GreenView: Prorogued Perogies: Ontario’s Local Food Act

By Denna Berg Northumberland View Nov 01, 2012

The proposed bill to support the usage of more locally produced and processed foods was one of the many legislations that were killed after Premier McGuinty’s announcement of stepping down on October 15th, 2012 (Ontario Farmer, 2012). The Local Food Act was prorogued only 11 days after receiving its first reading before it even received its’ first debate (Ontario Farmer, 2012). In other words, this means that the bill will be postponed indefinitely.

Provincial farmers currently produce over 200 types of agricultural goods. With a wide variety of vegetables, fruits and meat and dairy products, each active farmer is able to provide enough food to support 120 people a year (Ministry of Agriculture, 2012). To give more weight to this number, in 2006, Ontario farms alone would have been able to provide approximately 81% of the food needed for the provincial population (see Figure 1).

What this means is that by supporting local food production, the local economy could be dramatically improved, as money is remaining within the provincial borders. Currently the agriculture sector is one of the leading industries in the province. It employs over 300,000 people and gives a $33 billion boost to the Ontario economy. If this Act was passed, the number of food-processing plants would have potentially doubled over the next 5 years, further strengthening this industry (Van Brenk, 2012). McGuinty had calculated that if Ontarians to bought more local produce and if every family was to spend 10$ more on Ontario foods “that would have a $2.4 billion impact on the economy and create 10,000 jobs” (Jenkins, 2012).

This act would have not only helped the local economy but had countless health and environmental benefits. The biggest being that when you buy local, the reliance on fossil fuels to transport the food from where it is grown/processed to your plate is drastically reduced (McGill, 2012). This would help mitigate with the pressing issues of climate change and help to reduce Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions. If you have never looked, next time you go to your grocery store, read the signs of the produce and see where it originated. You will quickly learn, that your palette most likely enjoys foods from at least 2 different continents each meal!

Another benefit is that it ensures that the food will meet some of the highest safety standards globally! Farms in Ontario have to follow very strict guidelines on what can be added to the foods in order for it to grow, where as other places in the world do not have as many rules and regulations (McGill, 2012). Local food may also have higher nutrient values as they are given more time to ripen and develop (McGill, 2012).

So while it seems that there is a loss for the provincial economy, population and environment, it is not surprising that the act was prorogued. As a recent environmental policy graduate, I know all too well about how the three levels of the Canadian government are failing to protect the environment and many other local issues. With each political success within the environmental realm, there seems to be at least two more setbacks (think tar sands).

I often ask people who work or are activists within the environmental realm how they remain optimistic and continue to fight this seemingly hopeless battle to protect the only planet we have. Their responses tend to be, “we have no other choice” or “I try to focus on the small victories.” While I agree with this, I think that how a lot of us remain positive when policy fails us is through our own actions. We are able to change our daily lives that, collectively, have a larger impact. By putting forth an effort to include more local and seasonable foods we are able to support this cause by voting with our dollars without the proper policy in place.

We shouldn’t hold our breath waiting for the Local Food Act to be heard again once a new Premier is elected , but rather actively fight to raise public awareness of the benefits of local food. We should also adopt what we preach and try to include as much local foods in our grocery cart as possible!