What Signatories Are Doing

 

Signatories to the Manitoba Food Charter are doing some great things towards food security in our province.  Click here for a list of our current organizational signatories, or scroll down for a listing of what some are doing, and their contact information.

100 MILE MANITOBA

1. Recruit Manitobans to eat within 100 miles from September 1 - December 9.
2. Pursue food storage, local food maps, support groups, canning and preserving workshops.

ART CITY

1. Work to continue our 'no junk food allowed' policy by providing healthy snacks, shopping locally and working with the Good Food Club.
2. Access more funds in order to provide better food options.

BAYLINE REGIONAL ROUND TABLE INC.

BEYOND FACTORY FARMING COALITION

1. Commit to Food Secure Canada. 
2. Work with a wider spectrum of people to develop agricultural and agri-food policy for the next generation.

BUNIBONIBEE CREE NATION

1. Encouraging and assisting community members with growing gardens.
2. Encouraging and assisting community members with raising chickens.
3. Offer families a way to own freezers at a reasonable cost.
4. Share experiences with other communities.
5. Dedicate band resources toward food security each year and have this as a budget line.

BURNTWOOD REGIONAL HEALTH AUTHORITY

1. Educate families about nutrition, budgeting and shopping for increased food/nutrient value.
2. Support the Burntwood Food Security Committee and interagency groups to address food security issues within the Burntwood region.
3. Promote prenatal nutrition, breastfeeding and early childhood nutrition.
4. Outreach to daycares, schools, assist in the implementation of Healthy School Food Policy and nutrition education events (ex: Nutrition Month)
5. Provide special attention to people with Diabetes through a variety of programs and services.
6. Host a conference to assist communities in preparing their annual Chronic Disease Prevention Plans (many of which relate to nutrition and food production).
7. Provide seed money and support for community health promoting activities such as nutrition and horticulture programs.

CANADIAN CED NETWORK

1. Explore social economy and food research project.
2. Integrate issues brought by the food charter into the 2007 CED gathering.

CANADIAN CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES

CITY OF THOMPSON

1. Promote Thompson’s safe drinking water, water conservation and environmental awareness.
2. Promote local food production and consumption through community gardens and fruit bearing trees or shrubs.  Support local producers selling their products and investigate marketing venues for northern products such as wild rice and fish.
3. Have a role as a regional hub, promoting lower food prices in outlying communities and Nunavut.
4. Lobby for public health inspectors to monitor food service and retail establishments.

CO-OP VENTURES WORKER CO-OP

1. Continue working with Manitoba Organic Milk Co-op.
2. Promote the Charter in the daily work of Ventures Co-op

DANIEL MCINTYRE/ST. MATTHEWS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

          Activities:

          Work with residents and stakeholders toward environmentally sustainable, social, cultural and economic renewal and revitalization of the Daniel McIntyre / St. Matthews neighbourhoods.

1. Continuing to expand community gardens in the neighbourhood.
2. Continuing to expand their gardening workshop series.
3. Developing a good food club program.

          Contact information:
          Kemlin Nembhard       
          Address: 444 Burnell Street
                        Winnipeg, Manitoba
                        S4P 3S6
          Phone: (204) 774-7005
          Email: director@dmsmca.ca

DRAGONFLY SCENT-FREE BODY WORK AND MASSAGE THERAPY

1. Procuring supplies from local sources and growers
2. Promoting the Charter’s visions.

 EATIT.CA

1. Promote the “Made in Manitoba” sticker displayed on local food.
2. Have the web site serve to pull all local food together.
3. Provide sourcing for farmers who can supply larger amounts of local organics.
4. Educate farmers about storage and preparation of food for retail sales.
5. Feature Made in Manitoba foods monthly.
6. Host an organic dinner and screen Seeds of Change.

ELMWOOD COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTRE

1. Take action to develop a Canadian policy of labelling in pictorial form so that it is accessible for new immigrants.

FARMERS' MARKETS ASSOCIATION OF MANITOBA CO-OP INC. (FMAM)

1. Food safe handling courses for our Members at a reduced fee.
2. Speakers at the Direct Farm Marketing Conference on food safety in canning and also explaining the Province of Manitoba’s Temporary Food Market Guidelines. These speakers were organized by FMAM.
3. Promoting several local farmers’ markets across the province.

FORTWHYTE ALIVE

FRESH OPTION ORGANIC DELIVERY

1. Fresh Option's primary mission is to provide eaters in Winnipeg with a new alternative for accessing food and to thus strengthen Manitoba's organic market through cooperation with local producers. We are driven by a philosophy of sustainable environmental practices, community stewardship and socially conscious action. We value our own livelihoods and those of others, as an important foundation for balanced lives and communities, and strive to create a workplace that will contribute to the happiness, success and health of our family, employees, customers, growers and vendors.  
2. Our vision is to forge a new link in the food chain and reduce the need to import organic food to Manitoba by increasing the total organic market size. We envision a thriving network of organic eaters who are proud to support their neighbours, small farm economy and responsible business practices. As the leader in this area of distribution we hope to establish a stable, long-lasting venture by building relationships and growing at a manageable pace. It is important to us that our actions teach and involve our (collective) children in gaining understanding of where food comes from and how consumer choices affect the health of our planet.

FRONTIER SCHOOL DIVISION

1. Promote healthy foods and healthy eating within the school division through its healthy food policy and healthy foods implementation guide.
2. Promote gardening and construction of greenhouses to increase access to fresh vegetables.
3. Promote growing in the schools by delivering the gardening curriculum.
4. Continue to develop curriculum connections around growing and healthy eating.
5. Promote land based activities such ash hunting and fishing to increase the availability of healthy and traditional foods.

HARVEST MOON SOCIETY

1. Continue promoting and hosting the annual Harvest Moon Festival, Living Rural Communities Course, and food distribution network.
2. Promote the involvement of youth in local food production.
   Promote producer co-ops, direct marketing and economic development in rural areas.
3. Develop a municipal healthy food policy by offering nutritious food choices in vending machines and reporting progress on food security initiatives in each years “annual report”.

KLINIC COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE

1. Increase the purchase of fair trade products within the organization.
2. Increase the purchase of locally produced food items.
3. Increase the use of locally owned food related goods and services.
4. Encourage the purchase of nutritious foods within the organization.
5. Continue having staff members work with local organizations to address food insecurity and nutrition.

LEAF RAPIDS

MANITOBA COUNCIL ON CHILD NUTRITION 

1. Establish closer links between local producers and our nourishment programs (Urban, rural and Northern)
2. Supporting development of practical culturally suitable nutrition information for First Nation communities and support for the use of traditional foods

MANITOBA ECO-NETWORK

1. Hope to include an emphasis on local foods in climate change workshops over the next 3 years.
2. Green map of Winnipeg will support and publicize local food security issues.
3. Continue in efforts to support local sustainable producers.

MARY JANE'S COOKING SCHOOL

1. Advocate for nutritional food choices in schools, planning the phase out of junk foods.
2. Advocate for environmentally sound food production, processing and homemaking.
3. Advocate for environmentally responsible grocery stores where whole foods are promoted.
4. Promote people coming together to process harvested foods.
5. Promote gardening, composting and the local economy.

MENNONITE CENTRAL COMMITTEE MANITOBA

1. Currently working on action steps.

NORTHERN ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COUNCILS

1. Increase programming on local food production.
2. Increase programming on Traditional foods.
3. Work on freezer projects.
4. Increase knowledge and resource base in within NACC communities.

ORGANIC FOOD COUNCIL OF MANITOBA

1. Promote more environmentally friendly farming methods to replace farming methods which adversely impact future food security.
2. Get young people to choose farming so that retiring farmers will be replaced (see Manitoba Farm Mentorship Program).
3. Promote the consumption of locally produced food in order to support local farmers and minimize long distance transport of food.

PLOUGHSHARES COMMUNITY FARM

1. Build infrastructure to increase our food production potential, especially through livestock.
2. Build connections through our newsletter between producers and consumers.
3. Continue learning about sustainable food production and community building through reading and doing.

PRAIRIE FRUIT GROWERS ASSOCIATION

1. Develop on farm safety practices for all members.
2. Promote local fruit consumption at regional agricultural events.

PRAIRIE SKILLS INC.

1. Plan food related courses, workshops, and demos.
2. Form an institution to foster the above action steps.

PREGNANCY AND FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES INC.

1. Continue to provide both nutritious snacks as well as regular Nutrition Bingo.
2. Create a community garden.
3. Inform families about the Food Charter and post current newsletters.

RESOURCE ASSISTANCE FOR YOUTH

1. Acquire facilities and resources to deliver food programming such as a community kitchen project.
2. Community gardening in the summer months.
3. Increase food security for marginalized youth, advocate for increased food allowances and basic needs money for people on EI.

RESOURCE CONSERVATION MANITOBA

1. A continuation of existing programs; further training for operators of on-farm composting facilities, public workshops on home composting, &increasing traffic on our Living Green web site as we work to expand and develop additional resources on food-related issues.
2. To review materials, including the Living Green web pages, to see where we can incorporate links to the Charter and to other signatory organizations.
3. RCM distributes our own e-bulletins to various project constituencies, and will be happy to help promote Charter events and resources as circumstances permit.
4. As a joint initiative of our ESB and Living Green projects, we are undertaking research and development of a new presentation on food.

ROOM TO GROW

1. Continue growing own food and harvesting from the wild.
2. Buying locally from neighbours and encouraging local growers in production and marketing.
3. Writing articles to encourage local food systems, chairing Agricultural Committee to address food security issues.
4. Share the experience of the 100 Mile Diet with others.
5. Encourage the rebirth of a local farmers market.

SHERRIDON COMMUNITY COUNCIL

SIMPLICITY & PRACTICE RESOURCE CENTRE

1. Offer one Diet and Simplicity workshop per year.
2. Build on local food resources for participants.
3. Work as individuals toward greater self reliance and sustainable food consumptions.

ST. MATTHEWS MARYLAND COMMUNITY MINISTRY

1. Continue with summer community gardens.
2. Continue providing summer programming for children and families related to food and gardening.
3. Build skills in the community gardening and preserving group.
4. Distribute emergency food and food supplements for basic needs.

ST. NORBERT ARTS CENTRE

1. Increase food self-sufficiency through farming and greenhouses.
2. Have regular herb walks and permaculture talks.
3. Run workshops on food production, storage and preparation.
4. Link rural with urban agriculture families in this peri-urban context.

TALL GRASS PRAIRIE BREAD CO.

1. Work on new earth friendly packaging for take home meals.
2. Connect like minded businesses for bulk packaging and buying purposes.
3. Work on having someone pick up compostable materials.
4. Pressure governments to legislate against over packaging of consumer goods.

THE HEALTHY LIVING PROGRAM

1. Work towards the “Ready Made Entrée” program wherein food can be prepared by local people for those who are not eating well due to financial and health reasons.
2. Work towards creating a direct producer/consumer link so that community members can access meat.
3. Assist schools and community organizations to create policy around food.

THOMPSON ZOO

1. Promote gardening and hosting gardens for schools and other agencies in the City of Thompson.
2. Provide education about growing healthy food in an environmentally safe manner.
3. Establishing a local farmers market.
4. Establish organic standards for food grown at the Zoo.
5. Promote backyard, municipal composting and introduce verma-culture programs into Northern schools.

AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE OF THE TURTLE MOUNTAIN CDC (ACTMCDC)

1. Encourage the creation of an all year local food market in our community.
2. Give encouragement to local smaller scale farmers by initiating a one day (possibly annual) seminar designed to stimulate discussion and networking between smaller scale farmers – which may lead to our community offering services needed by this sector.

THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG

1. Writing a social sustainability policy out of which is likely to emerge an administrative policy on food that will be informed by the Manitoba Food Charter.
2. Implementing campus wide composting.
3. Investigating the possibly of developing community gardens along the green corridor.
4. Establish an Indigenous Science Program which will allow students to learn more about traditional knowledge and practices related to food, traditional hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering and conservation practices of First nations, Inuit and Metis people.

WEST BROADWAY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

1. Ensure the ongoing viability and sustainability of the Good Food Club.

WEST CENTRAL WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTRE

1. Increase recipes provided and workshops being held by the community cupboard.
2. Create a cookbook.
3. Promote partnerships with and participate in community gardens.

WINNIPEG FOLK FESTIVAL

1. Establish a minimum goal of 20% local procurement for the backstage kitchen  La Cusine.  Have a volunteer team work on menu development and relationships with local producers.
2. Encourage front of the house vendors to feature food from local producers by offering promotional incentives.
3. Feature during the festival interactive opportunities that will be informative about local production as well as at the same time engaging and entertaining.

WOLSELEY FAMILY PLACE

1. Provide a staff person to do food costing with participants.
2. Seek a West Broadway strategy for food security.
3. Continue commitments to food security and poverty.