Loyola House at the Ignatius Jesuit Centre of Guelph

Cost: $150 for one, $280 for 2 (earlybird – before January 19)
$175 for one, $330 for 2 (after January 19)

Registration closes February 15

Building the Soil, the 6th Annual Assembly of the Local Organic Food Co-ops Network, is the event of the year for Ontario’s food and farming co-operatives.  Through two full days of peer-to-peer workshops and facilitated open space sessions, nourished by healthy and delicious meals in a cozy retreat setting, the Assembly is a pivotal platform for Network strengthening and co-op capacity building. It offers members and allies necessary tools for co-operative food systems transformation.

This year’s event places those who produce food at the centre of the conversation, through a pre-Assembly workshop with Dan Kittridge on High Bionutrient Crop Production, co-presented by the LOFC Network, Ecological Farmers of Ontario, and Greenbelt Farmers Market Network on February 23-24. As well, the LOFC Network will host a public forum on Regional Food Hub Development in Ontario on the evening of February 24 (ticket included in the cost of registration or $20 at the door). This public forum marks the opening of the Assembly, and will be followed by two full days of workshops and conversations to help support your co-op business.

Register here

Assembly Objectives:

• Networking between co-ops
• Peer-to-Peer knowledge exchange
• Skill building and development
• Inspiring new thought and action
• Creating space for meaningful collaboration
• Decision-making for Network governance

The annual gathering of the Network is an incredible opportunity to meet and build connections with the amazing people who own and operate food and farm co-operatives across Ontario, serving their communities fresh, local, sustainably produced and fairly traded food. The Assembly is an extension of the work being done within communities, creating space for meaningful participation and food citizenship.  It is our chance to further a burgeoning movement in the province by getting to know one another in person, exchanging stories, enhancing skills and knowledge, and collectively making decisions about where we are headed.

Who Should Come:

• staff, coordinators, managers and those deep in the operations of co-ops in the food system
• board members, committee members, and other dedicated governance-focused contributors to co-ops in the food system
• those running or involved with fledgling, start-up, emerging, or flourishing food co-ops – there’s something for everyone
• people seriously committed to starting a food or farm co-op
• allies and organizational partners of the Local Organic Food Co-ops Network