Federal Policies

1) National Child and Student Nutrition Program – The Federal government needs to work with the provinces to implement a universal student nutrition program and children’s’ nutrition programs to encourage children and students to eat healthy local food at school and at home.

2) Canada needs a strong social safety net to reduce hunger – Programs to make sure provinces invest in housing, child care, food, health care and dental care. (Bring back Canadian Assistance Plan, a social safety net below which no Canadian can fall.)

3) Create a Minister of Food Security – A ministry to plan how every Canadian will eat each day and how we could grow enough food in Canada to feed our population is needed.

Provincial Policies

1) Universal Student Nutrition Program – All children in all communities need access to at least one healthy snack at school. The province should extend funding beyond the current levels for student nutrition programs and implement a universal program and integrate food literacy in the school day.

2) Support to local farmers – The Province should support ALUS (Alternative Land Use Systems) providing payments to farmers for environmental stewardship, and explore expanding ALUS to create support systems for farmers who grow food for local consumption such as schools, hospitals and farmers’ markets using sustainable growing practices.

3) Good Food Boxes – Ontario should support Good Food Box programs in every community to help improve access to healthy food and increase market share for farmers.

City Policies

1) Public food on public land
Parks and Recreation should develop community-friendly policies that make it easy for neighbourhood groups to develop gardens, produce markets, and farmers markets

2) Every school a healthy food centre
Every child in the city of Toronto should have a school program that encourages healthy eating and growing

3) Growing a local food culture in every TCHC building
City of Toronto should work with senior levels of government on making all TCHC buildings a site of fabulous food systems – repairs, soil, composting, growing.