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

Simon Guthrie

Regional Council · Region of Waterloo

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All topics Housing Getting Around Climate Food Growth & Planning Budget & Taxes Water
This candidate has participated in events hosted by one or more of the organizations that created this questionnaire. Their traffic light scores are based solely on the published methodology.
This candidate finalized their responses after this guide and scoring methodology was published.

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. Develop a local food strategy, including research on how land-use change affects the food system
  2. Promote and support low-barrier spaces for local producers to distribute and sell food
  3. Encourage and support local landowners to rent to newcomer farmers
  4. Partner with other levels of government to develop local food hubs that reduce costs and barriers for small businesses
  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
  • Support the development of community buying clubs or municipal grocery stores
  • 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
  • Enable access to land and resources for local people who want to grow their own food (e.g. the community-garden model)
  • Leave food production to the rural agricultural sector and the private market
  • adding to the previous option "Leave food production..."
  • I believe that for most residents of Waterloo Region
  • it will not be possible to grow sufficient food to sustain them
  • and the agricultural sector will continue to provide the bulk of the calories that we consume.

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

I would support the development of food hubs in the core urban areas, making healthy and low/no-cost food accessible to more of the Region.