Community farms at Vaughan non-profit inspiring, shows people are thinking of food security

#2021REFLECTION: 'Local food security,' he said to my surprise, citing how it’s the 'buzzword that's going around'

Thestar.com
Jan. 4, 2022
Dina Al-Shibeeb

This isn’t yet the feel-good story to cap off 2021 reporting, but far from it. Before delving into the sweets, here is the introductory bitter, sorry.

The year 2021 almost reached a climax with development and environmental issues in Vaughan, an ever so booming city with an estimated 6.5 per cent GDP growth rate, surpassing once again the nation’s rate.

When it comes to development, there are many players, be it the local councillors, regional councillors, York Region, the province, the feds, the environmentalists, the developers, the auditor general, the residents and the activists.

At times these players agreed and there were other periods where there was a huge wedge that drove them apart. The latter unfortunately proved to be more pronounced.

But through their interaction, I learned a lot as a citizen. I learned more about the intricacies of urban planning, people’s woes, and most importantly how fertile soil is considered to be a scarce resource in times of climate change and shrinking areas for farming itself.

This year more than ever, I realized we need luscious green grass and trees to capture CO2, and how regenerative agriculture could be one of the solutions when tackling climate change.

After all, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) warned that agricultural land is already finite and that urban sprawl could threaten the sustainability and viability of this sector.

With all the solemnness of this stark reality and the lack of a much-needed consensus and agreeableness between all these players, I needed a break, and this reprieve came through Fred Winegust.

Who is Fred Winegust? Well, he is an active Vaughan citizen and in charge of stakeholder relations at Reena, a non-profit organization that provides housing and support to individuals with developmental disabilities within a framework of Jewish culture and values.

Long story short, Reena ended up having overflowing produce in arugula, parsley, eggplants, and other herbs.

How?

After writing the application carefully in January, Winegust was notified on May 22 that Reena was successful in receiving $249,289 in grants from the federal government’s Agriculture Canada’s Local Food Infrastructure Fund to implement a vertically integrated local food security social enterprise.

With all of the surplus fresh produce, especially in eggplants, Winegust thought of calling York Region Food Network, which runs six community gardens throughout the region, with three of them being in Vaughan.

To his surprise, Kate Greavette, executive director at the York Region Food Network, had excess potatoes during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah in late November.

During Hanukkah, latkes -- a type of potato pancake or fritter -- are one of the traditional treats eaten during the holidays also known as the Festival of Lights.

This led to bartering of up to 1,000 pounds of fresh produce between Reena and the food network.

Winegust made me curious as to why he introduced farming at Reena.

“Local food security,” he said to my surprise, citing how it’s the “buzzword that's going around.”

Yes, indeed it’s the catchword I heard from both environmentalists and local Coun. Marilyn Iafrate when Ontario’s 2051 growth plan would spell out the demise of the remainder of the white belt in Vaughan, considered to be prime agricultural land in a province that’s losing an average of five farms per week to development in an effort to keep pace with Ontario’s growing population.

Winegust also made a reference to the disruption of the supply chain due to the pandemic, a concern shared by many.

While his reply made me go back to what I wanted to escape -- at least briefly, it left me energized, uplifted, especially with the way the whole idea made communities come together and exposed the younger generation, also known as students, to farming.