This is a tremendous opportunity
A tremendous opportunity for a world-class Agriculture and Food Hub adjacent to the City of Toronto is a distinct possibility.
Our vision for this Hub includes sustainable poly-cultural demonstration farms that help conserve our natural agricultural heritage and encourage Canadians to gain a better understanding and respect for food, farming and ecology.
The Agriculture Hub will provide education, offer engaging farm experiences, help support a vibrant farming community in the Park, and promote the long term use and preservation of the land. This Discovery Hub will actively connect the future with the past, the city with the farm, and personal with communal well-being. Contribute your thoughts to the Park’s 2014 Survey »
Your voice will help make this a reality
1. Actions you can now make
Contribute your thoughts to the Park’s 2014 Survey by Oct. 30, 2014 »
Send your thoughts to Parks Canada »
Email us questions to info@agrifoodhub.org »
2. Encourage your friends, colleagues and contacts to visit this website:
What is happening
For decades, many people have been trying to preserve the historic, unique, and beautiful Rouge Park from suburban development. Now, our governments are creating Canada’s first National Urban Park located conveniently on the eastern edge of Toronto.
This free park will have the usual National Park amenities. The difference is that more than 70% of the park's area (over 100 farms) will continue to be farmed.
They could remain as ordinary corn and soy cash crops; or they could become a model of working, demonstration and research farms interspersed with food education, storage, and processing facilities.
Find out more
More in depth information
View William Lishman's video of what the Park's agricultural lands look like now. »
See our Vision of the Benefits and Ideas for what could be included on the Park's agricultural lands »
Read about what is already succeeding on the agricultural lands in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park near Cleveland »
Take a look at the Park’s 2014 Draft Management Plan »
How you can support this initiative
Share your views in the Park’s 2014 Survey by Oct. 30, 2014. As you fill in the survey, we suggest you indicate the importance of ways an Agri-Food Hub can actively:
- encourage a better understanding and respect for farmers,
- provide educational farm and food experiences for visitors,
- support vibrant, sustainable, poly-cultural, local agriculture,
- conserve first-nations and historical agricultural heritage,
- promote the long-term use and preservation of the land.
And you and your colleagues are encouraged to complete this survey as often as you wish.
Encourage your friends, colleagues and contacts to visit this website. Inputs from across the country and around the world are all welcome.
Champion this Agriculture and Food Hub by telling Parks Canada that you think a wide variety of working farms should be included in the new Urban Park's agricultural lands.
Join our mailing list so that you will receive updates about progress on improving the Park's agricultural lands. (This mailing list will not be used for any other purpose.)
Your voice will help make this a reality
1. Actions you can now make
Contribute your thoughts to the Park’s 2014 Survey by Oct. 30, 2014 »
Send your thoughts to Parks Canada »
Email us questions to info@agrifoodhub.org »
2. Spread the word
Partners
