Collaboration for Change The Local Food Act – Pillar 3 SCOR EDC AGM March 29, 2019 Wendy Smith

MEMBERSHIP

ANCHOR INSTITUTIONS There is a growing trend towards embracing responsibility as publicly funded institutions to spend in ways that enhance the communities we serve. In 2010, this work began with an origin of food audit to determine where our budgets were going and what following was a journey into the food system in Ontario and many critical partnerships

Nourish Health and Buy Social 2018 DISCOVERY Procurement is a critical opportunity to advance the food is health agenda. How? Healthcare food purchasers can build health and wealth in their communities by supporting the health of their patients and residents through the food choices they make. Nourish Health and Buy Social 2018

SCOR FoodHub Our relationship with SCOR EDC is longstanding and mutually beneficial. In 2011, MEALsource agreed to participate and advise on a feasibility study to examine the role that a food hub could play in getting Ontario product from small and medium sized producers into the institutional market. From there, SCOR obtained project funding to build and grow this concept through three separate projects. This put many partners at the table who may have never met were it not for this work. Government officials, institutional buyers, distributors large and small and most importantly, producers were willing to take a chance and the time to examine new ways to open up the marketplace (2013-2017)

SCOR FoodHub All the while, it was apparent that the biggest barrier was the entrenched logistic stream of institutional buyers. Many new and innovative partnerships formed looking at ways to either insert the concept of a Food Hub into the current stream, or advocate for legislation that encouraged buyers to support their communities in their sourcing methods and they are still going strong. In my time working with SCOR on many different sections of food system work in Ontario, I have sent and received nearly 1100 emails with this team. While I did not count meetings and calls, I can attest that we have spent a great deal of time on this issue.

Social Procurement adds a social value to existing purchasing WHAT IS SOCIAL PROCUREMENT? Social Procurement adds a social value to existing purchasing Nourish Health and Buy Social 2018

Nourish Health and Buy Social 2018 WHAT IS SOCIAL PROCUREMENT? Historically, procurement was about choosing the supplier offering the lowest price while still meeting technical requirements of providing high quality products or services at minimal risk. 1700s to 1960 Arising in 1960s Emerging Trend Nourish Health and Buy Social 2018

Social procurement of goods and services: WHAT IS SOCIAL PROCUREMENT? Social procurement of goods and services: Nourish Health and Buy Social 2018

How does social procurement apply to healthcare food? WHAT IS SOCIAL PROCUREMENT? How does social procurement apply to healthcare food? Nourish Health and Buy Social 2018

PARTNERSHIPS

BILL 36 - LOCAL FOOD ACT 2013 On March 18, 2019 the Ontario government launched the final pillar of Bill 36 – The Local Food Act. Launching a series of new case study videos, featuring best practice advice from different broader public sector organizations Creating a new, interactive, local food hubs map that connects local food businesses to potential new markets Providing easy-to-use tracking tools to measure procurement so organizations can set their own goals to increase their use of local food and track their success Awarding public sector institutions that achieve their local food targets with certificates of recognition from the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

BILL 36 - LOCAL FOOD ACT 2013 Making it easier to use the Foodland Ontario logo to promote local food Offering government-led how-to webinars for agri-businesses wanting to become a local food vendor Continuing to promote local Ontario food through the Foodland Ontario program Ensuring the Ontario Food Terminal continues to play a key role in Ontario agriculture by looking at opportunities to make it even better and by making its role in the local food sector stronger. Ongoing consultation with farmers, distributors and the broader public sector on red tape barriers in the local food economy.

COLLABORATION FOR CHANGE There is a legitimacy to any collaborative effort when the team at SCOR EDC is at the table because you know that they have done their homework and that they are present in earnest to see how they can assist you with whatever the goal may be. Moving forward, I see SCOR EDC office as a long term food system ally. When identifying potential supply partners on the promised interactive asset map, it will be of great comfort to know that we can call on our friends at SCOR for introductions, collaborative ideas, etc.

COLLABORATION FOR CHANGE This win for our food system is the direct result of cross sectoral collaboration. From every sector, there were people advocating for robust support of sellers and buyers to enhance the relationships between the two. SCOR EDC were a great sense of support in this work. Getting the right people to the table at the right time is their specialty. We want to thank the team at SCOR as every year without fail, they put local food for institutions on their list of asks for both Ministers involved.

“Every purchase has an economic, environmental and social impact, whether intended or not. Social procurement is about capturing those impacts and seeking to make intentional positive contributions to both the local economy and the overall vibrancy of the community.” - David LePage, Buy Social Canada