Network Activities

Network members seek to develop our individual and collective practice of rebuilding our respective food systems. The results of these efforts are archived below.

Food System Assessments: Some Network members, with support from the J. W. McConnell Family Foundation, have undertaken assessments of their food systems as a first step to understanding the needs and priorities of their respective regions. Individually, the reports provide a detailed assessment of individual foodsheds; collectively, they provide an amazing insight into unique food systems acrosss Canada:

• All Things Food / Bouffe 360: Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry Regional Food Assessment (3.5MB), Jan 2013.
• Antigonish Food Security Coalition: A Community Food Assessment for Northeastern Nova Scotia (3MB), Sept 2013.
• CHEP Good Food: Towards a Food Strategy for Saskatoon (6MB), Dec 2013
• Ecology Action Centre: Valuing our Fisheries - Breaking Nova Scotia's Commodity Curse (2.9MB), Jan 2013
• Food Matters Manitoba: Growing For the Future: Building a Local, Sustainable Food Economy in Manitoba (4.4MB), 2013
• La Récolte de ches nous / Really Local Harvest: Southeast New Brunswick Regional Food Assessment (1MB), Oct 2014
• Living Oceans Society: Sustainable Fish Secure Food: An Assessment of the Wild Seafood Supply Chain on Vancouver Island (2MB), 2013
• Nature Action Quebec: Évaluation du système alimentaire durable en Montérégie (1KB), Mai 2012 (en français)
• Opportunities Waterloo Region: The Health of Waterloo Region's Food System - An Update (1KB), May 2013
• Perth County: Perth County Food Hub Feasibility Study (3.1MB), Jan 2013
• Toronto Food Policy Council: Feeding Diversity - Community Access and Commercialization of World Crops (2.8MB), Jan 2013

Food Business Bootcamp: this program combines on-line and in-person training from food business experts with the goal of building the skills necessary to run a successful, values-based business. The Program is a collaboration between Food Secure Canada and the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation as part of their Sustainable Food Systems initiative and was developed with support from Kathy Nyquist of New Venture Advisors.

• Business Landscape: defining your unique position in the market.
• Modeling: using data to build your business case
• Business Structure: understanding legal forms
• Financing: developing a financing strategy, finding funding sources and sharing your story
• Managing Operations and Growth: strategic planning and developing financial controls

Webinars and any related resource materals can be found here, in reverse chronological order.

Annual Meetings: Proceedings of our annual meetings that combine learning, connecting and planning.

2012: on November 5th, 2012, the Network held our first official meeting in Edmonton, Alberta in conjunction with the Food Secure Canada Assembly. Read the Meeting Report. Special thanks to Edmonton's Food Bank for generously hosting our meeting.

2013 : In November 2013, the Network once again convened, this time in Montreal, Quebec for four days of field trips, training, priority setting and networking. The proceedings from our 2nd Annual Meeting can be found here.

2014: The third and final annual meeting of the Network took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, immediately preceding and integrated with the FSC bi-ennial Assembly.  The Meeting report can be found here.