The Parkdale People’s Economy Project is building just local (food) economies through  a Community Land Trust model, a local currency program Co-op Cred program;   community-based food distribution and procurement initiatives through Community Food Flow project.

Here is a quick presentation on Parkdale People’s Economy

History

The Parkdale People’s Economy (PPE) project got its start back in Fall 2010 when PARC commissioned a research project to the Urban Planning program at the University of Toronto to investigate the impacts of gentrification on food security in Parkdale. From this research project, the group of graduate students produced a report, “Beyond Bread and Butter: Toward Food Security in a Changing Parkdale.” Recommending policy options and community-based strategies, this report has been serving as a ‘road map’ for community planning efforts in Parkdale.

Since the release of the report in December 2010, two particular recommendations have been put into action. In 2011, Parkdale Food Coalition, now Parkdale Food Network, was formed to explore and facilitate community responses to food insecurity. Meanwhile, a Community Land Trust model was taken up for the further exploration through researching cases from other cities and engaging experts, key community players and researchers in the conversation. Out of initial investigation,  “A Place for Everyone: Parkdale CLT” report was published.

In 2012, the PPE received funding from the Metcalf Foundation to examine and test these innovative community economic development initiatives – the Co-op Cred program and a Community land trust model – in partnership with Greenest City and West End Food Coop. Echo Foundation also provided support to the development and implementation of the Co-op Cred program with PARC Ambassadors team.

In 2013, PARC, a lead of collaborative, received a two-year grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to conduct a community food assessment study with a emphasis on food distribution and procurement in the non-profit community food sector – the Food Flow project.