Eating local

Increasing residents awareness to local alternatives keeps jobs in the city and creates a better relationship with farmers says a wild boar producer.

The True North Community Co-operative opened its doors to the public for the first time on Saturday. The new addition to Bay Street held a barbecue with local meats and veggies on the menu. The co-op aimed to bring more unity among local providers while strengthens the regional food system.

Rob Walsh, a local wild boar producer, said he sells his produce weekly to local venders and generally, made about $10,000 a year before taxes from his boar meat. He added he makes other products including some baking.

Walsh started selling to the co-op just a few weeks ago. He joined other local producers at the barbecue to bring further awareness to his products.

"There is some good local stuff out there," Walsh said. " For the farmers that can’t attend the market, this is another avenue for them to get their products to sell."

Walsh said the relationship between people in the city and the local farmers isn’t as strong as it once was. Supporting local and regional farmers would help to improve this relationship while keeping jobs and money in Thunder Bay and the region, he said.

Joseph LeBlanc, co-president for the True North Community Co-Operative, said the co-op offered products from 15 local producers. Not all the products sold were food but jewelry and cosmetics. LeBlanc said that any local producer could join the co-op with a annual membership fee of $25, or an individual membership $15 annually or commercial membership for $40 annually.

"This will be a market for anyone who wants to produce something in northern Ontario," LeBlanc said. "Shopping locally not only reduces our carbon footprint but also support local entrepreneurs and keeping money in the community. Our main goal is to build community resilience through a stronger local economy."

With the cold fall and winter seasons in northern Ontario, LeBlanc said that won’t stop local products from being sold. The first winter will act as a learning curve for the store to understand what residents needs are, he said.

He added some food would be canned while others could be still produced all year round.

Coun. Linda Rydholm, representing the mayor’s office, said she and her husband used to own a dairy farm and tried to eat as locally as possible. She said she was excited about the project and glad it was able to opens its doors.

"I have my own vegetable garden and I’m eating well," Rydholm said. "As a health-care practitioner for a number of years, I preached and taught good health and good eating habits."