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Celebrating 'Food Day Canada' at the Mountjoy Farmers' Market

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The Mountjoy Farmers' Market in Timmins is a 'bee hive' of activity this Civic holiday weekend.

This made for a good opportunity to acknowledge 'Food Day Canada' which is a grassroots celebration of farmers, chefs and cheese makers, just to name a few, who inspire us to shop, cook and dine 'Canadian.'

Although not many people in Timmins realize this day is 'Food Day Canada,' they do know where to go to get farm fresh food.

“I actually didn’t know that, but what a perfect place to come and celebrate Canada Food day," said Anne Vincent, a local resident who makes it a habit to shop at the market.

She added that what the day means to her is to "Support local, shop local, be aware of food security and grow things so we can feed ourselves.”

Another Timmins resident, Nat Berry said she picked up quite a few items this weekend.

“We got broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, we also got peaches, cucumbers, freshly baked buns and you know, flowers to put on the table of course from Northern Fleurista Sarah," said Berry.

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) said there are around 180 farmers' markets across the province and foods grown, raised and produced in Canada are as diverse as its population.

“The small farmer that would not sell at the market are producing enough now, they’re coming out, they’re enjoying themselves, they’re promoting themselves," said Roch Whissell, president of the Porcupine District Agricultural Society.

Cochrane-based farmer, Luke Dinan who owns Grey Wolf Gardens, said 'Food Day Canada' is a day to be thinking about who grows our food.

“Because we’re local we don’t need to pick varieties based on the ability to ship long distances so we can grow really beautiful produce because people, people eat with their eyes," he said.

Officials with OFA said the province is losing more than 300 acres of farmland a day and buying local is one way consumers can hep protect rapidly dwindling farmland and they also said the provincial government needs to step up.

“There’s definitely a need for better investment in infrastructure, in homes, affordable housing and that can be done already within existing boundaries of a city," said Jennifer Doelman, a Renfrew-area wheat farmer and director for OFA.

"In fact, those are actually some of your more affordable homes, it’s easier on municipalities to service those areas and kind of leave this area here for growing."

Whissell said with the growing number of vendors and people supporting them at farmers' markets, that will encourage more people to consider working in the agriculture sector. 

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