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<\/p>\n\u201cThe answer is absolutely yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t<\/p>\n
\u201cThe shorter the distance between where the food is grown and where the food is eaten, the stronger and more reliable our supply becomes,\u201d Belanger said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means less dependence on long distance supply chains, more opportunities for communities and more control over our own food.\u201d<\/p>\n
The National Food Security Strategy includes $3.2 billion in investments over 10 years to expand domestic food production, strengthen food infrastructure, increase grocery competition and reduce regulatory barriers across the agricultural sector. The federal government says the goal is to build a more resilient Canadian food system while improving access to affordable, nutritious food.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that secure food security is not just some policy discussion, it\u2019s real life,\u201d Belanger said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople in the North are paying more simply because where we live. We know what it means when fresh, healthy food is harder to find.\u201d<\/p>\n
The strategy includes $1 billion for food infrastructure such as food terminals and local food hubs, $1 billion through Farm Credit Canada\u2019s Agri-food Project Finance Fund, $750 million to expand greenhouse and indoor food production, and a $150-million Food Security Fund to help Canadian businesses grow, produce and process more food domestically.<\/p>\n
The federal government has also opened applications for a new $20-million Community Support Stream under the Local Food Infrastructure Fund to help food banks and community organizations distribute nutritious food to people at risk of food insecurity. Belanger said applications close July 9. Green Lake has previously received funding through the program.<\/p>\n
Mayor Jim Laliberte said the initiative builds on Green Lake\u2019s history of local food production, recalling a time when nearly every household maintained gardens and raised livestock.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are the council\u2026 on behalf of the town people, we would like to reinvent that venture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputy Mayor Darwin Lafond said the community\u2019s greenhouse project is intended to improve access to fresh food while giving residents an opportunity to become involved.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe greenhouse that has been erected here, and along with other future greenhouses, will also provide people with a place to have coffee and also a mental wellness break, the taking care of the plants, if they choose to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the National Food Security Strategy spans 10 years, Belanger said he hopes many community food hubs will be \u201cwell underway\u201d by the end of 2028.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we speak with the Prime Minister on a number of initiatives, he always emphasizes speed, so we want to see success in this effort ASAP,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe quicker you move, the better and stronger our case becomes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we tell folks back in Ottawa, Green Lake could grow, Green Lake could sell, and they can do it fast. That\u2019s what I want to be able to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014<\/p>\n
Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThe answer is absolutely yes.\u201d \u201cThe shorter the distance between where the food is grown and where the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":775325,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[45,49,48],"class_list":["post-775324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=775324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/775325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=775324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=775324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=775324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}