Item - 2021.EC24.9

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council adopt the Toronto Black Food Sovereignty Plan in Appendix A to the report (September 8, 2021) from the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration.

2.  City Council request the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, in collaboration with relevant City divisions, to report back to City Council, through the Economic and Community Development Committee, on the progress and implementation of the Toronto Black Food Sovereignty Plan, as part of the annual reporting on the delivery of the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism.

Anti-Black racism has negatively impacted key social determinants of health for Black communities, and has been directly linked to increased rates of food insecurity among Black Canadians, leading to adverse mental and physical health outcomes.

This report responds to the need for immediate and comprehensive action to address the problem of food insecurity experienced by many Black Torontonians. It specifically responds to the July 2020 Board of Health direction to develop a Black Food Sovereignty Plan that will increase access to healthy, affordable and culturally appropriate food, and to combat the root causes of food insecurity to build increased resilience and wellbeing for Black communities to advance post-pandemic recovery efforts. This report also responds to the June 2020 Board of Health declaration that recognized anti-Black racism as a public health crisis necessitating targeted action. The recommendations enclosed also seek to advance the realization of TO Prosperity, the City of Toronto's 20-year Poverty Reduction Strategy, and the City's commitment to champion the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent through addressing long-standing Black health disparities to improve development, justice and liberation for Black residents.

The City of Toronto is globally recognized as a food systems and equity leader, yet research continues to show that Black families are 3.5 times more likely to be food insecure compared to white families, with 36.6 percent of Black children living in food insecure households. High food insecurity rates have been linked to poor health outcomes, including an increased likelihood of developing chronic diseases, like diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular disease and depression. Populations most affected by food insecurity have also been identified as being more vulnerable to COVID-19, putting Black populations at greater risk of contracting the virus.

The development of a Black Food Sovereignty Plan will provide a framework to advance these considerations, using a community and public health informed approach to address the issue of chronic Black food insecurity by dismantling systemic socioeconomic barriers, while increasing access, opportunity and Black community ownership over their local food systems. The implementation of this Plan will not only benefit Black residents, but will embed and accelerate an anti-racism and equity-centred approach to benefit all Torontonians and food work at the City.

Using a multi-sectoral, interdivisional and community co-leadership model, the Plan will work toward achieving three primary objectives:

1.  Develop City-supported, Black-led initiatives dedicated to addressing food insecurity issues that disproportionately impact Black communities;

2.  Identify and establish sustained supports and funding for Black-led, Black-serving, and Black mandated food organizations and Black food sovereignty community infrastructure; and

3.  Engage, align, and leverage new and existing City strategies and initiatives to advance systems change and shared goals to realize Black food sovereignty outcomes in neighbourhoods with high Black populations.

The implementation of the Plan will also support the successful delivery of the Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unit's year three work plan deliverables and year four priorities. The Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration will report back to City Council, through the Economic and Community Development Committee, on the progress and implementation of the Plan as part of the annual reporting on the delivery of the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism.