About the Thunder Bay + Area Food Strategy

The Thunder Bay and Area Food Strategy brings local food players to the table to take a coordinated approach to achieving food security through the implementation of pertinent research, planning, policy, and program development. With over 40 members representing farmers, institutions, government, food security organizations and more, we are conveners and activators who implement the priorities of the Thunder Bay Food Charter to cook up a healthy, sustainable, and equitable food system.

The Thunder Bay and Area Food Strategy builds on years of community-led efforts to create a sustainable food system for Thunder Bay and Area. Supported by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Strategic Action Plan carries forward the principles ingrained in the Thunder Bay Food Charter in order to achieve long-term community food security to promote regional food self-reliance, healthy environments, and thriving economies.

The strategic action plan was developed through numerous rounds of consultation with the general public and diverse stakeholders in order to meet the region’s unique food system requirements. In the summer of 2014, the Thunder Bay and Area Food Strategy was successfully endorsed by Thunder Bay City Council, as well as the municipalities of Oliver Paipoonge,Conmee, O’Connor, Shuniah, Gilles, and Neebing.

The Thunder Bay and Area Food Strategy is built upon seven pillars of a sustainable food system. By strengthening these pillars, the Thunder Bay and Area Food Strategy is committed to contributing to the economic, ecological, and social well-being and health of Thunder Bay and Area.

Strategic Pillar: Food Access
Strategic Pillar: Forest & Freshwater Foods
Strategic Pillar: Infrastructure
Strategic Pillar: Food Procurement
Strategic Pillar: Food Production
Strategic Pillar: School Food Environments
Strategic Pillar: Urban Agriculture

Our Activities are Guided by 7 Strategic Values:

  1. Embody principles and practices of social, economic, and environmental justice, and Indigenous sovereignty.
  2. Commit to an interconnected systems approach to our work.
  3. Connect communities, amplify diverse voices, and celebrate successes.
  4. Advocate for policies that reflect local and regional food system needs.
  5. Support research, innovation, knowledge sharing, and social-economic development.
  6. Build a viable and inclusive organizational model.
  7. Support efforts that encourage inclusion and decrease food and economic insecurity.