Terms of Reference Project Title: Thunder Bay and Area Food Strategy 1 1. Project Background In 2008, the City of Thunder Bay (CTB) and the District Social Services Board endorsed the Thunder Bay Food Charter, which is a set of principles that helps guide decisions, policies and collaboration for food security in our community. The City of Thunder Bay Strategic Plan 2011-2014 identifies the development of a comprehensive local food strategy as an action item. Strategic Direction 5.2 states that the CTB will Respond to community needs to support a high quality of life for all residents. Under Goal 10, the CTB commits to Promote a more sustainable community recognizing that environment, economy, society and culture are linked through the implementation of the Community Environmental Action Plan. The CEAP recommends in Objective 5.1 that the City use the Thunder Bay Food Charter to guide related decision-making and policy development within the city. It further elaborates the objective with the suggested action: develop a community food security strategy. In early 2012, the Food Action Network (FAN), in collaboration with the City and surrounding municipalities, held a Regional Food Summit that identified the development of a food strategy as a necessary next step. The food strategy will be built on the foundation that food is a human right and that everyone should have access to healthy food. 2. Objective Create a comprehensive strategy based on the tenets of food security and food sovereignty. 2 3. Outputs A governance structure with an Administrative Committee,, and Working Groups organized around 7 pillars An Accountability and Engagement Process The Food Strategy Document A profile of local producers and consumers to inform decision-making and prioritization around immediate, medium- and long-term projects and identified community needs A Reporting Framework - food security report card See Appendix A for more detail on Project Activities and Milestones. 4. Resources and Finances 1 For the purposes of the Food Strategy, Thunder Bay and area is defined by the Thunder Bay Census Metropolitan Area, which consists of: the City of Thunder Bay, the municipalities of Oliver Paipoonge, Neebing, Shuniah, the townships of Conmee, O Connor, and Gillies, and the Fort William First Nation. 2 Public health, environment, culture, social justice, economic considerations. 1
In kind support CTB, TBDHU Trillium Foundation grant for three year Coordinator position In-kind staff time from partner organizations, meeting space and catering, IT support, and printing Grant from TBDHU via Ontario Healthy Communities funds Access to Project money from Sustain Ontario Access to Working Group Project money through EarthCare 5. Assumptions and Constraints Assumptions: The project will be led by the Administrative Committee and ; and staffed fulltime by a 3-yr Coordinator position The project will be complete by the stated deadline and will be conducted within the stated project budget in accordance with the terms and conditions of the respective granting programs The report will belong to the partnership and each member of the will receive copies of the final report The Strategy will provide policy recommendations for inclusion in the City's Official Plan and the City's Climate Change Adaptation Plan Constraints: The resulting plan is for community consideration and will require follow-up from partners to succeed The report is specific to the needs of the City of Thunder Bay and area 6. Governance The Administrative Committee will oversee the development of the Food Strategy, supported by the Food Strategy Coordinator. Workgroups will be convened to develop various aspects of the Strategy including food distribution, processing, and storage, public food procurement, forest and fresh water foods, school food environments, production and new farm mentorship, food access, and urban agriculture. The Steering Committee will further inform the direction of the Food Strategy and will offer important opportunities for sharing information across working groups. 6.1 Administrative Committee The Administrative Committee will be made up of a representative from 1) the City of Thunder Bay City Council, 2) a rural municipality or township in the Thunder Bay area, 3) EcoSuperior, 4) the Food Action Network, 5) the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, 6) the agricultural sector, 7) EarthCare Thunder Bay, 8) the City of Thunder Bay Planning Department, and 9) the Food Strategy Coordinator. The Administrative Committee will: Develop a draft decision-making process and Terms of Reference Solicit initial participation in the Working Groups Meet monthly to discuss and monitor progress of Food Strategy, communications plan, Report Card, and pilot projects 2
Administer the project, specifically project scope, timelines, budget, personnel, reporting to funders and the larger group, and grant applications Provide direction and guidance to the Food Strategy Coordinator Identify funding and partnership opportunities for moving the strategy and pilot projects forward Identify solutions to overcome barriers in implementing the strategy and pilot projects Committee Co-Chairs will represent Urban (Thunder Bay) and Rural Councillors. EcoSuperior will be responsible for managing the grant and providing financial services. EcoSuperior will host the Food Strategy Coordinator in the EcoSuperior offices in Year 1 of the project. The City of Thunder Bay, through its Development Services Department, will offer training opportunities as relevant to the position. The City will also consider housing the coordinator and providing administrative support in Years 2 and 3. 6.2 Working Groups Working Groups will be formed to ensure participation of citizens who are already engaged in identified topic areas and those with a demonstrated interest. Focus groups and consultations with key stakeholders may be used to assist the Working Group. Each Working Group will be responsible for drafting the aspect of the Strategy that corresponds to their topic area. Working Group leads will organize and chair working group meetings, follow up on agreed upon tasks, and attend meetings to provide updates to the other members of each respective committee on the activities of their Working Group. In the event that they are unable to attend a Working Group and/or meeting, the lead will provide a suitable replacement. 6.3. The will meet quarterly to provide an opportunity for sharing information across Working Groups and to guide the development of the Food Strategy. The will include all 7 Working Group leads as well as representation from the following identified sectors: Advocacy Agriculture Economic Development Education Emergency Food Providers Environment/Sustainability First Nations Government Healthcare Institutional Labour Land Use Public Health Supply Chain Membership will be initially established by invitation to recognized sector representatives. However, Steering Committee meetings will be open to all who wish to attend. The will: Work towards the development of the Food Strategy, provide input on the communications plan, Report Card, and pilot projects 3
Provide guidance and feedback to the Food Strategy Coordinator, including opportunities and solutions for moving the strategy and pilot projects forward Direct the completion and final production of Food Strategy document Promote the values and goals of the Food Strategy 6.4. The Food Strategy Coordinator: Working under the direction of the Administrative Committee, the Food Strategy Coordinator will: Facilitate the work plans of the Working Groups tasked with aspects of the Food Strategy, and attend Working Group meetings to the extent possible Liaise with the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the, the Administrative Committee, the City of Thunder Bay, other municipalities and townships in the Thunder Bay area, and relevant funding partners Act as a spokesperson for the project Communicate to key stakeholders through regular consultation and key committee meetings Monitor and document project activities and accomplishments, and prepare OTF reports as required 6.5. Decision-making The Administrative Committee,, and Working Groups will apply the principles of consensus decision-making (see Appendix B for a more in depth description of these principles). The primary function of consensus decision-making is to incorporate everyone s voice into the group s decision as well as possible such that all legitimate concerns of individuals have been addressed to the satisfaction of the group. Consensus decision-making does not mean that all parties are completely satisfied with the final outcome (ie. that it is their most preferred solution), but that the decision is acceptable to all because no one feels that his or her vital interests or values are violated by it. Should Working Group or members be interested in pursuing a new project through the Food Strategy (e.g., research, pilot), the project idea will be first brought to the Administrative Committee for discussion. If it is decided that the project is in line with the goals of the Food Strategy and fits within the existing project activities, the project will be referred to the for input before a final decision is made whether to pursue the project 7. Information Sharing The Food Strategy will be a highly collaborative process that will involve some information sharing within and between working group, steering committee, and administrative committee members to help inform food strategy content (eg. baseline measurements) and additional research needs. The final Food Strategy document will acknowledge the work of others and reference existing information where credit is due. Food Strategy participants are expected to adhere to a strong ethic of integrity when looking to use any information shared or generated while collaborating with others. 8. Timeline Draft Profile (October 2013) Draft Report on Interviews and Focus Groups (December 2013) Draft Report and Draft Report Card Template (March 2014) Final Strategy Report and Final Report Card (January 2015) 4
9. Project Closure & Outcome Realization The project will be considered complete upon receipt and acceptance of the Final Strategy Report and Report Card Template. Each partner will receive copies of the work, and the records will be retained by the City of Thunder Bay and the Thunder Bay District Health Unit. The will determine collaboratively how to disseminate information to the community and what the next steps are for implementation of the strategy. The Executive Committee will meet to evaluate the success of the project including lessons learned. 5
APPENDIX A : Project Activities and Milestones Tasks Description Timelines Phase I: Getting Started Project Co-ordination Funding Application Communication with partners Co-ordination Trillium Grant Application Ongoing Nov 1 2012 Development meeting # 1 Ad Hoc Committee identifies core group of leaders from different sectors to become the ongoing and lead the development of the Strategy reviews with Food Action Network. Identifies and requests Co-Chairs Introductions, role clarification Review of project workplan, process and deliverables Review existing documents Education Guest Speaker to engage and inspire Members and the public to get involved. meeting #2 Finalize TOR and Project Activities/Milestones; Finalize recommended pillars Nov/Dec 2012 Jan 2013 Feb 2013 March 2013 Deliverables: Establishment of Phase II: Research Individual interviews Focus Groups Committee Coordinator Conduct individual interviews with key informants Conduct focus groups identified stakeholders Advertise for and hire Committee Coordinator Staff dependent Staff dependent April/May 2013 Community Forum meeting #3 Pillar Working Groups Consumer/Producer Profile meeting #4 Hold a community forum with guests sorted into the pillars and develop working groups for each pillar Initial discussion of current situation and possible local community specific solutions Review Working Group membership Working groups are established and meet to work on their issue section Develop profile using existing data, as well as information from the BPS grant funding. Meet to review Working Group progress and finalize draft profile document. April 2013 May 2013 2013 Ongoing October 2013 [draft] November 2013 Deliverables: Draft report on interviews and focus groups, Creation of Pillar Working Groups, Draft Producer/Consumer Profile 6
Tasks Description Timelines Phase III: Findings, Pilot Projects and Recommendations Draft Analysis meeting #5 Pillar Working Groups Draft Report Draft Template meeting #6 Analyse data from all sources and prepare report on results Receive report backs from all working groups. Meet regularly to refine and further develop recommendations; Chairs will report recommendations to and gather feedback. Draft Report Draft Report Card Template including baseline data Present and discuss preliminary findings and recommendations Plan community forum #2 Jan-Feb 2014 January 2014 April 2013- Feb 2014 March 2014 March 2014 April 2014 Community Forum Hold forum to share findings and recommendations and gather input Deliverables: Draft Report and draft report card template, Community Forum May 2014 Phase IV: Final Report Writing Draft final report Ad Hoc Committee meeting #7 Finalize report Draft final report with immediate, medium- and long-term recommendations including workplan with identification of responsibilities and timelines Review and discuss draft Final Report in preparation for Present and discuss Final Report Finalize report and submit to City Council for adoption Summer 2014 September 2014 September 2014 October- December 2014 Public release Hold media event to introduce Food Strategy to the community Deliverables: Final report and first report card, Presentation of Food Strategy to Council January 2015 7
APPENDIX B: Consensus Decision-Making (Adapted from http://consensusdecisionmaking.org/) While there are variations among different groups regarding the degree of agreement necessary to finalize a group decision, the process of group deliberation has many common elements that are definitive of consensus decision-making. These include: Inclusive & Participatory: In a consensus process all group members are included and encouraged to participate. Further, the needs of all stakeholders affected by a decision are included in the deliberations. Agreement Seeking: Consensus decision-making is a process that seeks widespread or full agreement. Groups using consensus commit themselves to the goal of generating as much agreement as possible. Different groups may have different decision rules (standards for how much agreement is necessary to finalize a decision). Regardless of the ultimate decision rule, however, all groups using a consensus process strive for the full agreement of all participants. Process Oriented: Consensus decision-making highlights the process of making decisions, not just the result. In a consensus process all participants are respected and their contributions are welcome. Power leveraging, adversarial positioning, and other group manipulation tactics are specifically discouraged by the facilitator or by the structure of the discussion. The way in which the decision is made is as important as the resulting decision. There are multiple stepwise models of how to make decisions by consensus. They vary in the amount of detail the steps describe. They also vary depending on how decisions are finalized. The basic model involves collaboratively generating a proposal, identifying unsatisfied concerns, and then modifying the proposal to generate as much agreement as possible. Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Discussion Identify emerging proposal Identify any unsatisfied concerns Collaboratively modify the proposal Assess the degree of support Finalize the decision OR Circle back to Step 1 or 3 Collaborative: Consensus decision-making is a collaborative process. All members of the group contribute to a shared proposal and shape it into a decision that meets all the concerns of group members as much as possible. This is distinctly different from an adversarial process wherein participants compete for the group's support, and the concerns of the losing parties are not addressed by the winning proposal. Relationship Building: Consensus decision-making has an over-arching goal of building group relationships through discussion. The effort to gain widespread agreement and include all perspectives is intended to support positive relationships between participants. The resulting shared ownership of decisions and increased group cohesion can make implementation of decisions and future discussions proceed in an atmosphere of trust and cooperation. Whole Group Thinking: Consensus decision-making places value on individuals thinking about the good of the whole group. Participants are encouraged to voice their personal perspectives fully so that the group benefits from hearing all points of view. But participants are also expected to pay attention to the needs of the whole group. Ultimately, personal preferences are less important than a broader understanding of how to work together to help the group succeed. 8