As many of you know, Stop Sprawl Orillia has officially launched, a campaign that aims to get Orillia City Council to reject the Urban Boundary Expansion which seeks to annex 939 acres of farmland and wetlands for urban sprawl. Council will vote on the issue at the end of May, and we must speak directly to our Mayor and Council before then. Check out the www.stopsprawlorillia.ca for more info and to find out how you can do this. This affects not only the City of Orillia but all the municipalities around it, so find out what you can do to help.
Speaking of urban sprawl, there is an exciting project gaining steam at Lakehead University here in Orillia. Lakehead holds the only farmland left in Orillia as the rest of it in West Ridge is slated for urban sprawl. The Lakehead University Students’ Union (LUSU) unanimously passed a motion back in October to establish a Recreation, Research and Education Farm (RREF) at the Lakehead Orillia campus. The RREF is proposing to permanently protect a minimum of 20 acres of the campus’s farmland, or less than a quarter of the campus’ 85-acre footprint. Envision a community farm on Lakehead’s campus, where students, faculty, and community members can engage in growing and harvesting fresh organic fruit, vegetables, flowers, plants, and seeds.
I have had the pleasure of working at a local organic farm, Bass Lake Farms for the past six plus months, where I have been able to learn a lot about growing food and the importance of local food systems. Particularly, I have learned that local food systems are severely threatened today. Of the 6,000 plant species humans have eaten over time, the world now mostly eats just nine, with half our calories coming from just three: wheat, rice and maize.
Two in five of the world’s plant species are at risk of extinction as a result of the destruction of the natural world. Just four companies control half of the global supply of seeds. The four largest US grocers control nearly half of the retail grocery market. We’re surrounded by a false sense of diversity every time we visit the grocery store, but the reality is that our diets are more homogenous than ever. A lack of diversity in global crops is not only unhealthy for us but devastating for the future of food sovereignty. This widespread consolidation of food has enabled a few large corporations to control our food systems. It’s time to put power back in the hands of local farmers and people.
Right now, Lakehead leases its farmland for corn and soy monocultures, which are not very climate friendly or socially responsible. This also offers no recreational, research or academic opportunities to students, faculty and community members. The RREF could serve as a catalyst to advance not only a just and sustainable local food system, but a circular organic economy and centre for environmental education. Teaching our youth, students, and wider community about growing our own food, composting, seed saving, food preservation, medicinal herbs, foraging, water conservation, waste management, and plant and animal species is invaluable learning. The next step for the RREF is for the motion to pass through the Board of Governors, and there is a petition that can be signed HERE (open to the entire community, not just Lakehead students!).
If you would like to secure more power over your own food in the meantime, I would encourage you to start gardening. Start a small plot in your yard, or if you don’t have a yard, get involved with one of the Community Gardens in Orillia. Seeds can be secured for free at your local seed libraries including the Orillia & Barrie Public Library or Lakehead University Library.
Green Orillia is a community organization dedicated to sharing news, events, tips, resources and initiatives for sustainability in Orillia and area. Follow Green Orillia on Facebook and Instagram, sign up for the e-newsletter here, or check out the website.