How many calories in that snack? Having a mid-morning energy slump? How about a quick visit to Starbucks for, say, a café latté and a blueberry scone to hold you over until lunch? Unfortunately, that energy slump can quickly turn to energy excess with a 700-calorie snack that amounts to more than a third of […]
Growing Community Gardens
Law isn’t something most people think about when planting seeds or planning a garden. Soil, sun, and the promised bounty of a late summer harvest aren’t often associated with incorporations, contracts, and municipal bylaws. While passion, community support, and hard work are the seeds and soil of any successful community garden, the law provides community […]
The land gives us more than food, but can the law give back?
Set foot on Ruzicka Sunrise Farm and something feels different. Whether it is the diversity of birds, the native prairie, or dugouts that test cleaner than some municipal water sources, Don and Marie Ruzicka are clearly deserving of the recognition they have received for environmental conservation. The Ruzickas raise poultry, hogs and beef using a […]
Food Safety in Canada – A Balancing Act?
In 1967, Pierre Trudeau famously stated that the Canadian government has no place in the bedrooms of the nation. What he didn’t comment upon was whether the government had a place in our kitchens. It did – and it still does. Although most of us rarely think of the federal government when we sit down […]
Do Canadians Have a Right to Adequate Food?
It may come as a surprise, but in Canada we have significant numbers of people who suffer from food insecurity. According to Health Canada, in 2007 to 2008, 7.7% (961,000) of Canadian households were food insecure; this represents 1.92 million adults and children aged 12 to 17. Health Canada’s definition of food insecurity is households […]