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

Waterloo — Mayor

3 candidates responded

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All topics Housing Getting Around Climate Food Growth & Planning Budget & Taxes
Dorothy McCabe See responses
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
No response
How should municipalities and the Region approach food insecurity and affordability?select up to 3 per part
A. Access to food
  • Enable more community gardens and support residents where possible. Make city facilities available for partners to distribute food.
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)
  • Over my term
  • we have updated bylaws to enable more community gardens and small scale food production by people at their residence.

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

The City has partnered with the Food Bank of WR and provided space in a rec centre for a Food Locker.

Would you like to provide any additional context for your views on food systems?candidate's own words

A food strategy is needed first in order to determine potential priorities and partners.

Other priority not listed abovecandidate's own words

The strategy is needed first in order to determine priorities and what may be possible.

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Jamie Hari See responses
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
  • 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
  • Fully subsidize local charities
  • non-profits
  • and other organizations to guarantee access to food locally
  • as necessary.
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)
  • Introduce a vacant arable land surtax on local privately-owned land that is gated up for profit while people starve

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

Introduce a deluge of new bylaws intended to undermine monopolistic and other uncompetitive practices by corporate grocers like Walmart, Metro, Zehrs, and Sobey's to protect local farmers and independent grocers.

Would you like to provide any additional context for your views on food systems?candidate's own words

There's absolutely no excuse for the profit motive in the food sector. Food is a human right and I'd entirely ban private corporations from the entire industry, if I had my way.

Other priority not listed abovecandidate's own words

Create and operate and city-owned nonprofit grocer.

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Jeyas Balaskanthan See responses
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
No response
How should municipalities and the Region approach food insecurity and affordability?select up to 3 per part
A. Access to food
  • Public access to food is primarily a provincial/federal and charitable-sector responsibility
  • 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
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)
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On the ballot but have not responded to survey (2)

  • Jerry Jiang
  • Shannon Weber

Full candidate list: CBC Waterloo Region election coverage ↗