The Elements: Ethical Use of Our Resources

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Public Affairs (CCEPA) and the Evolution Studies Group at Dalhousie University are pleased to present: The Elements

A three-part series examining the ethical uses of our resources: Food, Oil and Water. Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 7PM

The ScotiaBank Theatre Auditorium, McCain Building, Dalhousie University. Free Admission

PART 1: Food -Ethical Issues in Agriculture: Organic, Locavore and Genetic Modification Keynote: Dr. R. Paul Thompson, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto

Respondents: Dr. Rylan Higgins, Department of Anthropology, Saint Mary’s University; Dr. Bohdan L. Luhovyy, Applied Human Nutrition Department,

Mount Saint Vincent University. This event will be live streamed and can be viewed here: www.ccepa.ca Reception to Follow.

Seeking PEI Focus Group Participants

Hello everyone, and Happy New Year!
Andrea Papan from the Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health has asked me to circulate this information to help her recruit participants for a focus group of women in PEI, which would be part of a project that explores the relationship between food insecurity and having a healthy body weight. I gather the date & time of the focus group will be determined if/when Andrea hears from potential participants.
Ann

Over the last 12 months, have there been times when you and other household members did not have enough to eat?
If so, and you are a woman and have experienced weight challenges, we would like to invite you to share your experiences as part of our research project. We will be conducting group discussions with women, aged 18 and older, to learn about your experiences and understandings around times when you worried about not having enough to eat or actually did not have enough to eat, and weight challenges you faced as well as issues with chronic diseases. Group discussions will be taking place in communities across Atlantic Canada.
You will receive an honorarium for your participation. In addition, you will be reimbursed up to a limited amount for childcare, parking fees, and/or travel costs if you are taking a bus or taxi.

Group discussions will be taking place in Prince Edward Island:
Date: The week of January 30 OR February , 2012 – To be confirmed
Time: To be confirmed, group discussion will be approximately 2.5 hours
Location: To be confirmed

For more information and to find out if you are eligible to participate in this study please contact the Project Coordinator, Andrea Papan at: Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, Dalhousie University, Phone: (902) 494-7849 or andrea.papan@dal.ca Toll free: 1-888-658-1112

Dinners and a Movie

Download the printable poster: dinner-discussion-poster

Share invitation widely!

An Invitation to All Eaters

The PEI Food Security Network, Inc. and the Food Counts project (including Institute of Island Studies)

Invite you to attend
A dinner-discussion on Local Food
and the state of Island Farming and Fishing

Including a launch of the film:
“Who will grow our food?
Island farmers’ voices on food security”

a pot-luck dinner and after-dinner-discussion with Island farmers exploring the state of farming and the rebuilding of PEI’s local food economy

Free! Enjoy fresh local food shared with friends and neighbours!

Film Launch Sunday Nov. 6
Main Building, UPEI, Room 201 (main floor, west end)

Pot-luck dinner at 5:30 p.m. Film screening at 6:30 p.m. Guest reflections from Island farmers 6:45 p.m. After-dinner discussion until 7:30 p.m.

Community Halls dinner-discussions

• Tuesday Nov. 8 at York Community Centre, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
• Thursday Nov.10 at Wheatley River Community Centre, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
• Wednesday Nov.16 at Cambridge Hall, Lower Montague/Murray Harbour North, 6:30 – 8:30 PM

Pot-luck dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. – bring a plate! followed by Film screening at 7:30 p.m. , reflections from Island farmers at 7:45 p.m. and after-dinner discussion until 8:30 p.m.

Genetically Modified Atlantic Salmon:

Another event that may be of interest to Food Security Network members…..

Genetically Modified Atlantic Salmon:
PEI is at the center of the global controversy

* Monday October 24, 2011, 7:00pm-9:00pm *

The Rodd Charlottetown Hotel, Georgian Ballroom, 75 Kent Street, Charlottetown, PEI

Will PEI be the world’s supplier of genetically modified (GM) Atlantic salmon eggs? The small US company AquaBounty wants to produce GM salmon eggs on PEI – the first-ever GM food animal – to grow-out in Panama and sell to US consumers. What are the risks for wild Atlantic salmon? What’s happening in Canada? Does PEI have a say?

*Speakers:*

• Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, Ottawa
• Eric Hoffman, Biotechnology Policy Campaigner, Friends of the Earth U.S., Washington DC
• Jaydee Hanson, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Food Safety, Washington DC
• Leo Broderick, Vice Chair, Council of Canadians, PEI

This event will be followed by public forums in Fredericton Oct 25, Halifax Oct 26, St. John’s Oct 27.
For more details:http://www.cban.ca/events

Presented by: The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, Center for Food Safety U.S., Conservation Council of New Brunswick, PEI and St. John’s Chapters of the Council of Canadians, EarthAction PEI, Ecology Action Centre Nova Scotia, Fundy Baykeeper, PEI Health Coalition, Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Network, Friends of the Earth U.S., Sierra Club Atlantic Canada.

For more information on genetically modified fish :http://www.cban.ca/fish

*Summary:*

The small US company AquaBounty is asking the U.S. to approve its genetically engineered (also called genetically modified or GM) Atlantic salmon for human consumption. The company claims its “AquAdvantage” salmon can grow to market-size twice as fast as other farmed salmon. The Atlantic salmon are engineered with a growth hormone gene from Chinook salmon and genetic material from ocean pout (an eel-like creature).

The company is not asking for approval to grow the fish in the U.S. but plans to
produce all of its GM salmon eggs on PEI, ship the eggs to Panama for grow-out and processing, and then sell “table-ready” GM salmon to U.S. consumers.

AquaBounty does not yet have permission from Environment Canada to produce GM salmon eggs at it’s PEI facility but the department refuses to say if it is currently assessing a request from the company. Health Canada also refuses to say if AquaBounty has asked to have the GM salmon approved for human consumption in Canada. There are no public consultations.

Any risk of GM Atlantic salmon escaping into the wild is unacceptable, especially
when Atlantic salmon are already in danger of disappearing. Join us to discuss these and other important questions – Come out to hear who is making the decisions, what is happening in the U.S., and how PEI is at the center of the global controversy over GM fish.

For more information on genetically modified fish :http://www.cban.ca/fish

Please note that this is not a PEI Food Security Network initiative. For more information on this event, please contact the coordinators directly. Thanks!

First Annual George McRobie Lecture

Something of interest to PEI Food Security Network Members……

First Annual George McRobie Lecture, at the Macphail Homestead

The First Annual George McRobie Lecture will be presented by Patrick
Holden, CBE, at the Macphail Homestead on Monday, October 24th ,
beginning at 7:00 p.m., with a reception and cash-bar at 6:00. The title
of Mr. Holden’s talk will be “Sustainable Food Systems for the 21st
Century: The Challenge for Prince Edward Island.”

This special lecture series is named in honour of Dr. George McRobie,
Patron for The Homestead Farm, the new sustainable agriculture component
of the Sir Andrew Macphail Homestead.

George McRobie has long been one of the world’s leading proponents of
sustainable agriculture and appropriate, small-scale technology. He was
a close friend and colleague of the radical economist E.F. Schumacher,
whose landmark book /Small Is Beautiful /made such an impact in the
latter part of the 20^th century.More recently, McRobie has served as
President of the Soil Association, Britain’s foremost farm organization
promoting organic agriculture — with Prince Charles as Patron. Dr.
McRobie has been awarded an honorary degree by the University of Prince
Edward Island, and is at present a part-time Islander, dividing the year
between homes in London and Brackley Beach.

Patrick Holden is a noted international authority in the field of
sustainable agriculture. Himself the operator of an organic dairy farm
in Wales since 1973 — which now boasts a herd of 75 Ayrshire cows –
Holden worked for 20 years with the Soil Association, during the last 15
of which he served as the Director.In 2010 he founded a new organization
– The Sustainable Food Trust — with a mandate to provide a global
voice for the Sustainable Food Movement.

Mr. Holden’s visit to the Island is made possible through the support of
the PEI Department of Agriculture.

Since meeting space is limited at the Homestead — capacity about 50
people — you should register in advance by phoning (902) 651-2789, or
sending an email to macphailhomestead@pei.aibn.com.

Please note that this is not a PEI Food Security Network initiative. For more information on this event, please contact the coordinators directly. Thanks!

Liberal Party Supports a National Food Policy

The Prince Edward Island Food Security Network was pleased to receive a response from the Liberal Party of PEI to questions it had asked of all parties regarding their support for a national food policy.

The letter from party leader Premier Robert Ghiz states, “The Liberal Party is supportive of a national food policy and will continue to encourage the federal government to work on this initiative,” and he concludes, “I think it is fair to say that our Party is aligned closely with the goals and objectives of your organization and we will continue to work closely with all stakeholders within the industry.”

The Liberal Party response arrived too late to be included in a September 27 summary of other parties’ positions on the principles of a national food policy.

The Food Security Network congratulates the Liberal Party on its election win and will work with the government to uphold the commitment it expresses in the Liberal Party’s letter to us.

Cinema Politica

Dear Food Security Network Members,

Please see message below regarding a viewing of the film “The Garden” being held by Cinema Politica Charlottetown and the PEI Food Security Network on October 17th.

______________________________________________________________________

*Cinema Politica in October*

The Garden
Monday, October 17
7:00 p.m.

Lecture Theatre A,
Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI

In honour of World Food Day, Cinema Politica Charlottetown and the PEI Food Security Network will present the documentary *The Garden * on Monday, October 17th at 7:00 p.m. in Lecture Theatre A of the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI.

About the Film:

The fourteen-acre community garden at 41st and Alameda in South Central Los Angeles is the largest of its kind in the United States. Started as a form of healing after the devastating L.A. riots in 1992, the South
Central Farmers have since created a miracle in one of the country’s most blighted neighborhoods. Growing their own food. Feeding their families. Creating a community. But now, bulldozers are poised to level their 14-acre oasis.

The Garden follows the plight of the farmers, from the tilled soil of this urban farm to the polished marble of City Hall. Mostly immigrants from Latin America, from countries where they feared for their lives if
they were to speak out, we watch them organize, fight back, and demand answers.

The film explores and exposes the fault lines in American society and raises crucial and challenging questions about liberty, equality, and justice for the poorest and most vulnerable among us.

For more information about Cinema Politica, contact charlottetown@cinemapolitica.org or check out our page on Facebook, or visit http://www.cinemapolitica.org

Four Political Parties Support a National Food Policy

September 27, 2011 – The PEI Food Security Network (FSN) surveyed all political parties running in the October 3 provincial election. Only the Liberal Party of PEI did not respond. The survey was mailed to the party presidents and leaders on August 31, 2011. It was designed to test the level of support for a national food policy. The results will serve as an indication of parties’ willingness to develop an effective provincial food policy.

The parties were asked to indicate their level of agreement and/or their need for more information on five selected building blocks for a food policy:

• Localize the system so that food is eaten as close as possible to where it is produced, and so that food dollars support the local economy
• Support a widespread shift to ecological production and distribution of food
• Insure adequate payment to farmers and fishers
• Develop programs to help new farmers and fishers get started
• Enact poverty elimination and prevention programs to ensure that all Canadians can afford healthy food
• Ensure that the public is actively involved in decisions that affect the food system

The New Democratic Party, the Green Party, and the Island Party expressed total agreement with the five policy principles. The Progressive Conservative Party indicated total agreement and a need for more information regarding localizing the food system and widespread shift to ecological production and distribution.

The PEI Food Security Network will provide politicians with opportunities to become more committed to concerns about food security and food sovereignty. There is widespread interest in this here in Prince Edward Island and around the world. Policy makers are lagging behind the community’s increased awareness of the need to change the food system. Many new movements are rising up to promote eating local, healthy food. There is a new concern about how food is grown and about the best ways of ensuring the livelihood of farmers, fishers, and food workers.

Bouffe!

BOUFFE – a bilingual play at Carrefour
May 6
8 pm
Admission: suggested donation of $7-10

Bouffe is a colourful, hilarious, bilingual production, created by students from Mt. A. It’s set in a fast food restaurant, and explores many social and culinary issues such as food security and eating locally.

A short discussion will follow the performance.
======================
Review:
Bouffe performance brings smiles to all
Submitted by Rachel Gardner on February 11, 2011

Windsor Theatre burst with laughter this past Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday as Tintamarre’s bilingual comedy, Bouffe, brought together a strong cast and a humorous storyline about the queries surrounding fast food. With priceless facial expressions, outlandish characters, eccentric costumes, and spontaneous inserts of troubling food facts, Bouffe was a performance not to be missed.

The play script follows a fast-food restaurant chain, Mister Bouffe, whose kitchen staff cook their foods based on ‘the calorie machine’ of sugar, salt, and fat, kicking out an Italian broccoli, a southern avocado, Chinese garlic, and local turnip along the way. With the guidance of the ‘agent de surface’ or sweeper, who acts as a commentator on fast-food practices of monoculture, incomes of farmers, and the pervasiveness of television marketing, the play makes a convincing, albeit hilarious, argument to reconsider our food system and eating habits. Assuredly, as the play ended with the pianist swaying his hands back and forth to the song “I’m just a little jealous of the vegetables,” the audience is left in giggles.

It was clear from the start of the show that the play was a success. The theatre was packed with students, with some sitting on stairs and in overflow sections in order to squeeze them into the performance. The crowd bustled with conversation as they waited for the performance to start, with third-year student Eric Biskupski playing piano in the background.

While this reporter has only a small background in French, which resulted in a less than comprehensive understanding of the script, the play nonetheless left a smile on my face throughout the performance. Despite language barriers, the cast was able to utilize facial expressions and body language to communicate many of the messages to the audience, or at the least, keep them laughing. Notable performances were given by ‘le patron’, played by fourth-year student Graeme Bousada, the farmer-turned-sweeper, Gothique, played by second-year student, Bernard Soubry, and the food additive with a never ending name, played by fourth-year student Hannah Gibson, all of whom captivated the audience’s attention whenever they were on stage. Some criticism is that several of the actors and actresses staging as customers were difficult to hear over their accompanying background rap music, and that greater projection would have improved this particular section of the performance.

The play’s ultimate message was conveyed in random interjections of food facts, which broke the ‘fourth wall’ between stage and reality. Throughout the play, the audience was surprised by statements such as that “the average farmer’s income is $2000 a year” and that North Americans “spend more on fast-food than we do on education,” bringing forward an underlying message about food security, locavorism, and the problems in the culture of North American food. Marketing schemes and the free market enterprise were additionally satirized as part of the comedic message of the play.

In sum, Bouffe was filled with great performances, a hilarious script, and a responsive crowd that resulted in an overall huge success. This was definitely a performance of note.