2010 Local Food & Urban Ag Predictions for Calgary

Read more!
1. Urban Hens become legal. Many North American urban hen groups are bogged down by the bureaucraZy. To catapult to the core of this issue, consider this article from the Winnipeg Free Press which provides an example of the Universal Human Right to Food option.

"...when up against a "right to grow food" challenge, it is doubtful jurisdictions would be able to defend their bylaws..."

Ergo, there shouldn't be a community in North America, or anyplace on the Planet for that matter, that outlaws growing/raising your own food. If there is, I'm sure many on this list would like to hear about it.

CLUCK: Calgary Liberated Urban Chicken Club goes to court on 01April10 to present a Right to Food challenge against the present bylaw.

2. Permaculture/Community Gardens/Urban Farms see huge increase in numbers. So many great ideas come from the principles of Permaculture and Calgarians can apply the gentle science at home or in their community.

Permaculture: Rob Avis & Adrian Buckley
The 1st Calgary Permaculture Community Group Meeting
January 9, 2010 at 7:00PM
Marlborough Community Centre
636 Marlborough Way NE (near Marlborough Mall)

Community Gardens:
Gael Blackhall & Community Garden Resource NetworkGRN
Maggie Thompson & City of Calgary

3. Long Term Sustainable Urban Ag/Local Food System Green Infrastructure Development (#LFS or #UrbanAG on twitter)
Look for exciting announcements from the City of Calgary & the Alberta Government in 2010.

4. Sustainable Urban Ag Enterprises & Slow Money come to Calgary
The wave of investments in local food systems will connect with the smart money in Calgary.

5. School Gardens & Farms
Schools will embrace the robust learning opportunities associated with growing food.

6. Someone in Airdrie will try growing bananas
See Going Bananas over Urban Agriculture

7. 2011 New Growing Spaces x 2011
More nominations will 'germinate' as we near spring 2011. Vancouver is on track for 2010 spaces & London is fired up for 2012 new plots.

8. More Downtown Gardens in the Heart of Calgary
Many corporations, building managers & businesses are looking at initiating a 2010 downtown community garden for their employees/company.

9. The Calgary Food Charter
The CFPC goal is 100,000 signatures on the Calgary Online Food Charter

10. New Blood & New Leadership @ the Calgary Food Policy Council
I will be stepping down as the Chair of the CFPC to allow for a new generation of leadership & guidance to emerge to take us down the road of progressive food policy. Look for Calgary's best and brightest to step up.

11. City Council will support the concept of a Calgary Food Policy Council and move decisively on supporting a Food Policy for all Calgarians.

These predictions are just the tip of the iceberg lettuce, as 2009 was a breakthrough year for food policy and local food systems. There were many highlights as the CFPC turned 1 year old, hosted the 1st ever Calgary Food Summit and made it onto the Calgary City Council agenda, which wisely passed Calgary's 1st Food Policy Notice of Motion.

The 1st CFPC meeting of 2010 @Bow River Room @Calgary Water Centre @20Jan2010 @1900

So many wonderful and amazing Calgarians participated in a myriad of ways to strengthen our local food system and bring Calgary up to speed, and exceed on innovative food security initiatives.

Buckle up, 2010 promises to grow & yield even more fresh ideas.

Everyone Eats!

Paul Hughes

Fresh Eggs from the Killarney Urban Farm Out, 02Jan10:

1st CFPC meeting of 2010 @Bow River Room @Calgary Water Centre @20Jan2010 @1900

Read more! Calgary Food Policy Council: 1st meeting of 2010 @Bow River Room @Calgary Water Centre @20Jan2010 @1900

Agenda submissions to info@calgaryfoodpolicycouncil.ca

Thank you to Susan Hayduk @ The City of Calgary Eco FootPrint Team for making the hosting arrangements.

Household Food Production, Neighbours, Vibrant Streets VS Detached Garages/Back Lanes

Read more! Household Food Production, Neighbours, Vibrant Streets VS Detached Garages/Back Lanes

The relevant Land Use Bylaw section are s 341 (6) & (8) and the Infill Guidelines, which absolutely oppose front access in relation to rear garages.

The negative impact of this bylaw on arable greenspace, neighbourhoods & vibrant communities is HUGE.

Why?

1. Removes arable Greenspace from land inventory. Significantly reduces available space for backyard gardens. Casts shadows on gardens. Paves potential gowing space, more ashphalt.

2. Neighbourhoods & Vibrant Communities: Shifts energy from our front streets to back alleys. Less interaction with neighbours/community. Creates opportunity for crime in back alleys. Separates neighbours, often completely obscuring them from sight, especially Infills with 2 detached garages.

3. Cost: Think of all the back alleys that have been paved at a tremendous cost to taxpayers. The additional expense of a detached garage vs an attached garage.

4. This bylaw clashes heavily with imagineCalgary, The Melbourne Principles, PlanIt, Food Policy/Local Food Systems/Household Food Security and the new thinking in 21st Century urbanism.

Reconceptualizing our building bylaws is part of dynamic, progressive, sensible, inspired and acceptable urban growth.

The present vision completely discounts the contribution of local/household agriculture.

The CFPC suggests the integrity of a backyard, with all the beneficial associated uses, be prioritized as paramount in our planning bylaws and policy.

Paul Hughes
Chair
Calgary Food Policy Council

Free Movie for all CFPC'ers “In Transition 1.0” Sunday , December 13, @ 1pm @ The Plaza in Kensington.

Read more!
Free for the CFPC...

The Calgary Food Policy Council is sponsoring the Calgary Premiere of “In Transition 1.0” (PG) Sunday , December 13, @ 1pm @ The Plaza in Kensington.

***CFPC people just have to say "I'm with the Calgary Food Policy Council" and they'll get in free.***

Come help us kick-off Transition Calgary with this film, a video of some of Calgary’s existing Transitional projects, and pledges to take action.
250 communities around the world are recognized as Transition Towns - strengthening the culture of local food production, energy conservation, and sustainable economics.

There are many other great groups involved... all part of Arusha Centre's Action Film Series and Co-Sponsored by The Calgary Food Policy Council, IRIS, Haskayne Business School, Green Calgary, Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association, and the Plaza Theatre.

Sustainability for Breakfast (S4B) Taste Test Drive I @ Lone Star Mercedes-Benz FREE EVENT

Read more!

Sustainability for Breakfast (S4B) Taste Test Drive I
Sponsored by Lone Star Mercedes-Benz and the Calgary Food Policy Council.

27Nov09 @ 0730-1030, Friday Morning FREE EVENT

LoneStarMercedes-Benz @

10 Heritage Meadows Road SE

Map: http://tinyurl.com/LoneStarMercedes-Benz

Bus Stop: 5264 Bus 72

Featuring taste tests of local, organic, sustainable products, Smart Car test drives, and short Local Food System presentations from:

• Kris Vester - Blue Mountain Biodynamic Farm
  
• Julie Van Rosendaal - food writer and the food and nutrition columnist on CBC Calgary's Eyeopener,
  
• Paul Hughes - Chair of the Calgary Food Policy Council, who will also speak to the outcomes of the recent Calgary Food Summit.

For more info: info@calgaryfoodpolicycouncil.ca

NEWS RELEASE: Calgary Food Policy Council to celebrate one-year anniversary

Read more!
NEWS RELEASE: Calgary Food Policy Council to celebrate one-year anniversary

For Immediate Release October 25, 2009

On Tuesday, 27Oct09, the Calgary Food Policy Council (CFPC) will celebrate its one year anniversary.

The CFPC has achieved many milestones in only its first year, not least of which is getting food back on the Calgary political menu.

Over the past year, the CFPC has launched a number of firsts for Calgary:


Calgary Food Charter
The Calgary Food Charter was launched on World Food Day 2009

Within 1 week, over 300 Calgarians have already signed onto the Calgary Food Charter. The goal for the CFPC is 100,000 signatures by World Food Day 2010


2. 2011 New Growing Spaces x 2011 Campaign
The CFPC is asking Calgarians to nominate and create 2011 New Growing Spaces by 2011. http://www.2011calgary.ca


3. Calgary Food Summit
The CFPC recently hosted a packed house for the Calgary Food Summit on World Food Day. Over 600 suggestions for improving Calgary’s Food System came out of the summit.


The items suggested most often were a commitment to building a resilient local food system, increased capacity of urban agriculture, access to city land, increased access to growing spaces for citizens via community gardens, more farmers markets with local foods and the development of an agricultural curriculum for students.


4. Downtown Calgary Community Garden
With Partners Downtown Calgary, Calgary FoodBank, City of Calgary & Sunnyside Home & Garden, the CFPC planted, maintained and harvested the most centrally located community garden in North America. Harvested greens were donated to the Calgary FoodBank and the Calgary Drop In Centre.


5. Calgary Community Garden/Urban Ag Sub Committee
The CFPC created the Calgary Community Garden/Urban Ag Sub Committee to allow Calgarians an opportunity to transparently express their views on Urban Agriculture and Community Gardens


6. FOOD INC & FRESH: The Movie
The CFPC cosponsored both of these movie premieres in Calgary.


7. Media campaign for Local Food Systems & Food Security
The CFPC launched a very successful awareness campaign with local media, focusing on the opportunity of creating a Local Food System and improving Food Security for all Calgarians.


8. Asserting the Universal Human Right to Food
Through support for a court challenge to a City of Calgary bylaw prohibiting urban hens, the CFPC is advocating for recognition of the UN International Declaration of a Human Right to Food.


9. Plan It Calgary, Calgary Foundation Vital Signs, CivicCamp, et al
The CFPC has been represented and prominent in numerous “Made in Calgary” initiatives which seek to create a better Calgary for our children. In Vital Signs, a third of Albertans said they would buy more local foods in 2010. Plan It Calgary began to define Green Infrastructure. A CivicCamp 2.0 group suggested that Calgary City Council should recognize the CFPC and begin to put in place the supports required to allow the CFPC to do work similar to that of the Toronto and Vancouver Food Policy Councils.



Contact:

Paul Hughes, Chair, Calgary Food Policy Council

Tel: 403.383.3420

Email: paul@calgaryfoodpolicycouncil.ca

http://www.calgaryfoodpolicycouncil.ca

http://twitter.com/gardencommunity


Proudly sponsored by Lone Star Mercedes & FIDO

Calgary Food Summit on World Food Day, 16Oct09 @ 6pm

Read more!

Calgary Food Summit on World Food Day, 16Oct09 @ 6pm

The Calgary Food Policy Council & Big Rock present The Calgary Food Summit on World Food Day, 16Oct09

Register here for this free event... Calgary Food Summit

The Calgary Food Policy Council is hosting the groundbreaking Calgary Food Summit (CFS) on World Food Day, 16Oct09. The CFS is an inclusive opportunity for all those actively involved and working towards improving our local & regional food system.

The objective of the CFS, the first ever event of this type for Calgary, is to discuss progressive policy that will create and build an enhanced food security, food justice, food efficiency, urban ag, community garden & sustainable ag landscape in Calgary.

As we often conduct our community work independent of other local initiatives, bringing all the participants in our food systems together is an ideal way for our communities to celebrate World Food Day. The timing for a local convergence is fantastic, being on the heels of an amazing summer, harvest & the unparalleled growth, awareness and continued development of the sustainable food movement in North America.

If you are interested in attending or volunteering, please contact us... info@calgaryfoodpolicycouncil.ca