Good Food Link is a one-stop portal to connect people living or visiting Algonquin Territories/Ottawa with information to understand, engage with and transform the entirety of our regional food system, to ensure Good Food for All.
We define Good Food as fresh, accessible, affordable, culturally relevant, minimally processed, as local as possible, ecologically managed, within sustainable livelihoods.
While we celebrate the reasons Ottawa is a city that values Good Food for All, we acknowledge there is still a LOT of work to be done:
Indigenous Food Sovereignty Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that Good Food Link and all programs, resources, stories, and organizations listed on this website and our team are located on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg People. We recognize the historical and on-going manifestations of colonialism, racism and white supremacy within our food systems and the ongoing impact this has on Indigenous Food Sovereignty.
Just Food is committed to continue advancing this work in ways that highlight and challenge colonialism, racial injustices and multiple forms of discrimination.
Partnership
Good Food Link has been developed and is managed by Just Food:
Just Food is a local, non-profit, community-based organization that works on both rural and urban food and farming issues in Ottawa and the surrounding region.
It has built upon the previous FoodLink Directory (partnered with Ottawa Public Health) and Ottawa’s Food Action Plan recommendations.
It was shaped by community and agency input through:
Good Food Link is managed by Just Food with the following partners:
Community Navigation of Eastern Ontario – 2-1-1 , is the primary source of information to access social and community services in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario.
CNEO supports Good Food Link by providing regular data updates on social and community services.
Ottawa Neighbourhood Study (ONS) works to better understand the physical and social pathways by which neighbourhoods in Ottawa affect our health and well-being, and to provide citizens in Ottawa with facts that support evidence-based decision-making.
Ottawa Neighbourhood Study provides the neighbourhood designations and food retail information on the neighbourhood map.
Ottawa Community Foundation has been the foundational funder for the Good Food Link project through their New Leaf Challenge Fund, and has been consistently active in supporting a systems approach to transform Good Food for All in Ottawa.
FoodWork.ca has been a long-standing service providing accessible, curated and promoted information related to food-related opportunities, with an emphasis on supporting groups, even when there is no budget.
Ottawa Public Health has been a foundational partner since the initial community directory was created in early 2000s that led to the establishment of Just Food. OPH also co-created with Just Food the FoodLink Directory, until 2017 when the work shifted to a fully online format. OPH remains a partner on Good Food Link by supporting the food insecurity and Food Strategy work.
Big thanks to two key design partners:
Graphic artist Assma Basalama, who created the visuals to animate this website:
“During my university years, I met a wonderful mentor who brought the art of capturing ideas visually from Scandinavia to Ottawa, and have been mentored since to start my own work in what is commonly referred to as ‘graphic recording’. The images on this website were inspired by the incredible work of people who are true stewards of the earth by simply loving, growing, cooking, and enjoying food!”
Website Designer, John Metzler of FreshPromo
FreshPromo has partnered with Just Food since 2008 to support all website design and coordination, including Good Food Link and Savour Ottawa sites. He is unwavering in his support to get information out to residents in Ottawa.
