Anyone wanting to fill up on talk of food security and farmland protection, ideas will be served up Thursday at Market Square in St. Catharines.
Climate Action Niagara is hosting a speaker and film series about sustainability and kicking it off with a talk about food security, focusing on farmland protection and the greenbelt.
The event kicks off at 6:30 p.m. with music by Vox Violins and food from local restaurateurs before Shiloh Bouvette of Environmental Defence and Gracia Janes, a member of the Region's agricultural task force, take the podium at 7 p.m.
Here's a description of what both women bring to the food security table from Climate Action Niagara's news release:
Shiloh Bouvette, Program Manager for Environmental Defence: The Ontario greenbelt has much to offer Ontarians, from the Niagara grape growing and tender fruit area to Holland Marsh, the Oak Ridges Moraine and more. Environmental Defence and the Ontario Greenbelt Alliance are bringing a virtual tour of the greenbelt to Niagara. Using a gigantic greenbelt map, we'll show you all of what there is to explore in the greenbelt.
Gracia Janes, OMC (Ontario Medal for Citizenship): Niagara’s own founding member of the Preservation of Agricultural Lands in 1976 and member of the Niagara Regional Agricultural Task Force. Her Ontario Medal for Citizenship is for her work protecting the very unique Niagara fruit lands with the late Dr. Robert Hoover and the late Mel Swart MPP. Gracia will speak to possible options for farmland perpetuity that also provides for farmers.
Here are some of the issues the duo will address when it comes to Niagara's farmland: How do we protect it? What does the Greenbelt achieve? What is the soil capacity? How much land is needed to keep us food secure? Which land should be protected?
There will be a discussion period so bring your questions, too.
