NEWS RELEASE
SIMCOE COUNTY FOOD COUNCIL
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The Simcoe County Food Council (SCFC) is pleased to announce the release of its 2022 Ontario Election Toolkit.
Provincial elections can have a significant impact on a community’s social structure and well-being. The toolkit was created to support candidates, community organizations and residents living in Simcoe County, engage in public policy advocacy and inspire conversations about the critical issues related to household food security and community food access during the Ontario election, being held on June 2.
“Two years of province-wide action and response to COVID-19 has highlighted how access to food profoundly impacts our health, culture, communities, and economy. According to research, one in eight households in Ontario can’t afford food and one in six children live in food-insecure homes in Ontario. The unprecedented levels of inflation we are seeing today coupled with surging food costs will make household food insecurity worse, as many Ontarians will find themselves without the financial means to absorb these extra costs. A sustainable, resilient, local food system that serves Ontarians while remaining affordable should be a priority for our next provincial government,” says Courtney O’Neill, community co-ordinator, Simcoe County Food Council.
The toolkit was created by members of the SCFC and is made up of resources to enhance the community’s advocacy efforts during the Ontario election. Resources include:
- Easy-to-follow information about key issues related to the SCFC’s three areas of focus — income solutions, school food and food literacy, and agriculture and local food
- Key messages, questions for candidates, and recommendations on key issues for the provincial government to address
- A social media toolkit to help make advocating easy, consistent and concise
- A call to action to show support via videos and pictures
The SCFC toolkit can be found by visiting www.scfoodcouncil.com/provincialelectiontoolkit2022. For more information, please contact [email protected].
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