The city of Edmonton has a tiny amount of food producing land and almost a million people. Many Slow Food Edmonton members will be attending a public hearing (open to EVERYONE who cares about keeping what is left of Edmonton’s agricultural land) to show their support for a regional food strategy before it’s too late!

The Greater Edmonton Alliance and a few other groups have been working for quite some time to get a “public presence” in the face of City Council. In brief, there’s a grassroots movement in Edmonton that want to push the issue that Edmonton has no regional food strategy, so our prime farmland (such as the farmland micro-climate in North Edmonton where a lot of our local produce that we buy at city farmers’ markets) is under threat of development. And we need to make sure that the city has viable farmland to feed the generations of Edmontonians to come.

So, if you care about Edmonton’s continued ability to feed itself with local, sustainable, clean and secure food, then show your support by coming out to the City Council meeting this Wed (November 12, 2008) at City Hall (1 Sir Winston Churchill Square, downtown Edmonton), 7 p.m. Bring your family, bring your friends and bring your neighbours!

Attend the public hearings on Wednesday, November 12 at 7 pm at City Hall to support local food production. The Greater Edmonton Alliance is asking for a halt on rezoning these agricultural lands until we have a clear picture of Edmonton s food needs and capacity for local production. Save our local farm land.

Some things to consider…

We have a long term strategic plan, a clean water strategy, a clean air plan, a detailed transportation plan, a smart growth development plan and even a pandemic plan for different scenarios.

Yet - in our planning we do not address our food supply in any significant way.

What’s at stake? -Losing the agricultural lands in North East Edmonton.
The food that we can buy at local farmers’ markets throughout the Capital Region are produced on these lands. This area has a unique micro-climate and contains the best soils in the province.

We have seen increasing food prices, food riots in other countries and diesel rationing here.
We know that local food is fresher, healthier, good for our local economy and our current production is limited.
We also know we all eat.

The Greater Edmonton Alliance is asking city council to hold off developing any additional agriculture land, until a regional food secure strategy is completed.

This is going to be difficult campaign to win. We need as many groups and individuals to show their support of this request to city council.

If you can not attend, please call your city councillor!
Ward 1 Karen Leibovici 780-496-8120
Linda Sloan 780-496-8122
Ward 2 Ron Hayter 780-496-8128
Kim Krushell 780-496-8136
Ward 3 Ed Gibbons 780-496-8138
Tony Catarina 780-496-8333
Ward 4 Jane Batty 780-496-8140
Ben Henderson 780-496-8146
Ward 5 Bryan Anderson 780-496-8130
Don Iveson 780-496-8132
Ward 6 Amarjeet Sohi 780-496-8148
Dave Thiele 780-496-8142
For info call: 780 432-1622
Greater Edmonton Alliance
www.greateredmontonalliance.com

This is a regional issue, even if you do not live within our city limits, please attend the hearing.
Feel free to bring your children, your spouses and your neighbours.
Please forward to anyone you think may be interested.

Stand up for local farming
…when it’s gone
…it’s gone!

Call your City Councillor and tell them that this land is important to our
city’s food security- for this generation and the next.

Public Hearings
Edmonton City Council
7 pm Wednesday, Nov. 12
City Hall