by Eleanor Sawyer
UPDATE (April 25): The Ontario government has amended its emergency orders to permit the use of allotment gardens and community gardens during the pandemic. “These gardens are an essential source of fresh food for some individuals and families, including those who face food insecurity. Local medical officers of health will provide advice, recommendation and instructions that the gardens must meet in order to operate, such as physical distancing, and cleaning and disinfecting commonly used equipment and surfaces.”
Just Food, which coordinates the Community Gardening Network (CGN) of Ottawa, is urging the provincial government to reverse its decision of March 31 to close all community gardens across the province due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The organization believes community gardens were mistakenly classified as recreational activities as opposed to essential food services.
In Ottawa alone, there could be as many as 7,000 people relying on community gardens to supplement their food.
Ottawa food banks also receive much-needed fresh food from these community gardens.
Many thousands of people in the Ottawa area have already invested in their seeds and started seedlings for this season.
There are tens of thousands of people across the province who grow food for their households.
On March 31, Just Food urged people to send an open letter from Sustain Ontario to their MPP, or to all the Ottawa-area MPPs if the garden is a citywide service, with a copy to jf2@justfood.ca, so they could track the number of letters. The organization is also working with both provincial MPPs and municipal councillors to reverse the government’s decision.
Ottawa Public Health has agreed to work with them to develop safe practices for community gardeners once the decision has been reversed.
The B.C. government reversed an earlier decision it had taken and has now made community gardens essential services.
The city of Gatineau is supporting 22 community and collective gardens with the requirement that gardeners comply with the guidelines for physical distancing and use of common equipment.
Just Foods is a nonprofit, local, community-based organization that works on both rural and urban foods issues in Ottawa and the surrounding region.
For more information on the organization and the open letter, or if you are interested in supporting community gardeners, see justfood.ca or community.gardening@justfood.ca
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