All topics Housing Getting Around Climate Food Growth & Planning Budget & Taxes Water

Anna Meksavanh

Regional Council · Region of Waterloo

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All topics Housing Getting Around Climate Food Growth & Planning Budget & Taxes Water

Food Systems & Security

In the context of growing pressure for economic development and the connected loss of farmland, what role do municipalities and the Region hold in promoting local food livelihoods, production, and processing?ranked from highest to lowest importance
  1. Promote and support low-barrier spaces for local producers to distribute and sell food
  2. Partner with other levels of government to develop local food hubs that reduce costs and barriers for small businesses
  3. Develop a local food strategy, including research on how land-use change affects the food system
  4. Encourage and support local landowners to rent to newcomer farmers
  5. Leave local food livelihoods to the private market
How should municipalities and the Region approach food insecurity and affordability?select up to 3 per part
A. Access to food
  • Partner with local charities, non-profits, and other organizations to strengthen access to food and redistribution of surplus food and produce for low-income residents
  • Support the development of community buying clubs or municipal grocery stores
  • Support programs to prepare food for those who are unhoused or unable to cook
B. Access to land for growing food
  • Make public lands (Regional and municipal) available for sustenance food provisioning, including in urban and peri-urban spaces as cities expand
  • Enable access to land and resources for local people who want to grow their own food (e.g. the community-garden model)

Please describe one concrete policy, program, or decision you would support to strengthen the local food system.candidate's own words

Building a stronger and resilient community requires a strong local food system. Right now, finding fresh, affordable local food in our city is far too difficult for many residents. By bringing this food directly into our neighborhoods, we remove the geographic and economic barriers to healthy eating. I support launching a network of neighborhood-scale community food hubs on public land to achieve three critical goals: 1) Barrier-Free Distribution: Providing rent-free market spaces so local producers and new farmers can sell directly to residents without high startup costs. 2) Affordable Local Access: Putting fresh, nutritious food within walking distance of our neighborhoods at prices families can actually afford. 3) Space to Grow: Creating dedicated incubator plots and community gardens to give new farmers and residents the physical space and resources to grow their own food. This will help keep our food dollars local, cut transit emissions, and ensure every resident has a direct connection to healthy, community-grown food.