Some schools in the County are ahead of the curve, to quote Robin Baranyai, who instituted "Fresh Food Fridays" at Wellington's CML Snider four years ago.
Robin credits a supportive principal and a dedicated group of volunteers for making the program such a success. At $3.50, the meals are affordable, and the school council offers subsidies for families in need.
There are obstacles to change, however, and on-going challenges. Many small, rural schools are not equipped with kitchens; government funding is not available unless meals are offered at least three days per week; and when programs rely on volunteers, staffing can be a challenge.
Friday, June 20th, 2014 | Posted by Rick Conroy
Bee friendly
A wise general, they say, runs to the front lines just a few steps behind the guy who’s leading the charge. Second place is a safer bet; the guy in front might get blown to bits. But someone has to lead the way.
It takes courage to lead. When the County banned the use of neonicotinoid pesticides on municipal land, it became the first municipality in Canada to raise its standard in defence of the honeybee. In doing so, we set an example for the whole country. The crop of bright yellow “bee friendly” signs popping up on County lawns is evidence of a groundswell of popular support for council’s crusade.
In addition to taking local action, council has resolved to urge the federal and provincial governments to heed our example. It’s too bad they won’t. PrinceEdwardCounty should have some street cred (or farm cred) as a renowned agricultural heartland and trendy food-tourism destination. But Health Canada’s action plan is confined to re-evaluating neonics and “if warranted, regulatory action will be taken at any time to further protect pollinators.” The use of the passive tense subtly underlines the approach.
The European Union was the first to the front, voting last spring to impose a two-year moratorium on neonics, pending further study. In implementing the first continent-wide ban of its kind, officials sensibly acknowledged that the measure could, indeed, impact food production, as crop producers direly warned. Nevertheless, they asserted, waiting for conclusive proof risked irreparable harm. Without neonics, crop yields may drop; but without bees to pollinate the food crops, they will flatline. Massive honeybee die-offs have averaged nearly 30 per cent over the past several years. Several factors contribute to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD): the varroa mite; environmental stress such as extreme weather; habitat loss contributing to poor nutrition; and neonicotinoid pesticides, applied both by spraying and to pre-treated seeds. Opponents of a ban parade out this cluster of factors like reasonable doubt at a murder trial. With so many suspects in the bee deaths, proof of neonics’ precise role in colony collapse will remain elusive. Action is imperative.
Now that the County has taken a stand, watch for other communities to follow. The CBC reports that Hamilton Councillor Sam Merulla will bring forward a motion next month seeking consultation on neonics and “options for local action.” The councillor summarizes his frustration with continued inertia: “There’s an irresponsibility to the just-wait-and-see approach when there’s tangible evidence that we can’t afford to wait and see.”
Just 100 species of crops provide 90 per cent of the food grown worldwide. Seventy-one are pollinated by honeybees. Our fruit, vegetable and seed crops depend on pollinators. Eliminating neonics may not solve the whole problem, but just because someone’s malnourished doesn’t mean you keep feeding them poison.
Executive Director John Bennett of the Sierra Club sums it up nicely. Pesticide use is “just one of the causes of the overall decline of bees. But it’s one of the causes that we can actually control.”
robin@wellingtontimes.ca
