Wow. It's been great to hear from so many of you! The meeting went
well. In addition to eating carrot cake with peanut butter frosting we
generated a lot of great ideas. I'll include those here. First we
listed the strengths we bring to this journey of needing to convince
the City/Public Health (PH) that there is a way to make this buying
club work. Then we brainstormed ideas for how to move forward.
Strengths:
John a planner at the City is on the Community Roundtable re local food
BC member is a former by-law writer for the City
BC members work in Public Health
BC member worked with Health Inspectors
BC member is a lawyer
BC member is chair of PH at U of W
The local food movement is growing all around us. It is a recognized
and respected change in eating.
History of Fred's Meat Market at 74 William (across the driveway)
could be grandfathered in the zoning as a loophole to allow selling
food down the driveway
72A is a "legal non-conforming" property (more flexible?)
Foodlink has been working on zoning issues to make it easier for
farmers to sell and process local foods. See if they'll work with us.
Neighbourhood Markets set up by Public Health have dealt with zoning
restrictions and found a way around them.
University examples of selling local produce
Fines for by-law infringements are usually proceeded by warnings
We know how to work with the Media
CSAs and ONFC sell from residential areas (others are doing it)
We have over 100 families in the Buying Club
Other neighbourhood food initiatives: Beechwood and Mary/Allen
Farmers like what we are doing and will lend their support
Ideas of how to move forward in a positive way:
Visit immediate neighbours to 72A and nurture their support of the
buying club continuing
BC families write testimonials of the benefits of the BC
BC families and others write letters of support for the BC to
councilors and planning staff at the City
Learn from the experiences of the Waterloo Hen Association
Write a petition and get over 100 signatures
Send registered letters of support to councilors and planning staff
Use City's lingo/vision/own mandate: Sustainability, environment,
"firsts" for Region of W., intelligent
Make the City look good. Be collaborative.
Work with the City before the media – target specific people
Ask farmers to write letters of support
Ask farmers what hoops they go through to sell local food
Learn from example of rural zoning changes in Woolwich and Wilmont
(eg. Well-Fed Foods)
Change Bailey's Local Foods into a cooperative
Ebytown precedent of a cooperative being okay in a non-commercially
zoned property
Move the location of the Buying Club
Next Steps:
Nina will visit City Hall tomorrow to try to talk to planners and a
couple councilors. After that she'll send out an update asking people
to write letters and visit specific people at City Hall. Please wait
on contacting the media. Give City Hall a chance (week or two?) to
quietly work with us before the media puts them on the spot.
Buying Club IS HAPPENING Friday (3:30-6)here at 72A William St. W..
Check your email before you leave for the BC in case we have changed
locations at the last minute. We may move to a BC member's house on
Strange St. just for tomorrow (41 Strange Street at Cherry). If you
are not near email tomorrow, phone Taarini at 888-4442 for an update
of where the BC is held.
My email order to Pfennings was lost and so we are not going to be
receiving the lovely parsnips, yams, salad mix, or organic macintosh
apples from Pfennings tomorrow. No cheese either (they couldn't
deliver it at the last minute). I'm sorry. I really wanted that salad
mix. I want to tell you asap so that you can find these items
elsewhere.
Happy Thanksgiving. We won't have everything we drooled over on the
order form but we still have a buying club and lots of other good
food. We have so much to be thankful for. Next year maybe we can get
cranberries from the Muskoka area. Not 100 miles but as local as it
gets...
Nina
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