Regency Acres Public School in York Region was one of the enthusiastic grant recipients. The Aurora school hosted their first locally-sourced salad bar lunch this week, with nutritious food provided by Round the Bend Farm, Homestead Orchards, Bloomington Farm and Serendipity Stables.
Read more here on our blog about farm to school month, and how these farm to school activities support students and local food economies.
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The City of Hamilton and the Hamilton Port Authority have just announced a joint feasibility study to consider a food and beverage warehouse on Hamilton Port grounds,
noting they are well-positioned to become a greater force in food storage, packaging, exports and inspection.
"The contemplated facility would support a variety of food and beverage producers within the Hamilton region, and foster stronger export connections to the U.S. consumer market," said Ian Hamilton, the port authority's vice-president of business development and real estate, quoted in the Hamilton Spectator.
Read more from this Hamilton Spectator article published on October 25, 2016.
CBC News has also recently highlighted Hamilton's agri-food developments: the federal government is giving $10 million dollars to Parrish and Heimbecker, Ltd. to build a new wheat flour milling plant in Hamilton, aiming to increase the company's production capacity and expand export markets. Read more from the CBC here.
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This month, Halton Region Council
unanimously passed a Rural Agricultural Strategy
to strengthen and ensure the long-term viability of the region's agricultural and rural sectors, in an effort to build a prosperous and sustainable local agricultural system.
The agricultural sector in Halton has always been recognized as a significant driver of the region's economy, but it's facing some complex issues; identifying ways to address these issues and support farm viability has been at the centre of public discussion and regional strategy for quite a few years now.
Read more on the Rural Agricultural Strategy and the Background Report that informed the strategy in our latest blog post.
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The Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance hosted a
Lunch & Learn at Queen's Park
earlier this month during Ontario Agriculture Week.
MPPs, Councillors and Queen's Park staff sat down to a delicious local lunch provided by King Cole Ducks, and had the opportunity to learn about some important topics in food and farming from 3 great speakers:
Patricia Thompson with King Cole Ducks,
Jen Christie with 4-H Canada, and
Carl Loewith with Summitholm Holsteins.
Topics ranged from local food support to the tireless work of a farmer
, from the dairy industry to exporting ducks, from youth in agriculture to the economy.
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The Region of Durham's Economic Development Department, in conjunction with the Township of Brock Economic Development Advisory Committee and OMAFRA, are hosting a Local Food Entrepreneurship Workshop on Thursday, November 17.
The informative workshop will be valuable for local food entrepreneurs looking to expand their business, and will include a series of presentations about food trends, the steps to product development, and a resource forum.
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NOA Fisheries next 3-day Aquaponics course is taking place on November 7-9 at their Whitby Farm. Space is limited, so if you are interested, be sure to register today.
If you are interested but unable to attend, they are now offering
live streaming of the course. The live stream will allow you to see and hear all of the lectures from the renowned speakers, and will provide the opportunity to ask questions via chat. Register for the
live stream here.
To learn more about NOA Fisheries, read our
previous blog post on their
pioneering aquaponics venture in Durham Region, and how they brought sustainable tilapia to Canada.
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