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9 |Thursday, January 26, 2017 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Local group wants Oakville to be a fair trade town by Nathan Howes O akville Beaver S ta ff An Oakville group wants more options available for residents looking to buy fair trade products locally. The steering committee, Making Oakville A Fair Trade Town, was established in 2 0 f6 in an attempt to designate it as one of many fair trade towns in southern Ontario, as set in Fairtrade Canada' s Fair Trade Town Action Guide. The six-member committee, which includes town councillors Ralph Robinson and Dave Gittings, recently held its inaugural formal meeting. Chair Shelly Sanders, ffart Jansson, Yuri Wu and Jennifer Jalal are the other members. "Fair trade works hand-in-hand with buying local, in the sense w e want people treated with respect, good wages and the environment taken care of. If you buy local, you're supporting local people," said Sanders. "Fair trade and that kind of synergy is going to be really important." Sanders, w ho organizes a fair trade sale at Maple Grove United Church every November, has wanted Oakville to become certified for numerous years. Other places are fair trade Fast year, the two m et with Wu, owner of Taste of Colombia: a fair-trade cafe in Bronte. The group then enlisted Gittings and the other residents to its ranks shortly after. Focus of steering committee "The steering committee, basically, is set up with the sole purpose of making Oakville a fair trade town. We are working with this plan that is set out. It is population-based," said Sanders. Because of Oakville' s current population, it needs a minimum of 3 f retail or grocery stores that offer a variety of fair trade products and f6 restaurants or cafes to make the designation happen, she noted. "Town council also has to start serving fair trade tea and coffee in its meetings. We need town support as w ell," said Sanders. Eventually it will go to Town council "A lot of places like Guelph, Toronto; Vancouver, B.C.; and Ottawa ... are all fair trade towns. I wanted to look into how w e can become a fair trade town. If others can do this, then what do w e have to do?" Sanders asked. After reading Fairtrade Canada' s action guide, the Oakville woman contacted town councillors to gauge interest, receiving initial response from Robinson. Oakville resident and author Shelly Sanders is leading a group that is work ing to see Oakville become a fair trade town. | Metroland Media The group will require council to pass a motion on the matter at som e point -- indicated by Gittings in the minutes from this m onth' s meeting -- as well as a signed contract from the town stating its approval. "He (Gittings) will contact Colleen Bell, w ho w ent through this process when she worked in Guelph, for information about their experiences and challenges," the summary stated. Sanders provides frequent updates to councillors and Mayor Rob Burton with respect to the group' s status and events. In addition to town support, the steering committee needs 18 community partners, and so far, has obtained help from seven local groups: Maple Grove United Church, Halton see Many on p.21 Don't miss out, now get double the data. · 3 G B o f d a ta + 3 G B b o n u s · U n lim ite d C a n a d a / U .S . ta lk · U n lim ite d g lo b a l te x t · L o w in te rn a tio n a l c a llin g s ta rtin g a t 1 C /m in u te M a ke a D a te w ith y o u r Sw eetheart! $ 4 0 Oakville Smart Centre 261 Oak Walk Drive Unit J2, Oakville 289.291.3261 Walkers Line 3505 Upper Middle Road Burlington 289.427.5260 O F FE R ENDS SO O N. 4 COURSE DINNER W ITH W INE | LATE EVENING DESSERT BUFFET | FEATURING LIVE MUSIC mobile fr e e d o m m o b ile .c a Appleby Village 5U1 New Street Burlington 905.635.0584 FREE »ories ($ 3 0 v a lu e ) With any new activation on a $40+ Pay After plan. Must activate at stores listed. Offer ends soon or while quantities last. FEB 1 1 * th ......... · · · · DOORS OPEN @ 6PM ANTIPASTO BAR - 6PM D IN N E R -7 :3 0 P M ALL INCLUSIVE $80 Per person Learn more at freedommobile.ca. Promo 40 plan is available for a limited time and is subject to change or cancellation without notice. Bonus 3GB of data per month will only be applied to the plan until January 31, 2018. May not be combined with any other in-market offer, with some exceptions. Additional terms and conditions apply. LG V20 is a registered trademark of LG Electronics Inc. Screen image simulated. The Freedom Mobile name and logos and other words, titles, phrases, marks, logos, icons, graphics are our trade-marks and are protected by law and may not be used, copied, imitated or used in whole or in part without our prior written consent. ST. JOSEPH'S BANQUET & CONFERENCE CENTRE 300 RIVER OAKS BLVD. EAST, OAKVILLE CALL: 416-457-6905 or valentine@sjucc.ca