Item - 2021.EC23.4

During the review of the Order Paper on July 14, 2021, City Council adopted a procedural motion to remove this Item from the Economic and Community Development Committee and bring it forward to City Council for consideration.

The Economic and Community Development Committee:

1.  Received the report (June 16, 2021) from the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration for information.

At its meeting on November 25 and 26, 2020, City Council directed the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to convene and facilitate a community-led food table in St. James Town. The purpose of the St. James Town Community Food Table was to develop a collaborative framework to address food security in the neighbourhood and report back on the outcomes. The community food table has brought together local community-based agencies, including the OASIS Food Hub, Toronto Community Housing, relevant City divisions and other stakeholders to co-develop this framework.

The St. James Town Community Food Table began meeting in January 2021. This report details the outcomes of the table to date which include: the development of an Interim Collaborative Framework that describes a collective vision for food programming in St. James Town, the identification of three key actions and corresponding next steps to address food security in the neighbourhood, and a list of local spaces that could be made available for food-related programming and initiatives as well as the processes to secure these spaces. The St. James Town Community Food Table will continue with three Co-Chairs from the community for the next 6 months to move the table forward and finalize the Interim Collaborative Framework. Toronto Community Housing will also release a Request for Expression of Interest for their space at 200 Wellesley Street East in the fourth quarter of 2021 to further support food-related initiatives in the neighbourhood.