Imagine an Ottawa where food is valued as a public good. You might see commuters buying healthy, locally produced food from vendors at OC Transpo stations on their way home from work. You might see children or residents gathering at schools and community centres for workshops in nutrition, cooking and gardening skills. You might see a transformation of little-used urban green spaces into sites of shared food production with fruit trees and vegetable plots. You might see busy mothers feeding their children in the privacy and safety of dedicated public spaces.
This vision of healthy food for all is needed to promote health and environmental sustainability and to address poverty and inequality, according to a draft food action plan released Wednesday by Food for All, a project led by Just Food and researchers at the University of Ottawa.
A Food Action Plan for Ottawa: A Community Vision, the first of its kind in the city, outlines actions that we can take to address food related concerns. The plan includes draft recommendations across 14 key areas where businesses, community organizations, the NCC, school boards, individuals and the City of Ottawa can take action.
The Food Action Plan is still in its draft stage, after more than two years of research and discussion involving over 300 community members. An open consultation process is ongoing with several opportunities to comment and help shape the final report, including an online survey and a series of community-based discussions. These Kitchen Table Talks on food-related concerns are taking place until April 22nd.
“This Food Action Plan affects so many sectors in Ottawa that everyone should be interested. It affects anyone who eats,” says Dr. Elizabeth Kristjansson, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Ottawa and Principal Investigator for Food for All. “The draft Food Action Plan is evidence-based, and the final plan will reflect the ideas and concerns of Ottawa residents. We encourage everyone to join the Kitchen Table Talks.”
We encourage anyone wanting to have their say to check out the following resources:
- The full text of A Food Action Plan for Ottawa: A Community Vision is available on the Just Food web site at www.justfood.ca/foodforall.
- Comments on the draft plan can be made on-line at www.justfood.ca/survey/.
- A listing of community Kitchen Table talks taking place over the next two weeks can be found at
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