November 15, 1999

To: Community Services Committee

From: Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services

Subject: Establishing a Food and Hunger Action Committee

Purpose:

To seek Council's approval to establish a Food and Hunger Action Committee and recommend a budget of $20,000.00 be established through the 2000 budget process in the Task Forces budget in the Other Corporate Expenditures Account.

Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

Twenty Thousand Dollars is recommended to support the Phase 1 work of the Food and Hunger Action Committee. This amount will be requested as part of the Task Forces budget in the Other Corporate Expenditures Account through the 2000 budget process.

It is proposed that the 2000 budget request of $20,000 be funded by reallocating base funding from the 1999 Approved Task Forces budget ($505,000) in the Non-Program Expenditures budget, resulting in a net zero impact in 2000. In addition, in-kind staff support will be provided from the Social Development and Administration Division and Public Health for this initiative.

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer reviewed this report and concurs with the financial impact statement.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) Council establish a Food and Hunger Action Committee which will report to Council through the Community Services Committee;

(2) Council adopt the terms of reference outlined in this report for the Food and Hunger Action Committee;

(3) A budget of $20,000.00 be requested as part of the 2000 budget process in the Task Forces budget of the Other Corporate Expenditures Account to support the Phase 1 activities of the Food and Hunger Action Committee; and

(4) Funding of the 2000 budget request of $20,000 be considered from reallocating based funding from the 1999 Approved Task Forces budget ($505,000 in the Non-Program Expenditures budget), from other initiatives that have wound down and do not require funding in 2000;

(5) As part of the 2000 Operating Budget process, the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services identify what initiatives have wound down and will not need funding in 2000, in order that funding of $20,000 could be considered for reallocation to the proposed Food and Hunger Action Committee;

(6) This report be forwarded to the Policy and Finance Committee for consideration, and the Budget Advisory Committee secretary for budget process pending file, in accordance with the Financial Control Protocols adopted by Council; and

(7) The appropriate City Officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

Background:

On October 15, 1999, Hunger Watch, in association with Councillors Korwin-Kuczynski, Pam McConnell, Jane Pitfield, Irene Jones and Brad Duguid hosted a World Food Day Symposium which included a presentation by the Mayor, workshops with senior staff from the City, and an announcement of a proposed Commission on Food and Hunger.

On November 2, 1999, the Millennium Task Force had before it a communication from Councillor Pam McConnell proposing that a Commission on Food and Hunger be established, and outlining a terms of reference for the Commission. The Millennium Task Force referred the matter to the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services requesting a report to the December meeting of the Community Services Committee.

Comments:

As identified in Councillor McConnell's proposal for a Commission on Food and Hunger (see Appendix "A"), the City responses to food and hunger issues are many and varied. For example, the Toronto Food Policy Council is a sub-committee of the Board of Health; there are grants made available to community-based agencies; nutrition programs in school co-sponsored with the school boards; support to food access programs; and the work of Public Health in promoting access to nutritional food. However, in the new City of Toronto, there has been no opportunity to inventory City responses, making it difficult to assess our effectiveness in meeting the needs of City residents.

Further, as identified by Hunger Watch, the pressure on City and community-based resources to meet the basic needs of an increasing number of City residents is building; exacerbated by policy and funding changes at senior levels of government. For example, the Department has been asked to report in the New Year on the issue of City funding to food banks. In addition, Council recently adopted the Action Plan for the Children's Report Card, which calls for increased City support for the expanded Child Nutrition Program and establishing the Peer Nutrition Program. The Food and Hunger Action Committee provides a forum and opportunity to begin assessing needs and current City responses, and recommending steps toward a more comprehensive policy and service strategy for the City respecting food access.

The Department has reviewed the terms of reference proposed by Councillor McConnell and offers the following minor amendments. It is proposed that the initiative be renamed the Food and Hunger Action Committee. Further, it is recommended that the Action Committee be established as a sub-committee of Community Services Committee, given the significant role the Community and Neighbourhood Services Department, and in particular Public Health, plays in responding to food and hunger issues. These amendments have been incorporated into a revised terms of reference found in Appendix "B".

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Department will provide staff resources from Public Health and Social Development and Administration Division to assist in supporting the Action Committee's work. However, the staffing required to conduct the literature review and consolidate the research information and consultation findings into a report and the printing and distribution costs for the report can not be accommodated within existing Departmental resources. It is therefore recommended that $20,000.00 be allocated for this initiative from the Task Forces budget in the Other Corporate Expenditures Account as part of the 2000 budget process. The $20,000.00 would be reallocated from within the Task Forces budget from other initiatives that have wound down and do not require funding in 2000. Therefore there would be no net impact on the Task Forces budget request related to Community and Neighbourhood Services Department led initiatives.

Conclusions:

The Food and Hunger Action Committee provides an opportunity for the City to identify the hunger and food issues, consolidate the information on the range of City responses to these issues, begin articulating the City role and policy framework for responding to food and hunger issues, and recommending further action and strategies.

The Department supports the proposed terms of reference developed by Councillor Pam McConnell as a first phase in addressing food and hunger issues, and recommends the Committee be named the Food and Hunger Action Committee. Further it is recommended that the Committee report to the Community Services Committee on its findings and recommendations.

The Social Development and Administration Division and Public Health will provide policy and research support toward this initiative, however, additional support for the Action Committee's work will be required. Therefore, the Department is recommending that $20,000.00 be allocated from the Task Forces Budget in the Other Corporate Expenditures Account in the 2000 budget process.

Contact:

Nancy Matthews

Manager, Social Policy Unit

Phone: 392-8614

Fax: 392-8492

Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services

List of Attachments:

Appendix "A": Proposal for a Commission on Food and Hunger

Appendix "B": Proposed Terms of Reference for the Food and Hunger Action Committee

Appendix "B"

Proposed Terms of Reference for the Food and Hunger Action Committee

Mandate:

The Food and Hunger Action Committee will work to improve food security and access to nutritious food and reduce hunger in the City of Toronto.

The Action Committee will work in two phases.

Phase 1 will consolidate the information currently available on the state of food and hunger related issues in the City, using community consultations and internal review of material currently available. Phase 1 will make initial recommendation about how to proceed on these issues.

Subject to the outcome of Phase1, Phase 2 will identify policy and program changes required to improve the co-ordination and delivery of food and hunger related services, and determine the appropriate respective roles for each level of government. The Commission will report through the Community Services Committee to Council proposing a specific Phase 2 mandate, and the allocation of appropriate resources prior to initiating Phase 2.

Phase 1: Activities:

The Action Committee will conduct consultations in all areas of the City, providing local residents, community groups and local Councillors an opportunity to identify food and hunger issues affecting their community and the City as a whole.

The Action Committee will work with relevant City Departments and divisions, including Public Health, Social Development and Administration, Economic Development and Tourism and Urban Planning and Development to compile an inventory of City programs and policies affecting food and hunger issues in Toronto.

The Action Committee will review available literature of urban food and hunger issues in Toronto and other jurisdictions, and receive briefings from key stakeholders.

The Action Committee will consolidate the findings from the consultations, the program inventory and the literature review, and based on those findings, make initial recommendations on methods of improving nutrition's and reducing hunger, including proposals for the mandate of the Action Committee in Phase 2.

The Action Committee will compile its finding and recommendation in a "Report on Food and Hunger" to be presented to Council through the Community Services Committee.

Phase 1: Timelines:

Consultations will occur between January and March 2000.

The program inventory and literature review will be completed by April 1, 2000.

The Action Committee will draft its report in April 2000and present it to the May meeting of the Community Services Committee.

Phase 1: Responsibilities:

The activities will take place under the direction of the Action Committee using resources from the City and community groups. Specifically:

The consultations will be coordinated, staffed and supported by the Hunger Watch Coalition, including scheduling meetings, arranging space, and providing notification and on-site management of the meetings.

An inter-departmental working group led by Social Development and Administration Division and including Public Health, Parks and Recreation, Economic Development and Urban Planning and Development Services will conduct the inventory of programs.

Conducting the literature review will be the responsibility of the Community and Neighbourhood Services Department.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Department will compile the report of the Action Committee with the assistance of the Hunger Watch Coalition.

The City will fund the printing of the report and the distribution will be funded and co-ordinated jointly by the City and the Hunger Watch Coalition.

Membership:

The membership of the Action Committee will include Councillors Chris Korwin-Kuczynski, Pam McConnell, Jane Pitfield, Irene Jones, and Brad Duguid.