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Food Justice means dismantling racism within the food movement in order for communities to access fresh, affordable, healthy, culturally appropriate and ecologically sound food. Unfortunately, many residents of the Black Creek area, including the Jane Finch neighbourhood, have been facing food injustice for decades. The Jane-Finch neighbourhood has one of the highest rates of food insecurity. The challenges to food security are largely rooted in employment conditions.The high rates of temporary/agency work in the community contribute to food insecurity by providing a low wage, not providing health benefits, and not offering consistent income. In particular, migrant workers grow our food and are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 yet they do not have access to basic employment benefits and protections. Jane Finch residents deserve the right to accessible, healthy food. All workers deserve employment benefits & protections, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of their immigration status.
#RealJFactions #RealJFcommunity #JaneFinchActionAgainstPoverty #JFAAP #SocialHousing #JaneFinch #BlackLivesMatter #AntiPoverty #Poverty #Resistance #FoodJustice #BlackCreekFoodJustice #FoodInsecurity #MigrantWorkers #COVID19
Image Description: Image 1: Title: What is “Food Justice”?
Food Justice means dismantling racism within the food movement in order for communities to access fresh, affordable, healthy, culturally appropriate and ecologically sound food. Unfortunately, many residents of the Black Creek area, including the Jane Finch neighbourhood, have been facing food injustice for decades. (Icons: cartoon of three hands of different skin tones in a fist-shape pointing upwards, Black Creek Food Justice Network logo)
Image Description: Image 2: Title: What’s happening?
The Jane-Finch neighbourhood has one of the highest rates of food insecurity. Despite having one of the lowest income rates, residents are paying more than all other regions in the GTA for healthy produce. Moreover, grocery stores in the area “lock-up” certain products and police shoppers, highlighting the criminalization of poverty and race.
The challenges to food security are largely rooted in employment conditions. The high rates of temporary/agency work in the community contribute to food insecurity by providing a low wage, not providing health benefits, and not offering consistent income. In particular, migrant workers grow our food and are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 yet they do not have access to basic employment benefits and protections. Jane Finch residents deserve the right to accessible, healthy food. All workers deserve employment benefits & protections, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of their immigration status. (Icons: cartoon of blue bowl with tomatoes, carrots, broccoli ; cartoon of black man with blue farmer’s hat and blue shirt with black overall straps)
Image Description: Image 3: Title: What’s the problem?
Residents of the Jane Finch area shouldn’t face difficulty accessing food as a result of their employment conditions, immigration status, and urban location. Food Justice means being able to access affordable, culturally relevant and healthy food. It means having access to secure and stable employment so you can achieve this. It means not being policed in grocery stores by virtue of your race and socio-economic status. It means having access to lands to grow your own food.
Food justice cannot be achieved without also working towards justice for migrant labourers. Migrant workers spend the majority of the year in Canada, yet cannot access any of the basic benefits of Canadian citizens or residents. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected the migrant workers growing our food but they still do not have access to health coverage or employment insurance. This has to change. (Source: Black Creek Food Justice Network Report).Everyone should have access to affordable, culturally relevant and healthy food. This means improving employment conditions for all, including migrant workers. (Icons: cartoon of scales of justice on a green background)
Image Description: Image 4: Title: What are our demands?
In accordance with the demands listed by Black Creek Food Justice Network’s Report, JFAAP demands: #Status4All and safe working conditions for all, especially migrant workers, Support for Urban Growin, Make Food More Affordable by Raising Wages and Social Safety Nets, Remove security guards and undercover police from grocery stores (high-income and/or largely white neighbourhoods do not have visible security presence). The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on food insecurity and migrant labourers has made these demands more pressing. Food Justice for all – NOW! (Icons: cartoon of black woman with pink hair in a blue dress holding a megaphone, cartoon of a white paper with blue lines on a blue clipboard)
Image Description: Image 5: Title: What can you do to support?
Join us on September 2nd at the corner of Jane and Finch from 3 pm -7 pm for a physically-distanced day of community action in support of food justice and migrant workers’ rights! Follow Black Creek Food Justice Network (@blackcreekfoodjustice), Migrant Workers Alliance (@migrantworkersalliance), Justicia for Migrant Workers (@harvestingfreedom), Black Creek Community Farm (@blackcreekcommunityfarm), to learn more and share! Connect with JFAAP to keep up to date with community initiatives [email info@jfaap.com] Share this post to spread the word and tag us using #JFAAP and @JFAAP! (Icons: cartoon of orange woman with red hair in a green dress holding up a pink sign with one hand while the other hand is in a fist, Jane Finch Action Against Poverty logo, Black Creek Food Justice Network logo, cartoon of black man wearing striped long-sleeve red shirt with a pink beanie holding up a green sign with both hands)
Jane Finch Action Against Poverty 