The Toronto Youth Food Policy Council (TYFPC) is seeking up to 6 individuals to join the team to fill various positions for the 2025/26 year! the TYFPC seeks to engage, build and mobilize youth to accelerate municipal food policy change and co-create a local, sustainable, and just food system in Toronto. We exist to provide a youth perspective on Toronto’s food community and to provide a unique space for youth to network, support and learn from one another, in order to better participate and innovate the food system around them. In summary, the  TYFPC exists to Network, Educate and Advocate on behalf of the youth community. If you are an enthusiastic and motivated youth (age 16-30) who is interested in activating positive change within our food system, consider applying your strengths and skills and submit an application to join the TYFPC! The deadline to apply is Wednesday, June 25, 2025 at 11:59 pm! Submit an application Send any questions to info@tyfpc.ca

Written by Henry Khamonde

 

It seems although elections are in fashion this time of year, so with the federal election on the horizon on April 28th, we are going to take a look at how our federally elected officials can provide direction for lasting change in the food landscape across Canada. With nearly one quarter of Canadians (23%) living with food insecurity, it is time that candidates commit to a national policy and framework that ensures the long-term sustainability and viability of our food systems. We present a guide that will help with understanding how to engage in the electoral process with a focus on food insecurity.

What can the federal government do to address food insecurity?

People are being burdened with debt, meals are being skipped, and food banks are at or are exceeding capacity; the next federal government–especially with tariff threats from the Trump Administration–can and must address Canada’s current agri-food landscape with urgency and desperation. This means all policy decisions–from tax to trade–must have a food and agriculture lens attached to it. Federal parties can strengthen our internal agri-food networks by prioritizing food sovereignty. Food sovereignty enables and encourages communities to shape their own food systems, and there are a multitude of ways that the incumbent government can achieve this. This includes implementing a universal food program in schools, protecting and supplying Canadian supply management, fostering community resilience and sustainability, fortifying infrastructures, and advancing Black and Indigenous rights to healthy and culturally appropriate food.

 

Food Banks Canada, The Food Bank’s federal partner, has put forward several policy recommendations for the federal government to consider:

• Rebuild Canada’s Social Safety Net
  • Ensure all federal benefits are indexed to inflation and that agreements with provincial governments explicitly forbid clawbacks of provincial social supports for new federal benefit programs such as the Canada Disability Benefit.
  • Make single adults with low incomes a priority consideration in all future poverty reduction measures, including an expanded and modernized Employment Insurance (EI), to ensure that this population is no longer left behind.
    • As part of this, commit to a clear timetable for when the government would bring forward EI modernization reforms.
• Solve the Affordable Housing Crisis
  • Commit to examining the potential for a national rent assistance program, delivered in collaboration with the provinces and territories as part of the federal-provincial housing agreements.
  • Introduce new investments to build more supportive housing for people who have mental and physical health issues, particularly among populations who are marginalized or who are living with low incomes.
  • Double the Canada Rental Protection Fund from $1.5 billion to $3 billion.
• Help Workers with Low Incomes
  • Permanently broaden the EI qualifying definition of “employment” to include self-employed and precarious work.
  • Offer improved support to workers who are currently employed and have a low income.
  • Immediately expand the Working-While-on-Claim (WWC) provisions in EI to allow workers to retain more of their income from temporary/part-time work while on EI without losing benefits or having their income clawed back.
  • Review and reduce the number of qualifying “hours of employment” needed (currently between 420 and 700 hours of insurable employment) to better reflect the nature of modern jobs and working situations.
  • Extend the maximum duration of EI benefits beyond 45 weeks to 52 weeks, followed by a staggered reduction in cash benefits while retaining access to non-cash EI supports (such as training and education) so that Canadians are not forced into broken and grossly inadequate provincial social assistance system once their EI benefits terminate.

Federal party platforms

Take a look at what each party’s intended approach to directly* address the issues of food insecurity across the country, and remember to VOTE (sources: Food Banks Canada, Liberal Party of Canada, NDP):

 

Liberal Party of Canada:

• Protect Canada’s commitment to supply management and supply-managed sectors such as dairy, poultry, and eggs;
• Making permanent the doubling of the revenue protection for farmers under the AgriStability Program, from $3 million to $6 million per farm, in the case of significant revenue drops caused by the impacts of tariffs, extreme weather events, and other external shocks;
• Build more domestic processing capacity, including food processing capacity in rural and remote areas, with a new $200 million Domestic Food Processing Fund;
• Increase support for farmers, ranchers, and producers to access new markets for their food products with an additional $30 million into the AgriMarketing Program;
• Increase the help for farmers and ranchers to buy new, more efficient farm equipment with a $30 million top up to the Agriculture Clean Technology Program; and,
• Double the loan guarantee limit, from $500,000 to $1 million, of the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act program and expand terms by 5-10 years.

Conservative Party of Canada:

• No major announcements yet.

 

Bloc Québécois:

• The Bloc Quebecois have committed to table a bill, presumably in June, to guarantee local purchasing and reserve a percentage of Canadian content in federal public contracts and procurements, inspired by the Buy American Act.
• The bill will force Ottawa to give preference to local suppliers in its procurement of goods and services. This law will include a 25% advantage in calls for tenders for Quebec and Canadian companies. Where it is not possible to find a local supplier, this legislation will second favour foreign companies that will guarantee local economic benefits.
• The Bloc Québécois also intends to give priority to SMEs over large corporations, where possible, and to exclude businesses that do not pay their fair share of taxes by resorting to tax havens.

 

New Democratic Party:

• Implement emergency price caps on essential grocery items to “tariff-proof” our food security;
• Enforce a mandatory Grocery Code of Conduct to regulate pricing practices and prevent wage cuts in response to caps;
• Fully empower the Competition Bureau to act as a grocery price watchdog and crack down on price fixing;
• Tax the windfall profits of major grocery retailers like Loblaws, Walmart, Costco, and Empire Foods; and
• Reform Nutrition North so the subsidy goes directly to northerners—not to corporate chains like North Mart.

* These are policies directly related to food access and the cost of food, however other poverty reduction strategies also help to address issues related to food insecurity. See the rest of the platforms at Food Banks Canada’s Party Platform Monitor.

 

Who’s running for election in Toronto?

Beaches-East York

Nate Erskine-Smith, Liberal Party of Canada

Jack Pennings, Green Party of Canada

Jocelyne Poirier, Conservative Party of Canada

Steve Rutchinski, Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada

 

Davenport

Lilian Barrera, Green Party of Canada

Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal Party of Canada

Francis Lavoie, Conservative Party of Canada

Dave McKee, Communist Party of Canada

Sandra Sousa, New Democratic Party

 

Don Valley North

Maggie Chi, Liberal Party of Canada

Xiaohua Gong, No Affiliation

Naila Saeed, New Democratic Party

Joe Tay, Conservative Party of Canada

 

Don Valley West

Bahira Abdulsalam, Independent

Rob Oliphant, Liberal Party of Canada

Robert Pierce, Conservative Party of Canada

Sheena Sharp, Green Party of Canada

 

Eglinton–Lawrence

Vince Gasparro, Liberal Party of Canada

Timothy Gleeson, People’s Party of Canada

Karen Stintz, Conservative Party of Canada

Allison Tanzola, New Democratic Party

 

Etobicoke Centre

Yvan Baker, Liberal Party of Canada

Ted Opitz, Conservative Party of Canada

 

Etobicoke North

Benjamin Abis, New Democratic Party

Andy D’Andrea, People’s Party of Canada

Sarun Balaranjan, Green Party of Canada

Neil Simon, Independent

John Zerucelli, Liberal Party of Canada

 

Etobicoke–Lakeshore

James Maloney, Liberal Party of Canada

Janice Murray, Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada

Bernard Trottier, Conservative Party of Canada

 

Humber River–Black Creek

Matias de Dovitiis, New Democratic Party

Jeanne McGuire, Communist Party of Canada

Bijay Paudel, Conservative Party of Canada

Judy Sgro, Liberal Party of Canada

 

Scarborough Centre–Don Valley East

Belent Mathew, Conservative Party of Canada

Salma Zahid, Liberal Party of Canada

 

Scarborough North

Shaun Chen, Liberal Party of Canada

Karishma Manji, New Democratic Party

Gurmit Sandhu, Conservative Party of Canada

 

Scarborough Southwest

Bill Blair, Liberal Party of Canada

Amanda Cain, Green Party of Canada

Imran Khan, Centrist Party of Canada

Christine Nugent, Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada

Michael Poulin, People’s Party of Canada

Fatima Shaban, New Democratic Party

Asm Tarun, Conservative Party of Canada

 

Scarborough–Agincourt

Aris Movsessian, Conservative Party of Canada

Jean Yip, Liberal Party of Canada

 

Scarborough–Guildwood–Rouge Park

Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal Party of Canada

Suchita Jalan, Conservative Party of Canada

Kingsley Kwok, New Democratic Party

 

Scarborough–Woburn

Gianne Broughton, Green Party of Canada

Michael Coteau, Liberal Party of Canada

Reddy Muttukuru, Conservative Party of Canada

George Wedge, New Democratic Party

 

Spadina–Harbourfront

Norm Di Pasquale, New Democratic Party

Diana Filipova, Conservative Party of Canada

Gilbert Joseph Jubinville, People’s Party of Canada

Nick Lin, Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada

Chi Nguyen, Liberal Party of Canada

Gordon Rand, Green Party of Canada

Shrey Rao, Independent

 

Taiaiako’n–Parkdale–High Park

Karim Bardeesy, Liberal Party of Canada

Edward Fraser, Animal Protection Party of Canada

Lorne Gershuny, Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada

Anna Gorka, Green Party of Canada

Bhutila Karpoche, New Democratic Party

Wladyslaw Lizon, Conservative Party of Canada

Terry Parker, Marijuana Party

Rimmy Riarh, Communist Party of Canada

 

Toronto Centre

Philip Fernandez, Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada

Samantha Green, New Democratic Party

Luis Ibarra, Conservative Party of Canada

Olivia Iheme, Green Party of Canada

Simon Luisi, Animal Protection Party of Canada

Cleveland Marshall, Independent

Nathen Mazri, People’s Party of Canada

Evan Solomon, Liberal Party of Canada

 

Toronto–Danforth

Julie Dabrusin, Liberal Party of Canada

Clare Hacksel, New Democratic Party

Ashik Hussain, Conservative Party of Canada

Liz White, Animal Protection Party of Canada

 

Toronto–St. Paul’s

Leslie Church, Liberal Party of Canada

David Gershuny, Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada

Bruce Levy, New Democratic Party

Shane Philips, Green Party of Canada

Don Stewart, Conservative Party of Canada

Cynthia Valdron, Canadian Future Party

 

University–Rosedale

Barbara Biley, Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada

Chrystia Freeland, Liberal Party of Canada

Adam Golding, Independent

LIZ Grade, Conservative Party of Canada

Ignacio Mongrell, Green Party of Canada

Serena Purdy, New Democratic Party

 

Willowdale

Ali Ehsassi, Liberal Party of Canada

Christy Kheirallah, New Democratic Party

James Lin, Conservative Party of Canada

 

York Centre

Roman Baber, Conservative Party of Canada

Ya’ara Saks, Liberal Party of Canada

Yusuf Ulukanligil, New Democratic Party

 

York South–Weston–Etobicoke

Ahmed Hussen, Liberal Party of Canada

Louise James, New Democratic Party

Nicolas Pham, Conservative Party of Canada

It’s been over a month now that Donald Trump’s unscrupulous tariff threats to Canada and Mexico have been looming over many of us.

What are Tariffs?

Tariffs are a tax imposed on goods imported from other countries. When the U.S. imposes tariffs on Canada, this makes it more expensive for Canadian businesses to sell products in the U.S.. When Canada imposes tariffs on the USA, U.S. businesses will have to pay more to sell their products in Canada. These costs, associated with produce, food ingredients and much, much more will all end up being largely passed down to Canadian grocery store consumers.

U.S./Canada Tariff Timeline

The U.S. administration was looking to levy tariffs of 25% on all Canadian and Mexican goods imported into the USA, but with Mexico and Canada issuing threats of retaliatory tariffs, among other factors, Trump couldn’t seem to make up his mind. Here’s a timeline of what ensued thereafter: 

• March 4, 2025: U.S. tariffs of 25 per cent on Canadian goods, and 10 per cent on energy exports from Canada imported into the U.S. from Canada, came into effect.
• March 12, 2025: U.S. imposes tariffs of 25 per cent on Canadian steel and aluminum products. In response, Canada imposes retaliatory 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum and additional imported US goods, which will increase in phases.

This quickly moving trade war seems to be evolving daily, so we don’t know what the next weeks and months entail in relation to tariffs, but whatever the end result, there’s a very real threat to Canadians and food security in the nation.

Implications on Food Security in Canada

According to Canadian government data, Canada trades billions of dollars’ worth in grocery items with the U.S., including $72.6 billion in agriculture and agri-food products. Expect higher grocery bills as stores pass the extra costs down to consumers – but not on all products all at one time. Some price increases could take several weeks or months to get to the grocery store prices, but certain products are subject to quicker impacts. This non-exhaustive list includes:

• Peanut Butter
• Dairy products (Cheese, Milk, Butter etc.)
• Fresh produce, such as oranges, berries and leafy greens which come from the US.
• Packaged snacks

Tariffs of food products directly impact the costs of groceries, but the impacts of the tariffs on other trade goods such as steel, electricity and agricultural inputs are also going to put pressure on food security. For example, canned vegetables are expected to face significant price increases due to the steel tariffs. While there are some products that can be more easily replaced with domestic or international items – even products manufactured in Canada may rely on ingredients from the U.S. 

How can we be prepared for the threat of tariffs? 

Now, more than ever, Canadian consumers must make conscious choices when purchasing at the grocery stores. Here are some of the ways in which we can prepare ourselves:

Support Canadian Businesses – Choose Canadian-owned businesses and restaurants! Try small businesses when you can, but even swapping your supermarkets or fast food restaurants to Canadian owned ones will make a difference! Make sure you are looking at the labels of all your purchases for that “made in Canada” label. Many major grocery stores are tagging their Canadian products, or better yet, tagging which products are being impacted by the tariff war.

Shop Local: Supporting our smaller businesses and sustainable food alternatives, especially those that support locally grown produce, such as local farmers markets are the best ways to support the Canadian food economy.

Prioritize seasonal produce: In keeping with the ‘Made in Canada’ theme, where possible, buy fresh and in season fruits and vegetables that are grown in Canada. These options are often locally sourced, and more affordable! This will be a more difficult concept in the winter months, but try looking into ways to make those summer produce last into the winter!

Be prepared: Be aware of these potential price increases and see how you can plan your eating habits accordingly. As mentioned above, some products will be hit harder than others, so planning your meals to avoid certain products can be a good way to cut some costs. Staying informed on any new policies that may affect grocery prices can be effective in understanding the potential impact on your grocery bill.

Diversify your international purchases: Avoid made-in-the-US products at all costs! Go for the Mexican oranges, not the American ones! There is a broad selection of food coming from all over the world that are not directly impacted by the tariff war. However, it is worth noting that additional costs may come from diversifying our spending, due to shipping costs, amongst other things. Keep your eyes and ears open for the potential price drops that may occur on certain Canadian products resulting from lower demand from US consumers.

Obviously, these options and changing our normal spending and eating habits are not a priority to all consumers (with grocery prices already skyrocketing) – the cheapest option may still be your best option. Where possible, we must support local, small businesses and shift our spending habits to rely less on major US imports. 

Sources: 

China announces retaliatory tariffs on some Canada products

Trump delays some tariffs on Mexico and Canada for one month | CNN Business

Shoppers Will See Some Food Prices Rise Because Of Tariffs, But Not All At Once – Canadian Poultry Magazine

Canada’s response to U.S. tariffs – Canada.ca

Written by Henry Khamonde

With the arrival of International Women’s Day, the Toronto Youth Food Policy Council is recognizing a few (of the many) women that have had a strong and lasting influence in Toronto’s food scene. Some of the city’s most beloved and highly acclaimed community gardens, soup kitchens, restaurants, bakeries, and cafés are founded and/or operated by women, including Newcomer Kitchen, Chubby’s Jamaican Kitchen, and Barbershop Patissierie.

Despite the strides and heights that women have reached in the Canadian food industry, it still remains an uneven playing field. Women have always been underrepresented in culinary spaces and this has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Women often find it difficult to access capital and funding due to the institutional and structural barriers that exist and pre-exist. Research suggests that women receive fewer loans with lesser value when compared to male-owned businesses, and are also subjected to paying higher rates. This discrepancy is amplified for women of marginalized populations; in 2020, female-led start ups were granted approximately 2.3 per cent of funding, while women of colour received less than one per cent.

However, there is still a bright and shining light at the end of the tunnel as there are various women in the Toronto food community that are 

not only leading the way, but they are the very backbone. So let’s recognize and celebrate their accomplishments, craft, dedication, innovation, and intelligence in this space.

Lori Stahlbrand

Dr. Lori Stahlbrand is a leading food policy analyst, known for her diverse range of experience as an academic (currently as Professor of Food Studies at George Brown College), works as a food policy

specialist with the City of Toronto, and as a non-profit leader. After joining George Brown College in 2019, she co-developed the Honours Bachelor of Food Studies, which is the first of its kind in Canada. Lori has worked extensively with businesses along the food chain – from farmers and processors to chefs, foodservice managers and retailers. Her areas of expertise include local and sustainable food systems, food procurement, food and cities, food and equity, food policy councils, and citizen engagement on food-related issues. While a non-profit leader, Lori was key in implementing the first and largest local and sustainable food purchasing program at a Canadian university, at the University of Toronto. Lori is experienced in working collaboratively with many stakeholders, providing strategic analysis and policy advice.

For more on Dr. Stahlbrand: https://www.georgebrown.ca/bio/lori-stahlbrand

Charlyn Ellis

Charlyn Ellis is a Black woman, mother, writer, poet, earth worker, and activist who has been growing food in, with, and amongst communities for over twenty years. She has supported the establishment of Emmett Communal Garden, seniors programming, and Black Sovereignty and food access work. She has been a staple of the York South–Weston community, working in the region for over ten years. 

Emmett Community Garden as it was called, when it began in 2004, is a direct result of a paper written and researched by Punam Khosla in 2003 titled, “If Low Income Women of Colour Counted in Toronto”, which pointed out the disparity between income, employment, housing neighbourhood segregation and how this affected women especially women of colour. The garden was to be a space for women that would break isolation, engage women around growing, eating, and surviving. The original women’s plot, the Cross Cultural Women and Girls Space Plot, represents this notion as it contains herbs that are medicine especially for women. Emmett Communal Garden hopes to continue addressing issues of food insecurity in the community, also health and soul healing in partnership with the land. 

Charlyn Ellis writes, grows food and helps. Charlyn has been growing food in, with and amongst communities for over twenty years and has supported Emmett Communal Garden since 2009, as an active abolitionist activist for over 25 years.

For more on the Emmett Communal Garden: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIbcxb

t2d3U / https://www.instagram.com/emmettcommunalgarden/

https://letsbeeconnected.ca/

Béatrice Lego

Dr. Béatrice Lego served as the University of Toronto Scarborough’s (UTSC) Campus Farm Coordinator between 2018 and 2024, responsible for providing administrative support to manage the teaching and pedagogical farm projects. In this capacity, she assisted with site visits, experiential learning content production, and the farm’s overall operation. A stalwart for the initiative, Béatrice engaged with farm users, including administrators, faculty, staff, and students, with contagious passion. Her creativity shines when curating engaging experiential learning opportunities for the community. With a PhD in Polymer and Surface Chemistry from the Université de Montréal, and certifications in permaculture design and advanced social systems design from the Permaculture Women’s Guild, Béatrice’s academic background informs her innovative approach to the Campus Farm initiative, which she has been involved with since its inception in 2018.

For more on Dr. Lego: https://sdg.utoronto.ca/people/beatrice-lego/

Jacqueline Dwyer

Jacqueline Dwyer is a farm manager and co-founder of the Toronto Black Farmers Collective, Afro-Indigenous Food Security Festival, and The Collective Group. She is a passionate community organizer/farmer with a goal to grow “clean” food. The Toronto urban farm is located at Downsview Park on Keele Street and Sheppard Avenue West with a partner site at the Country Heritage Park in Milton. Veteran and new volunteers including toddlers, preschoolers, young moms, seniors, and youth can be found busily preparing, tilling and harvesting and/or inquiring how to get involved. She wants to see all generations of people within the African diaspora realize affordable foods, create food sustainability, and create a stronger sense of community. Jacqueline loves to hold sprout workshops, as well as sharing her knowledge around food justice.

For more on Jacqueline and the Toronto Black Farmers and Food Growers Collective: https://blackfarmersto.wixsite.com/tbcfg

Michelle Lee

Michelle opened Kimchi Korea House in September 2012 in downtown Toronto, with her nephew Jin helming the kitchen as Chef. 

As she was growing up in the rural mountains of Sunchang county in the Jeolla province of South Korea, Michelle learned how to make kimchi and other Korean recipes from her mother. When she first immigrated to Canada in the 1980s, good Korean restaurants were hard to find and finding good kimchi proved an even more difficult challenge. After working in restaurants and the hospitality industry for over three decades, Michelle and Jin were committed to creating a space where they could share Korean comfort foods close to their hearts with others. 

Whether you’re sweating over a bowl of spicy pork bone soup or sharing a bottle of soju while eating a seafood pancake with friends, Kimchi Korea House is the space to discover how Korean food can change your life.

For more on Michelle and Kimchi Korea House: https://www.kimchikoreahouse.ca/