The borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville will implement a self-sufficient and sustainable food system in the district of Bordeaux-Cartierville thanks to financial aid of one million dollars granted by the Gouvernement du Québec, via the Climat municipalités - Phase 2 program.
This was announced today by Benoit Charette, Minister of the Environment and of the Fight against Climate Change, Minister responsible for the Fight against Racism and Minister responsible for the region of Laval.
The project, "Système alimentaire Bordeaux-Cartierville - de la fourche à la fourchette" (Bordeaux-Cartierville Food System - From Farm to Fork), aims to create a collaborative network that will integrate the production, processing, distribution and consumption of food products, in addition to providing for the management and recovery of waste products. The funding will be used to create spaces for growing vegetables and planting fruit trees, to build a new collective kitchen and to distribute food baskets to people in need throughout the borough.
Using a social innovation approach, the food system will engage community partners and local food system stakeholders to increase food accessibility in the borough. The organizations that will take part in the project will be financially supported in the development of a service offer that includes educational and awareness-raising workshops on healthy eating habits, local consumption and urban agriculture.
This food system will reduce the ecological footprint of local food supply chain and support the economic and social vitality of the Bordeaux-Cartierville community. This initiative is one of the projects selected in the third call for projects of the Climate municipalités - Phase 2 program, which supports pilot projects to fight climate change.
Quotes:
"Municipalities play a key role in helping communities adapt to climate change. Well aware of the issues specific to their territory, they are able to propose concrete solutions that will effectively support resilient and sustainable development. By supporting local food autonomy in Bordeaux-Cartierville, the borough is pursuing its commitment to adopt best practices in sustainable development. These practices will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Congratulations on this inspiring and unifying initiative!"
Benoit Charette, Minister of the Environment and of the Fight against Climate Change, Minister responsible for the Fight against Racism and Minister responsible for the region of Laval
"As construction work begins on Phase I of the Cartierville Cultural and Community Centre (CCCC), this food system project is already showing how the CCCC can become a hub of social innovation in Bordeaux-Cartierville. Not only is the project supported by organizations that will soon be grouped together at the CCCC, but a vegetable garden will be grown on the Centre's grounds and its kitchen will be used for food processing. I sincerely thank the Gouvernement du Québec for the funding provided for this project, as well as all the partners who are making it possible."
Émilie Thuillier, Mayor of Ahuntsic-Cartierville and member of the Executive Committee of the City of Montréal
Highlights:
This project is receiving financial assistance from the Gouvernement du Québec through the Climat municipalités - Phase 2 program and is concords with the objectives of the Plan pour une économie verte 2030.
Climat municipalités - Phase 2 aims to support municipalities in taking action to fight climate change. It has two components:
Component 1 - Support for the preparation of climate-change-fighting projects (analyses and studies);
Component 2 - Support for climate-change-fighting pilot projects.
Component 2 of the program has a total budget of $35 million. The maximum funding available per pilot project is $1 million.
The Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough's sustainable food system project received a grant of $1 million and cost a total of $1,822,602.
