Wayne Roberts (30 September 1944 – 20 January 2021) was a Canadian food policy analyst and writer. He was known for his role as the manager of the
Toronto Food Policy Council
The Toronto Food Policy Council (TFPC) is a citizen body of food activists and experts responsible for generating food policy for the City of Toronto government.
Formed in 1991, the 30-member TFPC supports scores of programs with the shared goal o ...
(TFPC) from 2000-2010. The TFPC, a citizen body of thirty food activists, is responsible for generating food policy for the
City of Toronto government
The municipal government of Toronto ( incorporated as the City of Toronto) is the local government responsible for administering the city of Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a rec ...
.
As a leading member of the
City of Toronto government
The municipal government of Toronto ( incorporated as the City of Toronto) is the local government responsible for administering the city of Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a rec ...
's Environmental Task Force, Roberts helped develop a number of official plans for the city, including its Environmental Plan ''Clean, Green and Healthy: A Plan for an Environmentally Sustainable Toronto'' and ''Toronto's Food Charter.'' These were adopted by
Toronto City Council
Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The current term began on November 15, 2022.
Structure
The cur ...
in 2000 and 2001 respectively. His manual, based on Toronto's experiences, is called, ''Food for City Building: a Field Guide for Planners, Actionists and Entrepreneurs.''
Roberts included many ideas and projects of the TFPC in his book, ''The No-Nonsense Guide to World Food'' (2013).
In April 2009, under Roberts's leadership, the TFPC received the Bob Hunter Environmental Achievement Award for its efforts to make food an action item on the environmental agenda. The TFPC also won honorary mention for a major award from the
Community Food Security Coalition
The Community Food Security Coalition was a North American non-profit made up of 325 member organizations who focus on social and economic justice, the environment, nutrition, sustainable agriculture, community development, labor, anti-poverty, an ...
that honors exceptional work to promote
food sovereignty
Food sovereignty is a food system in which the people who produce, distribute, and consume food also control the mechanisms and policies of food production and distribution. This stands in contrast to the present corporate food regime, in which ...
in October 2009.
Roberts died on 20 January 2021 at the age of 76.
Career
Roberts earned a Ph.D. in social and economic history from the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
in 1978. He has written twelve books, including: ''Get A Life!'' (1995) a manual on green economics, and ''Real Food For A Change'' (1999), which promotes a food system based on the four ingredients of health, joy, justice and nature. From 1989 to 2013, he wrote a column for ''
NOW Magazine,'' generally on themes that linked social justice, public health and
green economics
A green economy is an economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, and that aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment. It is closely related with ecological economics, but has a more politi ...
.
In 2002, Roberts received the
Canadian Environment Award for his contributions to sustainable living. ''NOW'' Magazine named Roberts one of Toronto's leading visionaries of the past twenty years. In 2008, he received the Canadian Eco-Hero Award presented by
Planet in Focus. In 2011, he received the University of Toronto's Arbor Award in recognition of his role in launching the university's first post-secondary courses on food security studies at
New College.
Roberts chaired the Toronto-based Coalition for a Green Economy for fifteen years.
Prior to his involvement with environmental issues, Roberts was active in the Trotskyist movement during the 1970s, and later worked for two decades in community organizing, university teaching, media, labor education, industrial relations and union administration. During the latter part of this period, he wrote a number of books including: ''Cracking The Canadian Formula'' (1992) on the
Energy and Chemical Workers Union
In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: wikt:ἐνέργεια#Ancient_Greek, ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is #Energy transfer, transferred to a phy ...
, ''Don't Call Me Servant'' (1993) on the
Ontario civil service and
Ontario Public Service Employees Union
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU; french: Syndicat des employés de la fonction publique de l'Ontario EFPOlink=no) is a trade union representing public sector employees in the province of Ontario, Canada. It claims a membership ...
, and ''Giving Away a Miracle'' (1992) on
Bob Rae
Robert Keith Rae (born August 2, 1948) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who is the current Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations since 2020. He previously served as the 21st premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, leader of the ...
's
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
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(NDP) government in Ontario.
Before his retirement in September 2010, Roberts was a major contributor to
Toronto Medical Officer of Health David McKeown's food strategy report called ''Cultivating Food Connections.'' Roberts served on the boards of
FoodShare,
Unitarian Service Committee
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) is a non-profit, nonsectarian associate member organization of the Unitarian Universalist Association that works to provide disaster relief and promote human rights and social justice around the w ...
, Alternatives Journal, as well as Sustain Ontario's Advisory Council.
Roberts was a regular reporter on local and global food issues for ''
Rabble.ca
rabble.ca is an alternative, left-leaning English-language Canadian online magazine founded in 2001. It features podcasts, videos and a discussion board called ''babble''.
History
Judy Rebick and Mark Surman founded rabble.ca on April 18, 2 ...
.''
He spoke across Europe and North America on matters related to food policy councils, food charters,
food waste
Food loss and waste is food that is not eaten. The causes of food waste or loss are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during production, processing, distribution, retail and food service sales, and consumption. Overall, about o ...
and food-related careers.
Awards
* 2013 - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition o
his community service contributions.
* 2012 - Lifetime achievement award from
Food Secure Canada, recognizing his encouragement of youth activists.
See also
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Food Security
Food security speaks to the availability of food in a country (or geography) and the ability of individuals within that country (geography) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuffs. According to the United Nations' Committee on World F ...
*
Toronto Food Policy Council
The Toronto Food Policy Council (TFPC) is a citizen body of food activists and experts responsible for generating food policy for the City of Toronto government.
Formed in 1991, the 30-member TFPC supports scores of programs with the shared goal o ...
*
Toronto Public Health
Toronto Public Health (TPH) is the public health unit in Toronto, Ontario. It is responsible for delivering public health programs and services, enforcing public health regulations and advising Toronto City Council on health issues. The current ...
References
External links
Wayne Roberts homepageWayne Roberts archival papersheld at th
University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Wayne
1944 births
2021 deaths
Canadian journalists