Podcasts about food secure canada

In episode six of the latest season of the Courage My Friends podcast series, co-executive director of Food Secure Canada, Marissa Alexander and executive director of North York Harvest Food Bank, Ryan Noble discuss the alarming outcomes of Toronto's Who's Hungry report, the growing food and poverty crisis in Toronto and across Canada and urgent actions that need to be taken by policy-makers and civil society in averting this ever-worsening crisis. Reflecting on reasons for the record number of food banks visits this year, Noble says: “It's not as if there's been a sudden shock over the last year. What we're seeing is the continued culmination of insufficient supports for people, public and private, to deal with skyrocketing costs of living. .. whether those are employment supports, social assistance supports, settlement supports, to deal with an out of control cost of living, primarily driven by housing, but also by the cost of food and other essentials.” According to Alexander: “I don't think the systems are breaking down. I think the systems are working exactly as they were designed, which is not to support those who are the most marginalized and oppressed… like capitalism, but also the patriarchy, systemic racism and oppression ... So if we're going to make changes to ensuring that those people aren't "falling through the cracks," we have to make sure that those cracks aren't designed for them to fall through.” About today's guest:  Marissa (she/they) is a registered dietitian and co-executive director of Food Secure Canada, who is passionate about anti-racism, food security, and equity. Living and working on the traditional and unceded territory of the Lheidli T'enneh, she has had the honour of working alongside 55 First Nations communities in northern BC. She is also privileged to be able to connect with many different peoples and communities through her anti-racism consulting work. In her very little spare time, she is working on her Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on equity and cultural studies. Access her socials here: Website / Instagram- @fscrad / Facebook / LinkedIn / X- @FoodSecureCAN Since 2015, Ryan Noble has served as the executive director of the North York Harvest Food Bank. Previously, he was the vice chair of NYHFB's board of directors. Under Ryan's leadership, the organization has embraced a model of ‘community wealth building,' integrating traditional charitable activities with social enterprise and workforce development initiatives.  He is a past member of the Ontario Nonprofit Network's Policy Committee and the past chair and current member of the Board of Directors of Feed Ontario.  Check out this year's annual Who's Hungry Report Transcript of this episode can be accessed at georgebrown.ca/TommyDouglasInstitute.  Image: Marissa Alexander, Ryan Noble  / Used with permission. Music: Ang Kahora. Lynne, Bjorn. Rights Purchased.  Intro Voices: Ashley Booth (Podcast Announcer); Bob Luker (Tommy)  Courage My Friends Podcast Organizing Committee: Chandra Budhu, Ashley Booth, Resh Budhu.  Produced by: Resh Budhu, Tommy Douglas Institute and Breanne Doyle, rabble.ca.  Host: Resh Budhu.

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Paul Taylor, the former head of FoodShare and a life-long anti-poverty activist, dismantles the barriers – include fat phobia and weight bias – that constrain people's access to food on their own terms. Listen to this episode to hear Paul's story, learn about FoodShare's commitment to food justice, body liberation and fat acceptance, and reflect on how public health practitioners can confront harmful weight discrimination with dietitian Lillian Yin.(00:00) Introduction(02:22) Interview with Paul Taylor (44:05) Interview with Lillian YinEpisode Guests: Paul Taylor is a lifelong anti-poverty activist and a champion for the right to food. Paul was the executive director of FoodShare Toronto until January 2023. Growing up materially poor in Toronto, inspired Paul to commit his life to doing what he can to dismantle the systems of oppression that cause and uphold food insecurity and wealth inequality, including neoliberalism and white supremacy. Paul has been named one of Canada's Top 40 under 40, one of Toronto Life's 50 Most Influential Torontonians and voted Best Activist by readers of NOW Magazine. Alongside his colleagues at FoodShare, Paul works to support community-led food infrastructure with the collective vision of a Toronto where everyone can feed themselves, their loved ones and their communities with dignity and with joy. Paul's experience also includes executive director roles at Gordon Neighbourhood House and the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House. He has chaired the British Columbia Poverty Reduction Coalition, served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and as Vice-Chair of Food Secure Canada. Paul teaches courses at Simon Fraser University. Lillian Yin is a registered dietitian and a diabetes educator, of East-Asian descent with roots in Taiwan and China. For the last 7 years, she is privileged to serve in spaces across the spectrum of life, from infancy and pregnancy, through adolescence and older adult years, and various areas of the health system ranging from acute and primary care to community and public health. Driven by her passion to advance social justice and achieve health equity within the wider system through collective action, she is currently pursuing a Master in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. Learn more: Foodshare's statement on body liberation and fat acceptanceWeight bias: a call to action (Journal of Eating Disorders, 2016)The Focus is on Health, Not Weight (Vancouver Coastal Health, 2019) What are the implications of food insecurity for health and health care? (PROOF)Black Food Matters: Racial Justice in the Wake of Food Justice (book) Upstream action on food insecurity: A curated list (NCCDH, 2017) Food Justice (Food Secure Canada)Episode Credits: This episode is produced by Rebecca Cheff, Carolina Jimenez, and our host Bernice Yanful (NCCDH). Special thanks to our episode guests Paul Taylor and Lillian Yin. Coordination of communications, webpage development and dissemination are led by Caralyn Vossen (NCCDH). Thanks to Claire Betker and the rest of the NCCDH team for their support. Technical production and original music by Chris Perry. Artwork by comet art + design.Mind the Disruption is a podcast by the NCCDH. Visit https://nccdh.ca/learn/podcast/ to learn more about the podcast and our work.The NCCDH is hosted by St. Francis Xavier University. This podcast is made possible through a financial contribution from the Public Health Agency of Canada through funding for the NCCDH. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Public Health Agency of Canada.Established in 2005, the NCCDH is one of the six National Collaborating Centres (NCCs) for Public Health that work together to promote the use of scientific research and other knowledge to strengthen public health practices, programs and policies in Canada. For more information, visit the NCCPH website.

Wendie Wilson, with Food Secure Canada, and Lindsay Corbin, with the Nova Scotia Coalition for Healthy School Food, have been in consultations about a proposed new National School Food Policy. We ask them how Nova Scotia is doing when it comes to food programs.

One out of every eight households in Canada is food insecure. For racialized Canadians, that number is higher – two to three times the national average. In this episode, Vinita asks what is happening with our food systems, and what we can do to make them fairer with two women who have been tackling this issue for years. Melana Roberts is Chair of Food Secure Canada and one of the leaders behind Canada's first Black food sovereignty plan. Also joining the conversation is Tabitha Robin Martens, assistant professor at UBC's Faculty of Land and Food Systems. Martens researches Indigenous food sovereignty and works with Cree communities to bolster traditional land uses.Show notes:https://theconversation.com/making-our-food-fairer-dont-call-me-resilient-ep-12-171554Transcript:https://theconversation.com/making-our-food-fairer-dont-call-me-resilient-ep-12-transcript-171583Related article: Why are babies going hungry in a food-rich nation like Canada?https://theconversation.com/why-are-babies-going-hungry-in-a-food-rich-nation-like-canada-165789Join The Conversation about this podcast: Use hashtag #DontCallMeResilient and tag us:Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConversationCA  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconversationdotcomFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheConversationCanadaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theconversationcanada/Sign up for our newsletter: https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters/Contact us: theculturedesk@theconversation.comPromo at beginning of episode:Telling Our Twisted Histories, CBC Podcasts:https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/906-telling-our-twisted-historiesPromo at end of episode: The Conversation Weekly:https://theconversation.com/ca/topics/the-conversation-weekly-98901

In this session, originally recorded on September 28, 2020, we asked Paul Taylor to share five good ideas about advocating for change. Many of us are seeing the need to create a better world, one that is more just, equitable and sustainable. COVID-19 has caused us to ask a lot of questions about how we can build back better. It’s a moment that has the potential to be profoundly transformative. In this five good ideas session, Paul Taylor, Executive Director of FoodShare Toronto, talks about his own experience in advocating for change and presents his five good ideas for you to use in your own work. Five Good Ideas Your advocacy journey begins with what is most important to you. Advocacy isn’t always about the big stuff (aka public policy). Curiosity is key! Foster it in organizations and in organizing. Challenge assumptions + keep listening + recognize the box we’ve been convinced to think inside of. Acknowledge the obstacles and consider they can be overcome. Be bold! Dream in colour! Better is possible! Related resource: It’s time for politicians to take food insecurity and poverty seriously. Op-ed by Paul Taylor, Toronto Star (August 15, 2018). Pandemic has exposed the rifts in our social fabric. Op-ed by Paul Taylor, Toronto Star (April 21, 2020). Podcast: AAPF and Kimberle Crenshaw Present: INTERSECTIONALITY MATTERS! The podcast that brings intersectionality to life. Book: The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex Website: Metro Vancouver Alliance For the full transcript, visit https://maytree.com/five-good-ideas/five-good-ideas-about-advocating-for-change/ About Paul Taylor Paul Taylor is the Executive Director of FoodShare Toronto, and a lifelong anti-poverty activist. Growing up materially poor in Toronto, Paul has used his experience to fuel a career focused not just on helping others, but dismantling the beliefs and systems that lead to poverty and food insecurity, including colonialism, capitalism, white supremacy, and patriarchal structures. Each year, FoodShare provides a quarter million people with fresh produce, and fights for their right to have access to “good” food on their own terms, rather than charity on someone else’s. Paul’s experience includes Executive Director roles at Gordon Neighbourhood House and the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House. He has also chaired the British Columbia Poverty Reduction Coalition, and served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and as Vice-Chair of Food Secure Canada.

Kanada Ryerson Üniversitesi Gıda Güvencesi Araştırmaları Merkezi, Kanada Gıda Araştırmaları Derneği ve Food Secure Canada adlı sivil toplum kuruluşunun kurucu başkanlıklarını ve Ryerson Üniversitesi Orta Doğu ve Kuzey Afrika Araştırmaları Merkezi direktörlüğünü yürütmüş olan Prof. Dr. Mustafa Koç ile koronavirüs krizini “gıda güvencesi” (food security) kavramıyla ilgili olarak ele aldık. Bu konuda daha fazla bilgi edinmek isteyenler için, Prof. Dr. Koç’un Türkçe’de “Küresel Gıda Düzeni” adlı bir kitabı bulunduğunu hatırlatalım.

Food insecurity is a fact of life for almost half of all households in Nunavut. Finding—and affording—sustenance is a daily challenge across Canada's North. To meet the UN’s goal of zero hunger by 2030, we must start at the top and work our way down. About one in eight households in Canada is food insecure, according to the University of Toronto’s PROOF research team. This means that “over 4 million Canadians, including 1.15 million children, [are] living in homes that struggle to put food on the table.” The Qajuqturvik Food Centre is a registered charity that supports its community in three areas. They are: Food access, via a community meal that it serves daily Food skills, including a culinary training program for underemployed Iqalummiut and cooking classes for kids Engagement and advocacy to compel change from politicians and policy makers As heard in this episode: In the 1950s and ’60s, the RCMP and other authorities killed sled dogs that they no longer considered healthy. To many Inuit, though, the dogs were killed for no reason. Many elders viscerally remember the day when their dogs were killed. For many Inuit, it is a tragic flashpoint for when life began to change for the worse. In 2006, the RCMP concluded that no organized slaughter had ever occurred. In 2010, the Qikiqtani Truth Commission reported that RCMP officers had been following animal control laws—but that they had failed to explain their actions to the dogs’ owners. “Many Inuit were not even told why their dogs were shot,” the Commission noted. This episode is no small matter in the North. The federal government apologized to Qikiqtani Inuit for the killing of the qimmiit this past August. Carolyn Bennett, minister of Crown-Indigenous relations and northern affairs, announced that Ottawa would provide roughly $20 million in funding for programs that support history, governance, healing and revitalization. “Canada needs a more healthy, just and sustainable food system that ensures everyone’s right to food. The very establishment of a federal food policy, with associated budget lines, is an important first step in realizing that vision. Food Secure Canada has been calling for government leaders to develop a joined-up national food policy since our founding in 2001, and we are encouraged that the new Policy takes an integrated approach”—Gisèle Yasmeen, executive director, Food Secure Canada. The Government of Canada announced this country’s first-ever national food policy earlier this year. It is specifically intended, in part, to help Canada meet its commitments to the SDGs. Learn more about that in this backgrounder. Nutrition North Canada is a subsidy program that seeks to improve access to perishable nutritious food for Canadians who live in isolated Northern communities. It has recently been subjected to multiple changes, all of which are intended to improve its utility and effectiveness. Again, consult this backgrounder to learn more. CREDITS: No Little Plans is hosted by Vicky Mochama. This episode was produced by Dorsa Eslami and Matthew McKinnon, with executive production by Katie Jensen. This podcast was created by Strategic Content Labs by Vocal Fry Studios for Community Foundations of Canada. Subscribe or listen to us via the outlets above, and follow us at @nolittlepodcast on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Meanwhile, like Daniel Burnham said: “Make big plans; aim high in hope and work.”

The #EatThinkVote event brought together Guelph candidates in the federal election to talk about food issues. The Arrell Food Institute sponsored the event along with Food Secure Canada and The SEED, a project of the Guelph Community Health Centre . http://www.eatthinkvote.ca/news/guelph/

Diana Bronson of Food Secure Canada explains why Canada's new food guide is just one ingredient in the recipe for healthy eating. 

On today’s episode I sit down with University of King’s College student and global food ambassador, Cassie Hayward. Cassie spreads her time across a number of different projects and passions. She is a student leader, the rugby captain at King’s, and a local and international food systems advocate. She is involved with 4H, Food Secure Canada, and a fresh new project, Agrikua! We talk about each of these initiatives, the gifts and challenges of being a young leader, and the emerging feminist movement in agriculture, specifically in Kenya, where her and her Agrikua are doing on the ground research! The introduction music today is from a Hamilton band with an East coast vibe, that is Poor Angus folks. This is farm talk radio, keep your shovel in the ground and stay tuned for more farm talk! Agrikua: So fresh that Cassie and the team are still working on their website but check Agrikua out on facebook, twitter, and instagram @agrikuaplatform 4H: 4-h-canada.ca Food Secure Canada: foodsecurecanada.org Poor Angus: www.poorangus.com

This ep: Jessica Gale of Sweet Gale Gardens is back with suggestions for taking good care of your cut flowers throughout the season: soil fertility management, pruning tips, deadheading, and harvesting.  After that: Dr. Charles Levkoe joins me to talk about the politics and practice of farm internships as a source of labour on farms. Charles and colleagues are hosting a one day workshop on the topic as a precursor to Food Secure Canada's 9th National Assembly in Toronto in October. foodandlabour.ca is where you can find out more about the workshop, and register. Or, download this PDF. Or go here to learn about the overall conference.  

Today is World Food Day, a day of action against global hunger. We speak with Diana Bronson, executive director of Food Secure Canada, about food security in our own country. Tyler Fulton of h@ms Marketing Services also has an update on hog markets.

Episode 5 of Foodstuffs takes us away from home; we head to Montreal with Jess to talk about food and politics and then Bryan leads us to Mexico to learn about the rich history of a silky- and healthy?- alcoholic beverage. First up, Jess visits with Diana Bronson, Executive Director of Food Secure Canada, to discuss how voters can impact their representatives to make food- and all its related issues- a topic on Parliament Hill. Then we travel to Mexico, where Bryan learns firsthand the medicinal effects, and historical significance, of pulque- a delicious drink with a complicated past. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THANKS! Thanks this week to Diana Bronson of Food Secure Canada (http://foodsecurecanada.org/) and Hugo Martorell for setting up the interview. Thanks also to Alberto Deleon and the staff of La Perla Pixan Cuisine & Mexcal Store (http://www.laperlaplaya.net/) for hosting Bryan and feeding him grassphoppers and pulque. We are ever grateful to Erik Betlem, Ken Stowar and Sam Petite and CIUT for the use of their recording facilities. And- as always- a big thank you to Chris Foster (www.chrisfoster.ca) for our Foodstuffs logo. Cheers! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Foodstuffs is a podcast about food and culture, and their intersections. It is the brainchild of Jessica Walker and Bryan Goman. Episodes released every second Wednesday. www.foodstuffs.life

Diana Bronson, executive director of Food Secure Canada, talks about how they plan to make food an election issue.

Farming in the City XIII (Backyard Chickens X) In November 2009, a panel discussion on urban agriculture was hosted by Backyard Bounty and the University of Guelph. The event was called Opportunities for Action: An Urban Agriculture Symposium and Deconstructing Dinner partner station CFRU recorded the panel. This episode hears from two of the panelists who both share innovative urban agriculture projects: the Carrot City exhibition - a collection of conceptual and realized ideas for sustainable urban food production, and the Diggable Communities Collaborative - a community garden initiative that demonstrates the importance of partnerships and the ways in which regional health authorities and local governments can support and implement local food system and urban agriculture planning. Rounding off the show - regular contributor Bucky Buckaw and his Backyard Chicken Broadcast. Bucky dispels the myth that backyard chickens attract rats and he shares insights on raising roosters - an often prohibited presence even within municipalities that do allow backyard chickens. Updates on 'Norway, British Columbia' & 'A Dinner Date With the Olympics' Much has transpired since our previous episodes of our Norway, British Columbia series on BC salmon farms. Updates include news of the transfer of regulatory power between the Province and the federal government; criminal charges filed against Marine Harvest and upcoming rallies/events in Vancouver. Also updates on the Coca-Cola torch relay which passed through Deconstructing Dinner's hometown of Nelson, BC shortly after our January Olympic broadcast. Guests/Voices Mark Gorgolewski co-curator, Carrot City (Toronto, ON) - Mark is a Professor and Program Director for the graduate program in building science in the Department of Architectural Science at Toronto's Ryerson University. He is a Director of the Canada Green Building Council and has worked for many years as an educator, architect, researcher and environmental consultant to the construction industry in Canada and Europe. Recently he was co-curator of the exhibition Carrot City � Design for Urban Agriculture. He has also coordinated one of the winning teams in the CMHC Equilibrium Housing Competition to design a sustainable, net zero energy housing development, and is co-recipient of the 2007-2008 ACSA/AIA Housing Design Education Award. Katherine Pigott manager, healthy communities & policy team, Region of Waterloo Public Health (Kitchener, ON) - Katherine has worked at Region of Waterloo Public Health since March 2000. A key part of her role has been the development of a comprehensive local food systems planning approach in Waterloo Region as Manager of the Healthy Communities and Policy Team. Katherine has over twenty years experience in community based program development, planning, and systems change that has spanned economic development, health promotion and environmental planning. She serves of the Board of Directors of the Association of Health Centres of Ontario and on the Steering Committee of Food Secure Canada. Bucky Buckaw - host, Bucky Buckaw's Backyard Chicken Broadcast (New York, NY) - Bucky Buckaw gives advice on raising backyard chickens as just one example of how a locally based economy can work. Through this segment, he informs listeners about the downside of factory farming and what kinds of toxic chemicals you can expect to find in the resultant livestock. He promotes organic gardening and composting, and supporting local farmers. Alexandra Morton - scientist/researcher, Raincoast Research Society (Echo Bay, BC) - While studying orca whales up until the 1990s, Alexandra watched as the salmon farming industry appeared in the Broughton Archipelago where she calls home. As she observed the arrival of industrial salmon farms, the whales she studied disappeared. She believed the cause was salmon farms, and when 10,000 pages of letters to all levels of government failed to elicit meaningful response, Alexandra realized that she would have to scientifically prove that salmon farming had driven out the whales and caused epidemic outbreaks of bacteria, viral and parasitic infections in wild salmon. By partnering with international scientists and in some cases commercial fishermen, Alexandra has documented the loss of the whales, thousands of escaped farm salmon, lethal outbreaks of sea lice, and antibiotic resistance near salmon farms.  

In January 2006, Deconstructing Dinner was launched to fill a gap not nearly satisfied by Canada's mainstream media. But the subject matter of Deconstructing Dinner is frequently covered by other independent radio stations across the country. This broadcast will highlight four programs from campus and community radio stations that have explored how our food choices impact ourselves, our communities and the planet. In doing so, we hope to showcase the importance of independent media and the diversity of content that can be found within. Featured Programs "Redeye" - Vancouver Co-operative Radio CFRO, (Vancouver, BC) - Redeye is a 3-hour radio program broadcast live every Saturday morning on Vancouver Cooperative Radio, CFRO 102.7FM. It is produced by an independent media collective at the studios of Coop Radio in Vancouver's downtown Eastside. The show has been on the air for over 30 years, providing high-quality public affairs and arts programming to listeners looking for a progressive take on current events. Clip Jason Mark - Farmer and author based in San Francisco California. Interviewed by Peter Royce. Urban farms in Havana supply all the fresh fruit and vegetables the city's residents need. Cuba made the transition to small-scale, local, organic production following the break-up of the Soviet Union. The crisis Cuba continues to respond to, is a glimpse into the very crisis that Canadians may very well face in the near or distant future. Aired: 04.14.07 "Alert!" - University of Manitoba CJUM - (Winnipeg, MB) - Broadcast every Friday at 11 AM on 101.5 UMFM in Winnipeg, Alert radio brings you all kinds of leading-edge information they think you want to hear. The show covers politics, economics, issues of social and environmental justice; features interviews, commentaries, profiles of people in the news; has features on music, media, the arts; as well as special shows dedicated to new ideas or significant events. Clip Mustafa Koc - Former Chair of Food Secure Canada and Founding Coordinator of Ryerson University's Centre for Studies in Food Security (Toronto). Interviewed by Andre Clement. Health Canada's new Food Guide was recently released, Mustafa Koc speaks about the corporate influence on the creation of the guide. Aired: 03.02.07 "The Friday Morning After" - McGill University CKUT - (Montreal, QC) - CKUT 90.3 FM McGill Radio Inc. is a non-profit campus community radio station that provides alternative music, news and spoken word programming to the city of Montreal and surrounding areas. CKUT is made up of over 200 volunteers who work closely with a staff of coordinators. The Friday Morning After is a weekly public affairs program airing every Friday morning from 7-8am, and is produced by a collective of volunteers. Clip Alka Chandna - Senior Researcher, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) - Norfolk, VA. Interviewed by Joe Broadhurst. This segment looks deeper into the massive Menu Foods pet food recall. While the mainstream media reports on only a few deaths as a result of the recall, thousands of pets are said to have died from the tainted food. Alka Chandna speaks about Menu Foods' past and an unregulated industry where everyone has blood on their hands. Did Menu Foods hold back the recall so two weeks of evidence could be thrown away by consumers? Aired: 03.30.07 "You Are What You Eat" - Queen's University CFRC - (Kingston, ON) - CFRC provides innovative and alternative radio programming that enriches and challenges the academic and cultural life of the University and Kingston community. Tune into You Are What You Eat when Sayyida Jaffer explores nutrition, culture and politics and how they relate to food. Clip On March 22, 2007, Queen's University's Studies in National and International Development program hosted a panel of experts on the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP). The event was titled "The Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program in Canada: Route to Mutual Development or Recipe for Migrant Exploitation?". with Ken Forth, Chairman of the Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Service (Lynden, ON). Stan Raper, United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW) (Toronto, ON). Dr. Leigh Binford, Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, Mexico. Aired: 03.29.07

Finding the adequate nutritional balance within our food is often of paramount importance. When looking at the history of the current food system serving Canadians, it becomes apparent that only for a short time have we been experimenting with such a modern approach to eating. Processed foods and industrial farming are seen as convenient innovations, but how has such a model affected the nutritional composition of our food? Two speakers addressed this concern at the 2007 Growing Up Organic Conference held in Toronto on February 17th. The conference was organized by the Canadian Organic Growers. This broadcast will examine how, since the innovations coming out of World War II, the nutritional content of the Canadian food supply has plummeted. Through the assistance of CKLN in Toronto and Heather Douglas, Deconstructing Dinner was on hand to record the conference. This broadcast features the final session of the conference where panelists were posed the question, "Is Organic Worth the Price?". Speakers Thomas Pawlick, Author, The End of Food: How the Food Industry is Destroying Our Food Supply - And What We Can Do About It (Kingston, Ontario) - Pawlick's lecture was titled "Our Children's Food, Our Children's Survival". A veteran newspaper and magazine journalist with more than 30 years experience in Canada and abroad, Thomas has taught at both Canadian and foreign universities and colleges. The End of Food exposes the cause of the food crisis--an industrial system of food production geared not toward producing nourishing food, but maximum profit for corporations. Thomas is currently on leave from his position as Associate Professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Regina. Following the book achieving best-seller status, the University cut his salary, cut his research funding, removed him from email lists, and removed all copies of his book from the shelves of the campus book store. Thomas Pawlick is currently restoring a small scale organic farm north of Kingston, Ontario with his son. Ellen Desjardins, Public Health Nutritionist - Region of Waterloo Public Health (Kitchener, ON) - Ellen's presentation is titled "Eat up! It's good for you! - what the scientific literature says about the health benefits of organics". Ellen has worked in various programs throughout the province and at the federal level for the past 20 years. Ellen has co-authored numerous articles in the area of food security. She has also chaired work-groups and prepared position papers for the Ontario Public Health Association on food systems, public health concerns about food biotechnology, and mercury in fish. In 2005, Ellen was a founding member of the new national organization Food Secure Canada. Audio Clip "Food for Fighters" - Produced in 1943 by the United States Office of War Information, this short provides a glimpse into the origins of our current food system. The film was designed to promote the innovations that provided soldiers overseas with nutritionally adequate food. The audio version featured on this broadcast is available in its visual format from the Prelinger Archive at www.archive.org.

Demand for organic food in Canada has been growing steadily at 25 percent a year. With new federal regulations passed in December and a new Canada Organic logo backing organic claims, the Canadian organics sector can expect this growth to continue. Canadians are becoming more health conscious and concerned about the safety of our food system. Consumers need to be aware of new information about our food, especially as it relates to our and our children's health. That's why scientists, children's health experts and the general public discussed what it means to grow up organic at the one day conference "Growing Up Organic" in Toronto on February 17th , 2007. The conference was hosted by Canadian Organic Growers. The organic standard bans the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, additives, genetically modified organisms and irradiation. The result is food that has fewer toxic residues and a healthier ecosystem that will sustain food production over the long term. With the growing popularity of organics, people are asking many questions. Some of the more common questions include: Are organic foods really healthier? Should I be buying organics for my children? Are organics worth the higher price? The body of knowledge around organics continues to emerge, as scientists and nutritional experts conduct studies to answer these kinds of questions. Speakers Ann Clark, Associate Professor in Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph (Guelph, ON) - Dr. Clark's research program encompasses pasture and grazing management and organic agriculture, as well as risk assessment of genetically modified crops. A native Californian, she studied at the University of California at Davis and at Iowa State University. Her academic career started at the University of Alberta, but she has been at Guelph since 1983. In a career spanning 26 years, she has authored 15 books or chapters in books, presented papers at more than 50 conferences and symposia, and published 25 refereed journal and 150 technical and extension articles. She currently teaches Crop Ecology, Crops in Land Reclamation, Managed Grasslands, and several courses in Organic Agriculture, and coordinates the new Major in Organic Agriculture. Peter Macleod, Executive Director of Crop Protection Chemistry - CropLife Canada (Toronto, ON) - CropLife Canada is a trade association representing the developers, manufacturers and distributors of plant science innovations (pest control products and plant biotechnology) for use in agriculture, urban and public health settings. Peter MacLeod has spent his career in the field of scientific research and regulatory affairs. His research activity has mainly focused on the degradation of pesticides in soil and water but he has also managed environmental toxicology studies and food residue studies. Peter is an active participant on the Pesticide Management Advisory Committee to the Federal Minister of Health and has served on many panels on pesticides and risk management. Born in Yarmouth , Nova Scotia his fondness for Agriculture and Science led him to attend the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. He graduated in 1987 with a B.Sc. (Agr.) Hon., Dalhousie University. Ellen Desjardins, Public Health Nutritionist - Region of Waterloo Public Health (Waterloo, ON) - Ellen has worked in various programs throughout the province and at the federal level for the past 20 years. Ellen has co-authored numerous articles in the area of food security. She has also chaired work-groups and prepared position papers for the Ontario Public Health Association on food systems, public health concerns about food biotechnology, and mercury in fish. In 2005, Ellen was a founding member of the new national organization Food Secure Canada. Wayne Roberts, Coordinator, Toronto Food Policy Council (Toronto, ON) - Wayne moderated the session of the conference titled Is Organic Worth the Price?. The Toronto Food Policy Council partners with business and community groups to develop policies and programs promoting food security. Our aim is a food system that fosters equitable food access, nutrition, community development and environmental health.

Recorded in Vancouver during the October 2006 Bridging Borders Toward Food Security Conference, the plenary titled, "A Vision for Food Sovereignty: Farmers Speak Out" provided a critical opportunity for those working on community food security work to hear from farmers themselves. Topics discussed: The effects of free trade agreements on farmers in Mexico, Canada and the US; Migrant workers' rights; The Canadian Wheat Board; The extraction of farmers' wealth by agricultural corporations. The conference was hosted by the Vancouver Food Policy Council, and organized by the California-based Community Food Security Coalition and Food Secure Canada. Deconstructing Dinner was on hand to record the conference Speakers Dena Hoff - ex-Chair, Northern Plains Resource Council (Glendive, Montana) - Dena raises sheep, cattle, alfalfa, corn, and edible dry beans, among other crops, on their farm in Glendive, Montana since 1979. She is an active member of her rural community, serving on the Water Commission and the local food cooperative. She is also active with the National Family Farm Coalition. Alberto Gomez - National Coordinator, UNORCA (Mexico) - UNORCA (National Union of Autonomous Regional Farmers' Organizations) is an autonomous, non-profit, and non-partisan network of Mexican campesino and indigenous farming organizations. They are a member of La Via Campesina - the International Peasant Movement. LVC coordinates peasant organizations of small and medium sized producers, agricultural workers, rural women, and indigenous communities from Asia, America, and Europe. It is an autonomous, pluralistic movement, independent from all political, economic, or other denomination. Carlos Marentes - Director, Border Agricultural Workers Project (El Paso, Texas) - The BAWP is an organizing effort initiated by Sin Fronteras Organizing Project as an attempt to help migrant farmworkers improve their wages and their working and living conditions. The majority of the border farmworkers work in the multi-million dollar chile industry of Southern New Mexico. Karen Pedersen - ex-Womens' President, National Farmers' Union (Cut Knife, Saskatchewan) - Karen is a fifth-generation bee-keeper at Pedersen Apiaries. She spoke on behalf of the National Farmers' Union (NFU), an organization that works toward the development of economic and social policies that will maintain the family farm as the primary food-producing unit in Canada.

When the average North American sits down to eat, each ingredient has typically travelled at least 1,500 miles. On the first day of spring, 2005, Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon chose to confront this unsettling statistic with a simple experiment. For one year, they would buy or gather their food and drink from within 100 miles of their apartment in Vancouver, British Columbia. Since then, James and Alisa have gotten up-close-and-personal with issues ranging from the family-farm crisis to the environmental value of organic pears shipped across the globe. They've reconsidered vegetarianism and sunk their hands into community gardening. Their 100-Mile Diet struck a deeper chord than anyone could have predicted. Within weeks, reprints of their blog at thetyee.ca had appeared on sites across the internet. Then came the media, from BBC Worldwide to Utne magazine. Dozens of individuals and grassroots groups have since launched their own 100-Mile Diet adventures. In October 2006, Deconstructing Dinner recorded exclusive sessions of the Bridging Borders Toward Food Security Conference held in Vancouver. The conference was organized by the California-based Community Food Security Coalition and Food Secure Canada. Both James and Alisa shared their thoughts about their 100-Mile experience to an audience of Food Security practitioners. This broadcast features their presentation. Additional clips for this broadcast were compiled in September 2006 at the Sorrento Gathering of the BC Food Systems Network. Speakers Alisa Smith - 100-Mile Diet Society (Vancouver, BC) - is a freelance writer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her articles have been printed in U.S. and Canadian publications from Reader's Digest to Utne. The books Liberalized (New Star, 2005) and Way Out There (Greystone, 2006) also feature her work. Smith has a Master's degree in history and has taught magazine writing. She has been a member of the Cypress Community Garden for five years, and hopes someday to successfully grow an eggplant. James (J.B.) MacKinnon - 100-Mile Diet Society (Vancouver, BC) - is the author of Dead Man in Paradise (Douglas & McIntyre), which won the 2006 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-fiction. His work as a journalist has earned two national magazine awards, and he is a senior contributing editor to Explore Magazine. A past editor of Adbusters, MacKinnon speaks regularly on writing and the politics of consumerism. After a year on the 100-Mile Diet, he will never again eat store-bought sauerkraut. Brent Warner - Industry Specialist, Agritourism/Direct Marketing, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture & Lands (Victoria, BC) - Brent is a horticulturalist who has worked with the Ministry since 1980. Brent is the Secretary of the North American Farmers' Direct Marketing Association. He authored "Marketing on the Edge" - a guide for farmers/producers to assist in diversification and marketing of their products directly to the public. Heather Pritchard - Executive Director, FarmFolk/CityFolk (Vancouver, BC) - An organic farmer for 21 years and a member of the Glorious Organics Cooperative. Sits on the Vancouver Food Policy Council, the GVRD Agricultural Advisory Committee, Colony Parks Association and BC Food Systems Network. FFCF's mission is: farm and city working together to cultivate a local, sustainable food system. FFCF has recently engaged into a collaborative endeavour to create CFCA (Collective Farm Community Alliance); created to support the creation and sustaining of collectively owned farms. Kathleen Gibson - Principal, GBH Consulting Group Ltd (Victoria, BC) - a food systems specialist and policy analyst. Kathleen also works as a Help Desk Coordinator for the Meat Industry Enhancement Strategy of the BCFPA (BC Food Processors Association). (Kathleen was unable to make this recorded session of the conference, and Brent Warner acted as the voice for her presentation!)

Between October 7-11, 2006, participants from across North America gathered together in Vancouver for the Bridging Borders Toward Food Security Conference. Hosted by the Vancouver Food Policy Council, the conference was organized by the California-based Community Food Security Coalition and Food Secure Canada, a new Canadian organization. Participants at the conference met to discuss strategies for improving access to affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate food, and explored opportunities to build sustainable food systems. Hunger, childhood obesity, urban agriculture, and development on our limited prime agricultural land were just a few of the many issues raised during the conference. As the Vancouver Food Policy Council's Devorah Kahn indicated prior to the conference, "We are meeting to discuss how to work towards viable solutions at the policy and grassroots levels." As food safety scares grip North Americans, working towards more localized food systems is perhaps more timely now than ever before. With our rapidly changing climate being a result, among others, of our industrialized food systems, climatic changes will also be greatly influencing where food can be grown and how. The subject matter of Bridging Borders Toward Food Security encompasses some of the most pressing issues of our time. Deconstructing Dinner was on hand to record hours upon hours of the conference, and over the next few months we will be featuring these exclusive recordings. This particular broadcast will provide a collage of the passion that individuals and organizations across the continent are showing for food. Voices Heard... Andy Fisher - Executive Director, Community Food Security Coalition (California) Devorah Kahn - Food Policy Coordinator, Vancouver Food Policy Council Gordon Hogg - Minister of State, ActNow BC Peter Ladner - City Councillor, City of Vancouver Jacqueline Tiller - Associate Director, Training & Technical Assistance, First Nations Development Institute (Alaska) Michael Roberts - President, First Nations Development Institute (Colorado) Nicole Manuel - Secwepemc Nation (Chase, BC) Paul Smith - Heifer International Indian Nations Program (Wisconsin) Cathleen Kneen - Chair, Food Secure Canada (Ottawa, Ontario) Dena Hoff - Chair, Northern Plains Resource Council (Montana) Alberto Gomez - National Coordinator, UNORCA (Mexico) Carlos Marentes - Director, Border Agricultural Workers Project (Texas) Karen Pedersen - National Farmers' Union (Cut Knife, Saskatchewan) Ken Meter - President, Crossroads Resource Center (Minnesota) Loel Solomon - Kaiser Permanente (California) Michael Jahi Chappell - University of Michigan, Dept. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Alisa Smith & James MacKinnon - 100-Mile Diet Society (Vancouver, BC) and others...

The BC Food Systems Network was formed to work with groups around the province to eliminate hunger and create sustainable food systems for all residents. The Network encourages initiatives to reclaim local ownership of community food systems and develop food self-reliance by sharing information, skills, and resources. Between September 14-17, the Network gathered in Sorrento as has now been done for seven years. The theme of the conference was "Reclaiming Our Local Food Systems". Deconstructing Dinner was invited to record the conference, and this broadcast marks the first of many more that will feature these recordings. Featured on this broadcast is the first panel of speakers who introduced the theme of the conference. Speakers Cathleen Kneen - Founder, BC Food Systems Network (Sorrento) - Passionate about food, justice and sustainable agriculture. With her husband Brewster, Cathleen publishes The Ram's Horn, a monthly newsletter of food system analysis (since 1980). Currently sits on the executive of Food Secure Canada. Dawn Morrison - Community Development Facilitator, Secwepemc (Shuswap) Nation (Chase)- Dawn most recently coordinated the first annual BC Interior Indigenous Food Sovereignty Conference held in Penticton. She promotes ecologically and culturally sustainable land use projects. Brewster Kneen - Author/Publisher, The Ram's Horn (Sorrento) - Brewster's first involvement with food issues was in writing "The Economy of Sugar" in 1971, and then farming for 15 years. He has written other notable titles such as "From Land to Mouth" and "Farmageddon". His current focus is on genetic engineering of food, and privatization of the public domain. Along with his wife Cathleen, Brewster publishes The Ram's Horn, a monthly newsletter of food systems analysis. Patrick Steiner - Farmer, Stellar Seeds (Sorrento) - Stellar Seeds provides certified organic seeds grown in British Columbia. They grow the majority of seeds at their own farm, and also sell seeds grown by other local organic farmers. They specialize in interesting and unique varieties, many of them heirlooms.