Greenbelt Fund News

We recently attended a special event hosted by My Sustainable Canada, St. Joseph’s Health Network and the Apple Growers of Ontario. This unique event brought together various buyers for public institutions, foodservice distributors, operators and processors to discuss the opportunities for Ontario apple growers in the broader public sector.

The Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation hosted a one-day symposium bringing together some of the major players across the food value chain in North America. The meeting facilitated dialogue around how to build on the existing distribution systems to capture more of the great food grown in Ontario and bring it to market.

With funding from the J.W. McConnell Foundation, George Cedric Metcalf Foundation andFriends of the Greenbelt Foundation, the Greenbelt Fund is embarking on a pilot project that will look at ways to integrate regional food hubs with mainstream foodservice distribution.

This time of year in Ontario is marked by early winter nights bringing deeper frosts, followed by sunny and above-zero crisp days.  These frosts and thaws do magical things to the grapes in Niagara, a region in Ontario's Greenbelt that has created a name for itself in ice wine production. 

A recent survey by the Washington, D.C.-based National Restaurant Association shows that fresh produce, local produce, healthy kids' meals, and environmental sustainability will respectively be the top four restaurant trends in 2013. 

The economic and weather conditions of this past spring and summer created a perfect storm that left many of Ontario's fruit growers hurting - but not the wine makers. 

When: November 18-19, 2012

Where: Doubletree by Hilton, Toronto Airport

#FarmerLove - Why Social Media Is Critical to Your Farm's Success

When:  November 12, 2012, 12:00 PM EST

Harper Government Grows Market Opportunities for Canadian Floriculture

Niagara Falls, Ontario, October 11, 2012 - The Canadian floriculture industry will be able to cultivate new international market opportunities with an investment from the Harper Government. Dean Allison, Member of Parliament (Niagara West-Glanbrook), on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, announced today that Flowers Canada Growers (FCG) will receive an investment to help boost sales in global markets. Click here to read more.

On October 18th, the Greenbelt Fund announced 17 new grants to bring more Ontario food to schools, universities, colleges, hospitals and long-term care facilities.