms of expression to showcase the diversity of connections and understandings around food.

Submission Guidelines:

Written by youth (under 30).
One page illustrations, photographs, poetry, short stories (2,500 words)
Acceptable topics can include, but are not limited to: food issues, food systems, food movement, food literacy, nutrition, sustainable agriculture, food and the environment, food access and equity, and urban agriculture.
Must be progressive, creative, current and relevant!

Submission deadline is January 1, 2014.

For submissions or inquiries, please contact journal@tyfpc.ca.

We look forward to hearing from you!

October 29, 2013
by Anne Siu
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TYFPC attends Street Food Public Consultations

The TYFPC had the chance to attend a few of the Street Food Public Consultation sessions currently being hosted by the City’s Municipal Licensing and Standards (ML&S) Division. The TYFPC voiced support for the expansion of street food vending in the city and asserted the need for healthier, more diverse, and affordable food options.

Click here for the ML&S’s public consultation presentation.

Click here for more information on the Street Food Vending Review and upcoming dates.

A range of stakeholders (food truck and food cart owners, restaurant industry representatives, general public, members of community groups) attended these sessions. Some of the issues raised include:

Restaurant owners:

Concerned about increased competition from street food vendors, as well as reduced parking in front of their businesses.

Street food vendors:

Confusion due to unclear and inconsistent by-laws between different boroughs.
Proximity rules (minimum distances between similar businesses) may not be necessary; however, if implemented, rules should be clear and reasonable.
Food truck owners wanted to be able to park their food trucks in different locations.

Other:

Confusion regarding health and safety regulations governing street food.

(Photo credit: torontofoodtrucks.ca)

There is still time to have your say on what you’d like Street Food in Toronto to look like! You can:

- Attend the last two public consultations:

Monday November 4, 2013, 2:00pm to 4:00 pm, North York Civic Centre, Council Chambers
Tuesday November 5, 2013, 10:00am to 12:00pm, East York Civic Centre, Council Chambers

AND/OR

- Complete the online Street Food Vending survey (deadline for submissions is October 31, 2013!).

October 21, 2013
by MeShell
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The GrowTO Staff Report is Out. Learn about the Amazing UrbanAg work in Toronto

See the City of Toronto PDF Here

Excerpt:

GrowTO: An Urban Agriculture Action Plan for Toronto was adopted by City Council on November 27, 2012 and is the result of over three years of collaborative work by community and institutional stakeholders with participation from various City Divisions and Agencies. The GrowTO Action Plan establishes a framework to help the City of Toronto realize the full potential of urban agriculture.

This report updates the current scope of urban agricultural activities undertaken by City Divisions and Agencies and identifies short and long term strategies that would advance urban agriculture in Toronto.

To advance urban agriculture in Toronto, it is recommended that the City adopt the Toronto Agricultural Program and Workplan to be led by the Deputy City Manager, Cluster A, and supported by a joint City-Sector Steering Committee that includes representatives from City Divisions, Agencies and the urban agricultural community.

The report also summarizes how the Parks Plan 2013-2017 responds to the GrowTO recommendations and how City Planning will continue to work with the City-Sector Steering Committee on Urban Agriculture to explore planning issues, barriers and opportunities associated with urban agriculture.