Food systems thinking in Waterloo Region has focused on citizen engagement and participation in policy making through collaboration and adaptive governance. Key strategies have included establishing a regional food systems roundtable in 2007 for collaboration, incorporating food-related policies into the 2009 Regional Official Plan and 2013 Regional Food Charter through adaptive governance, and conducting policy gap analyses to identify supportive and unsupportive municipal policies regarding issues like access to healthy food, urban agriculture, and temporary farmers markets. Ongoing efforts focus on improving municipal policy and increasing community engagement around the food charter.

1. Strategies (beyond food charters) for
developing meaningful food policy:
Experiences from Waterloo Region
Steffanie Scott, Ellen Desjardins, Krista Long
Bring Food Home conference
Windsor w Nov 2013

2. Food Systems Thinking:
“…to shift system dynamics to promote a wide range
of improvements…”
(MacRae & Donahue, 2013, Municipal food policy entrepreneurs: a preliminary analysis of how
Canadian cities and regional districts are involved in food system change)
Key
characteris,c:
Citizen engagement & participation in policy making
1. Collabora)on:
“a
full
range
of
actors
to
design
interven2ons
and
leverage
resources…”
2. Adap)ve
governance:
“linking
actors
to
broader
levels
of
government
to
tackle
complex
issues…”

3. Outline
1. Collabora)on
! 2007: Roundtable established
2. Adap)ve governance -­‐ Municipal policies in Waterloo Region that
support a healthier food system:
! 2009: Regional Official Plan (2010,11 – Waterloo & Cambridge plans)
! 2013: Food Charter
3. Ac)ons on food policy
! Gap analysis, unearthing suppor)ve and unsuppor)ve policies
! Planning for policy changes at municipal level
4. Conclusion & discussion: The on-­‐going importance of “food
systems thinking” to ensure progress

4. 1. Food Systems Thinking in Waterloo Region
citizen engagement & participation in policy making
• collaboration
• adaptive governance

5. Food system stakeholders in Waterloo Region
(focus groups in 2006)
CSAs
emergency food
distribution
urban agriculture
Elmira produce
auction
farmers and
farm orgs
feeders/
producers
small and
large scale
farmers markets
& neighbourhood
markets (smaller)
processors
small and
large scale
advocates, academics, media,
marketing boards,
brokers, promoters
(e.g. Foodlink)
institutional
purchasers
distributors
retailers
small and
large scale
small and
large scale
Planners (zoning,
bylaws, regulation)
advocacy
groups, food
programs
eaters/
consumers
Public Health
(community capacity
building, inspection,
education)
Desjardins & ScoO 2007

7. Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable: 2007
www.wrfoodsystem.ca

8. 2. Food Systems Thinking in Waterloo Region
citizen engagement & participation in policy making
• collaboration
• adaptive governance
o Regional official plan
o Food charter

9. (a) Waterloo Regional Official Plan (ROP)
www.region.waterloo.on.ca/newrop
Unprecedented food-related policies

10. ROP policies supporting a healthy food system:
White = urban
Brown line = Countryside line (still contested)
Yellow = rural
Green = Protected Countryside

11. www.smartgrowthwaterloo.ca

12. Food-­‐‑related land use planning: rural

13. Food-­‐‑related land use planning: urban
Jon’s produce and bakery

14. (b) Waterloo Region Food Charter 2013
Because
we
believe
in
fair,
environmentally
sustainable,
livable,
and
economically
profitable
rural
and
urban
communi,es:
…we
support
connec,ng
people
to
our
local
food
system
…we
support
community
economic
development
…we
support
access
to
healthy
food
…we
support
ecological
health
…we
support
integrated
food
policies
at
all
levels
of
government

15. Waterloo Region Food Charter 2013
-­‐
Officially
endorsed
by
Waterloo
Regional
Council
in
April
2013
Poli,cians
supported
the
Charter
(adap2ve
governance)
because
of
links
with
key
community
stakeholders
(collabora2on):
a.
The
Food
System
Roundtable
had
consulted
extensively
with
the
community,
incorpora,ng
feedback
and
input
into
the
draP
Charter
b. The
Charter
emphasized
an
enhanced
local
food
economy
c.
The
Waterloo
Federa,on
of
Agriculture
(WFA)
indicated
their
support
d. A
local
poli,cian
(council
chair)
consequently
championed
the
Charter
at
the
municipal
government
level

16. 3 . Food Systems Thinking in Waterloo Region
Ac)ons on food policy
First step:
! Policy gap analysis: unearthing suppor)ve and unsuppor)ve
policies
Next steps:
Improving the
municipal
policy base
Building more
community
engagement
around the food
charter

17. Waterloo Region:
3 cities
4 rural townships

18.
(a) “Suppor,ng
Advocacy
on
Municipal
Official
Plans”
Report
#1
by
Krista
Long,
Waterloo
Region
2012
See http://www.wrfoodsystem.ca/phreports
Gap Analysis:
Regional + 7 Municipal Official Plan Policies
• Access
to
affordable
healthy
food
&
local
food
infrastructure
• Urban
agriculture
• Several
other
health-­‐related
areas
-­‐
e.g.,
walkability

19. Gap Analysis of ROP + 7 Municipal Official Plan Policies
1. Access to affordable healthy food & local food
infrastructure
Action areas
ROP (Regional
Official Plan)
City & Township
municipalities (7)
Ensure
affordable
and
nutri,ous
food
for
all
residents
(food
retail)
Strong
support
2
strong
3
weak
Land
use
designa,ons
for
small-­‐
scale
food
processing
facili)es
and
distribu,on
centres
for
locally
produced
food
none
none
Support
small-­‐scale
food-­‐based
home
industries
(food
processing)
none
none

20. Gap Analysis of ROP + 3 Municipal Official Plan Policies
2. Urban agriculture
Action areas
ROP (Regional
Official Plan)
Cities (3)
Permit
community
gardens
in
all
land
use
designa,ons
Strong
support
Waterloo,
Cambridge
strong,
Kitchener
weak
Iden)fy
lands
close
to
residen,al
and
community
use
areas
for
community
gardens
none
None
Provide
infrastructure
support
for
community
gardens
Strong
City
of
Waterloo
only
Include
urban
agriculture
in
city’s
managed
open
space
strategy
Strong
Waterloo
&
Kitchener
strong,
Cambridge
weak
Permit
urban
beekeeping,
hens
None
Cambridge
(weak)

21. (b) “Planning Food Friendly Municipalities”
Report
#2
by
Krista
Long,
Waterloo
Region
2012
See http://www.wrfoodsystem.ca/phreports
Focus on 2 strategies that have potential for effective change:
Temporary
Farmers
Markets
Community
Gardens
Food
Friendly
Cities
“Friendly” for both
eaters and retailers

22. Types of Municipal Policies and Supports
Land Use
Policies
Zoning By-­‐‑laws
Community
Gardens
Community
Garden Policy,
Action Plans,
Strategies
Food
Friendly
Cities
Temporary
Farmers
Markets
Licensing
Incentives
Business
Supports

23.
e.g., Temporary Farmers Markets
The Directive:
Regional Official Plan (Land Use Policies)
• The
region
directs
area
municipali4es
to
ensure
development
facilitates
residents’
access
to
locally
grown
and
other
healthy
foods
in
neighbourhoods.
[2.D.1
(g)]
• The
region
directs
area
municipali4es
to
permit
temporary
farmers’
markets,
in
exis,ng
and
newly
planned
neighbourhoods
[3.F.2]

24.
Temporary Farmers Markets
The Reality:
By-laws variations by municipality
• Kitchener
permits
markets
in
Commercial,
Downtown,
Commercial
Residen,al,
Industrial
and
Ins,tu,onal
zones
• Waterloo
permits
markets
in
General
Business,
Neighbourhood
Commercial
and
Commercial
Zones
• Cambridge
permits
markets
(“food
stands”)
in
most
commercial
zones
• Wilmot
permits
markets
(“food
stands”)
in
all
commercial
zones
• North
Dumfries
does
not
permit
temporary
markets
at
all

25. Variation in Municipal Code (Licensing)
for temporary markets
Municipality
Licence
Fee
Kitchener
Farm Vendor License
$148
Temporary Retail Market License
$496 (3 days)
Waterloo
Outdoor Vending License
$250 + business
license ($300)
Cambridge
Outdoor Vendor Permit
$60 + business
license ($60)
Woolwich
Business Licensing By-­‐‑law
N/A
Wellesley
N/A
Wilmot
N/A
North Dumfries
Vendor By-­‐‑law
No fee

26. Next steps:
Advocating for Food Friendly Municipalities
• Stronger, more consistent supports for
temporary farmers’ markets
"
"
"
"
PermiYed in all land use zones
Promoted as a Local Economic Development ini)a)ve
Supported as an accessory use with convenience stores
Licensing fees standardized and simplified across the Region
• Stronger, more consistent supports for
community gardens
" PermiYed in all land use zones, with resource support
" Pro-­‐ac)vely encouraged by iden)fying lands where gardens
could be developed
" Normalized as public spaces for health, inclusion and learning

27. Next steps
Create
a
Regional
Food
Strategy
that
illustrates
feasible
steps
to
opera,onalize
the
Food
Charter,
in
collabora,on
with
all
relevant
stakeholders
• e.g.,
Develop
guidelines
for
markets
and
other
small
local
food
retailers
and
processors
to
create
businesses
that
are
profitable
and
accepted
in
the
community,
and
contribute
to
healthy,
walkable
food
access
in
all
neighbourhoods
• e.g.,
Develop
a
toolkit
for
naviga)ng
the
licensing
bureaucracies
to
facilitate
successful
small-­‐scale
food
entrepreneurs

28. What we see:
The proximal food
environment
What we don’t see:
Food-­‐‑related municipal by-­‐‑laws, licensing rules,
land use policies, institutional policies

29. What we see:
Protected superstores, food deserts,
fast food outlets, packaged food
of unknown origin, lack of
entrepreneurial opportunities
t be
Mus as the
sed
xpo ation of
e
d
n
foun nt urba
e
curr ood
f
nt
nme
ro
envi
What we don’t see:
Food-­‐‑related municipal by-­‐‑laws, licensing rules,
land use and institutional policies
# Municipal governance driven by corporate interests #

30. What we should see:
Widely accessible small to mid-­‐‑size
food retail, direct-­‐‑marketing venues,
focus on local seasonal food.
What we can collectively develop:
Food-­‐‑related municipal by-­‐‑laws, licensing rules,
land use and institutional policies that nourish
a healthy food environment
# Municipal governance influenced by citizen engagement #

31. Conclusion:
Enacting food systems transformation requires:
Citizen engagement and participation in policy
making through:
1. Collaboration
...different sectors working and planning together
2. Adaptive governance
…ac)ve, on-­‐going advocacy at the municipal government level
using data, success stories and awareness building