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

Jon Massimi

City/Township Council · Kitchener Ward 5

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

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. Encourage and support local landowners to rent to newcomer farmers
  4. Develop a local food strategy, including research on how land-use change affects the food system
  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 local food procurement for school food programs, including processing/preparation infrastructure, food literacy, and youth learning opportunities
  • 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)
  • Encourage and support private landowners to make lots available for food provisioning

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

Setting up flexible, low-barrier pop-up markets on city-owned land in our growing suburban neighbourhoods. Instead of building expensive bricks-and-mortar infrastructure, the city can open up under-utilized public spaces, like community centre lots or plazas, and drop the steep fees for local growers and small vendors. It keeps money in the pockets of regional farmers, brings fresh food right into expanding neighbourhoods that lack nearby options, and creates easy local gathering points. Ontario pocket market models have already proven this out, boosting healthy food access and helping small food businesses thrive without adding heavy costs to the municipal budget.