Upcoming Event: Food and the City

		Calgary Economic Development hosts the Soul of the City speaker series:  Cultivating and Celebrating Local Food in Calgary presented by The Calgary TELUS Convention Centre and fueled by M2i Development Corporation
		This session will look at the importance of Calgary's local food movement as it relates to community building, place-making, and meaningful opportunities for social gatherings. All things 'local' seem to be an increasing consumer trend additionally, citizens are taking to community and backyard gardening in increasing numbers. Local food lends itself to artistic expression, personal health, sustainability and community building. Now is the time to have this conversation in Calgary and showcase the amazing local food scene we have here. The event is broken into a speakers session and a local food celebration:
		For the speaker session the panelists include: • Ron Finley, Artist, Renegade Gardener and popular TED presenter,  South Central Los Angeles • Luke Kimmel, Spin Farmer of the Leaf Ninjas, Calgary • Eliese Watson, Urban Beekeeper and owner of Backyard Bees, Calgary • Connie DeSousa and John Jackson, Chefs/Owners Charcut, Calgary		For the local food celebration we are pleased to host six top Calgary restaurants and their producers who focus on serving the best tasting locally produced food. Join us for a lively evening of local food, wine beer and music. Confirmed restaurants are: Downtownfood Boxwood/River Café Rouge Market NOtaBLE
		The speaker session: Tuesday, May 7, 2013 3:45 - 4:15 p.m. Registration and networking 4:15 - 6 p.m. Presentations		The food celebration: Tuesday, May 7, 2013 6:15 - 8 p.m. Celebration and networking
		The speaker session: Central United Church 131 7 Ave SW, Calgary, AB		The food celebration: SAIT Culinary Campus 226 230 - 8th Ave SW Calgary, AB (accessible through TD Square Second Level)
		Tickets for the speaker session only are $20 (plus applicable service charges) in advance only. Tickets for both the speakers session and food celebration is $50 (plus applicable service charges) in advance only. Tickets for the food celebration only are not available. GST is included (GST # 886398122).
		This event will sell out quickly. Get your tickets today! Space is limited, please RSVP by May 3, 2013.
		For information on the Soul of City series and to watch videos from past events, click here. For more information and student/low income ticket pricing, please contact: Michael Fotheringham, Research Manager at Calgary Economic Development: 403.221.7892

Please use this link to RSVP.

Thank you to all who expressed interest in joining the Calgary Food Committee!

The Calgary Food Committee Stewardship Group is now expanded and represents a diverse range of the food system including production, processing, distribution, access, consumption, waste recovery, as well as from the education, charitable, market and community sectors to support the CFC vision. 

The Calgary Food Committee is working towards fulfilling the vision and principles established in the CALGARY EATS! A Food System Assessment and Action Plan of creating “a sustainable and resilient food system for the Calgary region so that every Calgarian has access to local, healthy and environmentally friendly food.”

The CFC’s main role will be to:

• Support, monitor and report on progress on action items identified within the Food Assessment;
• Monitor and report on progress for achieving the food Vision and Principles within the context of imagineCALGARY (imagineCALGARY food related targets);  and
• Maintain an information base related to Calgary’s food system.

We are still looking for volunteers, so if you are interested in contributing towards the Action Plan and have expertise in a particular area or action item, please contact food@calgary.ca or Steph Gagnon (City of Calgary) at 403-268-1034.

CFC to Expand Membership

Expressions of interest are being sought for membership on the Calgary Food Committee AND Leaders for the Calgary Eats! Action Teams

The Calgary Eats! Calgary Food System Assessment and Action Plan has been completed in response to a City Council direction that was driven by a growing citizen demand and community awareness of the value of a sustainable food system. The Calgary Food Committee (CFC) was established to guide and direct the development of the Food System Assessment and Action Plan, of which the outcome has been a collaborative effort, engaging many stakeholders.

This outcome is a plan that contains actions to help achieve the imagineCALGARY targets and move toward the vision of achieving a sustainable and resilient food system for the Calgary region.  If you are passionate about our food system and want to make a difference, there may be an opportunity for you to contribute to achieving Calgary’s vision.

Click here for more information or to apply.

Final Food System Assessment and Action Plan

The Calgary Food Committee is please to submit the final Food System Assessment and Action Plan. Thanks to all stakeholder and citizens for their amazing efforts on this is a substantial piece of work.

The final report will be going to Standing Policy Committee on Community and Protective Services this Wednesday June 6^th - it is held in the Engineering Traditions Committee Room on the First Floor of Old City Hall. The agenda and reports will be available at: http://agendaminutes.calgary.ca/sirepub/meetresults.aspx

If you have any further questions please contact Rebecca Newlove at 403.268.1034 or by email at rebecca.newlove@calgary.ca

Draft Food Assessment Available for Comment

Hi Calgary,

Thank you for your patience while we completed the DRAFT Calgary Food System Assessment and Action Plan.  

The Draft Food System Assessment outlines baseline information, issues, opportunities and best practices associated with each element of Calgary’s food system (production, processing, distribution, access and preparation, consumption and waste recovery).

A gap analysis of what currently exists and what is needed to achieve the vision will inform the development of a community action plan.  The action plan will be further informed through stakeholder engagement on April 27^th and May 1^st, 2012 and through your feedback.

We want to hear from you on the content of the DRAFT document:

·        Are the right issues, opportunities and recommendations identified?

·        Do you have examples of best practices or related stories from other cities or from right here in Calgary that could be included?

·        What additional items are needed to strengthen the community action plan?

·        How you would like to be involved in implementing the action plan?

How you can access the DRAFT Calgary Food System Assessment and Action Plan?

·        At the open house on May 1^st , 2012 in the Atrium area on the main floor of the Calgary Municipal Building (700 Macleod Trail SE) from 3pm-6pm

·        Online at: http://www.calgary.ca/CA/cmo/Pages/Calgary-Food-System-Assessment-and-Action-Plan.aspx

Comments should be emailed no later than May 6^th, 2012 to:

food@calgary.ca

or sent in writing to:

Rebecca Newlove

Office of Sustainability, City Manager’s Office

The City of Calgary

P.O. Box 2100, Station M, Mail Code 8003

Calgary, AB T2P 2M5

Next Steps

·        Comments received by May 6^th, 2012 will be reviewed and will assist in preparing the final proposed Calgary Food System Assessment and Action Plan.

·        The Final Food System Assessment and Action Plan will be presented to Standing Policy Committee on Community and Protective Services (CPS) on Wednesday June 6^th, 2012.

·        Members of the public are welcome to speak at the Committee meeting, which starts at 9.30am.  An agenda will be publicly available on http://www.calgary.ca/.

Calgary Chefs Speak Out About Sustainable Food Systems

Calgary Food Committee Member Kristi Peters Snider recently took some time to chat with a number of local Calgary chefs to talk about the what they are doing to pursue a more sustainable food system.

Read Article Here


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