On the morning of April 25th, 2020, the Province of Ontario announced an amendment to the COVID-19 emergency order permitting the use of allotment and community gardens.
“Permit the use of allotment gardens and community gardens across the province. These gardens are an essential source of fresh food for some individuals and families, including those who face food insecurity. Local medical officers of health will provide advice, recommendation and instructions that the gardens must meet in order to operate, such as physical distancing, and cleaning and disinfecting commonly used equipment and surfaces.”
We are very pleased that the Province has recognized the importance of the community gardens for individual and community food security. Food insecurity is an ever-present challenge for Middlesex-London, which is increasing this year with the disruptions from the pandemic. We are looking forward to announcements from the City of London and other municipalities in the area regarding details of when they will be allowing public access to their garden plots and what guidelines they will be operating under. We will be sharing those details with you as they are made available. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who has been involved in advocating for this. Your support and letters to your MPPs have been heard and effective.
The community gardens are only part of the solution for food insecurity. More is still needed. We at the Middlesex-London Food Policy Council are continuing to explore other ways that we as a community can increase food security now and bolstering our community’s resilience and food sovereignty for the future. We are pleased to hear from you concerns and ideas for continuing this work. Feel free to comment on this post or contact us at info@mlfpc.ca.
