[BCFSN] Fwd: Local Food Act introduced at first sitting of new govt in Alberta

[Abra Brynne]

Hello all,
please see below for a wonderful news piece about Alberta's food policy,
thanks to Carolyn Young of Sustain Ontario.
in good food,
Abra

--
Abra Brynne
PO Box 684, Nelson, BC V1L 5R4
phone: 250.352.5342


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Carolyn Young <carolyn at sustainontario.ca>
Date: 6 July 2015 at 07:34
Subject: Fwd: Local Food Act introduced at first sitting of new govt in
Alberta
To:


FYI--Alberta is following Ontario's lead!


Great news from Alberta!

At the first sitting of Alberta's new government, Ms Estefania
Cortes-Vargas (ND) M.L.A for Strathcona-Sherwood Park, introduced Bill
202 - the
Alberta local food act!
<http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files/docs/bills/bill/legislature_29/session_1/20150611_bill-202.pdf>
 This bill passed the first reading!


*Highlights of Bill 202*

*Local *means" foods produced or harvested in Alberta AND subject to any
limitations in the regulations, food and beverages made in Alberta if they
include ingredients produced or harvested in Alberta"

*Purposes *
To ensure a resilient, sustainable and strong local food economy and
agricultural land base in Alberta
To improve and maximize economic return and food security by maintaining
agricultural land for the purposes of farming and supporting the
development of local food infrastructure for processing and distributing
food;
To provide an increased and stable demand for local food through public
sector organization purchasing
To increase public awareness of local food in Alberta, including the
diversity of local food;
To promote sustainable farming practices
To attract new generations into the farming profession;

Following an assessment of the local food landscape a* local food
strategy *will
be developed. This strategy will include:

-Recommendations aimed at overcoming barriers and optimizing opportunities
identified in the local food assessment.

-Long-term, mid-term and annualized targets on increasing local food
production, local organic food production, local food processing*, *local
food distribution, local food marketing, and local food procurement;

 -A public website including all targets, recommendations and related data
and information assessments

Thank goodness Alberta has a school food strategy
<http://www.foodsecurityalberta.org/node/61> that includes at its core
support for sustainable regional  food systems.

And more good news - a recent survey of Alberta school principals
<http://www.abpolicycoalitionforprevention.ca/our-focus/surveys.html>
revealed that more than 60% of then supported a universal school food
strategy.

Kudos to the team at  the Alberta Policy Coalition For Chronic Disease
Prevention (including Kayla Atkey who forwarded this to me) and to
our Regional leads in Alberta Susan Roberts and Catherine White who have
surely been advocates persons with all of this


-- 

Carolyn Young

Program Manager and Policy Advisor

Sustain Ontario – the Alliance for Healthy Food and Farming

365-401 Richmond Street West

Toronto, Ontario M5V 3A8

e: carolyn@ <http://goog_644608504>sustainontario.ca

t: 647.348.0235

c: 647-839-4030


Stay in touch

Follow us on Twitter <http://twitter.com/sustainontario> and Facebook
<http://facebook.com/sustainontario>

Sign up <https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/EEAF6C1F15BCEB4D> for our
weekly or bi-monthly newsletter

Become a member <http://sustainontario.com/members/new-member-sign-up> and
work with us to transform Ontario’s food systems
Devenez membre et faites partie des bonnes idées sur l'alimentation en
Ontario
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://bcfsn.org/pipermail/food_bcfsn.org/attachments/20150706/a85fad81/attachment-0002.html>