Kevin White
Regional Council · Region of Waterloo
Back to candidatesFood 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
- Develop a local food strategy, including research on how land-use change affects the food system
- Promote and support low-barrier spaces for local producers to distribute and sell food
- Partner with other levels of government to develop local food hubs that reduce costs and barriers for small businesses
- Encourage and support local landowners to rent to newcomer farmers
- 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
- Support the development of community buying clubs or municipal grocery stores
- I think there are numerous possibilities here. I struggle in selecting some of these options, as I would very much like to see federal and provincial investments that don't rely on charitable-sector initiatives. Building out mutual aid options such as community gardens can also be important for community development.
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
Would you like to provide any additional context for your views on food systems?candidate's own words
It may be repetitive, but of course, "care for people and the land we share" needs to be the priority. We can't ignore this value in decision making, and elected representatives should be held accountable for adhering to this value.