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© OPINION “SUMMER REVVIN' ROAD TRIP A GOOD TIME TO REFLECT 3 Summer offers usa won- < derful opportunity to r lish. £ For me, this summer re- ° charge includes an annual 8 nesta trip, offering an aralleled opportunity to 5 unplug and get ready for what lies ahead. This year's trip brought morning" or a "hello," even. stranger, is almost inevita- spirit with which it's deliv- ered. + Bob, an 86-year-old bar- tender (and owner) at Alex- ander's Ragtime pub in Oneida, N.Y., shows up to work at his business every day, even into the wee hours when his re: Jars call it night. Do what you Tove. young person in act MIKE FARWELL Column Ogun beamed. with pride as S they walked across a rainbow crosswalk in the busy downtown core. They had friends with them, ensuring that the mo- ment or that crossing was photos and mate the sense of belonging that e fostered by mething as seemingly simple as paint on asphalt. + At Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park in New Harbor, Maine, a young man sat in quiet contempla- tion on a bench adorned with a memorial plaque. He made notesina book hecar- ried with him, jotting down memories of his parents, to whom the bench he was sit- ting upon had been memo- rialized. echis day would have is 's birthday Mert if couldn’ t help but won- der of all the other encoun- ters he'd had this day while carrying this burden of grief. Would the interac- tions he'd had with others know what another Person is carrying with them wl we interact with them on any given day Hopefully. ‘as we all re- charged this summer, we took advantage of the op- portunity to reflect on the challenges we face as a community. From home- lessness and affordability to mental health and addic- tion, the challenges are unting and won't be solved i in isolation. Nothing is accomplished ina silo. With summer reflection, perhaps we arrive at a newed understanding Of the collaborative et effort that these issues. Having had the opportunity to reset, we may be able to enter this ex- ercise with a sincere will- ingness to embrace ideas other than our own. TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA Metro Creative photo Summer offers us a wonderful opportunity to recharge our batteries, reset our priorities, and reflect on how we approach the goals we'd like to accomplish, writes Mike Farwell. recognizes the need for full, we epiradiens When it temic change we want to achieve, will we accept that it can only happen with the participation of those work- within the systems we neighbours, no matter their station, to believe in the earnestness of their own ef- forts? There's no small task ahead. Let's hope that our summer reset can be the catalyst for a restored spirit of co-operation, one that in solving the big problems that lie before us. Though the ‘¢ aoa is different, an oft-rey message from the past 3 et eral years resonates. Tis ino published ursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 70 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants wri al ia Council Suite rey to Yonge St., ronto, Phone: A16- 3A! 981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca nne | Aocna “Saat | Canada Fs sao clio ca We truly to- gether. Columnist Mike Far- well is a broadcaster, MC and advocate. Follow him on Twitter at @far- well_WR, or connect with him via Mike.Far- well@rci.rogers.com. IMPORT REPLACEMENT CRITICAL TO OUR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY moving Canada's limited wing season, we have a historic almost forced, re- e on imported foods during long periods of the rethe pretty much e' major with fruits and vegetables from around the world. In the current Canadian food retail sector, as much as 90 per cent of the leafy greens consumers buy are impor- ted from Arizona or Cali- fornia. There is risk to this; in particular, a risk to Cana- da's food sovereignty. Ata high level, food sov- ereignty is a nation's abili- ty to grow, raise and pro- cess the food it needs to feed its population. Weath- er has been a great limiting § factor impacting, or lim: , Canada's food sover- wn Cani agriculture for as ae as 2 half the year, it can be 3 Produce aisle of N BARRY MURCHIE Column challenge to make sure isa consistent and Seay supply of food i Canadians year rounc Dat with technology and innovation in agricul- ture, Canada is in a posi- tion to address that chal- lenge and replace the im- ports on which we have been relying for genera: tions. This concept — port replacement — is crit. ical to our food sovereignty. Importing food isa volar tile element in a C: gile. A drought flood can result in food shortage and massive price spikes. Trade disputes or, dare it be said, global pan- demics can shut down bor- ders, limiting access to sta- ples and foods we count on. dies enable farmers abroad to undercut domes: tic farmers, adding m instability to our food sup. ply then more we can re- place those imports, the better. any is already in the greenhouse Stora enabling some ome grown "hothouse" fruit and vegetables like to- matoes, cucumbers and peppers to be available all year. The next advance to bol- ster our food Sovereignty i is e indoor vertical farm supply t the leafy greens we enjoy salads, on sand- wiches o orfor apunch of nu- trients in a delicious smoothie. Immune to extreme weather events, climate- controlled and free of pesti- fares maximize duction ina small. footprint —a vertical farm can har- vest 40 crops of ‘nic greens, and 20 crops of ba- by greens each year — are fully automated, limit- ing human contact with the product until the consum- er gets « home. The con- trolled environment en- sures ‘consistency i in quali- ty, predictability in supply and extended shelf Ife due to local growing, in turn in- sulating consumers from wild price fluctuations and supply interruptions. Perhaps most impor- tant is that these farms are not competing with open- field farming in ' The microgreens and baby greens most suitable to an indoor growing environ- ment “are largely imported from the southwestern United States. wing "these leafy Guin r Vice President, Editorial Lee Ann Waterman Metroland Editor-in-Chief Paul Berton Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira the calendar not only helps secure our food sovereign- ty, it also removes thou- sands of food miles from theroads, reducing the cai bon footprint of Ce Canadian agriculture. And that doesn't touch on the health benefits of lo- cal pro a plant is is harvested, vit be- sins to leach nutrients. - The spel in transport, the fewer Sat 0 times the nutrients of their mature plant counter- parts, and lose less after harvest because they do not take as long to get on store shelves. In this time of uncer- tainty, import replacement can make Canada largely self: sufficient, stabilizing our food system and secur- ing our food sovereignty. we Murchie is presi- nt and chief executive on ‘icer of Guelph-based oodLeaf Farms. sentatives Jan Bodanka, Matt Miller, Lisa ae imphreys, Cassandra Del Managin g Editor Robyn Wilkinson ‘Online Editor Loraine Centeno Ned Bekavac Reporter ap Jackson Director vices Paul Gos tin iterloo Chronic! 219 Labrador Dr. suite He Waterloo, On., N2K 4M8 Phone: 519-886-2830. Web: www.waterloochronicle.ca rs to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. 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