Join Our Online Future of Food Roundtable

May 3rd, 2023, 3:30 to 5:15 pm EDT

Rethinking Food Access & Affordability with Future-Readying Actions that Work
Learn from recognized leaders shaping what’s needed to make this future real.

Registration is open until May 2nd, 2023 at 8pm EDT

Join RSI and industry colleagues for an action-centred roundtable on how food-related leaders are reshaping the future of food, making it more accessible and affordable for everyone. Some of the information they’ll share may surprise you. And it is not “business as usual.” Sustainable food solutions are closer than you might think.

RSI’s roundtable speakers are trusted changemakers, backed by decades of on-the-ground success as leaders in business, government, science, economics, communications, and other fields. They share a vision of making sustainable and accessible food a reality for everyone!

Key questions guiding the roundtable discovery:

- What are the barriers to making food access and affordability a reality for everyone?
- What are proven, scalable solutions that exist now and can be implemented?
- Who needs to participate, and how, to make it real?
- Why do we need to take action now?

Roundtable Speakers & Topics

Julie Dabrusin, MP

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Topic: Empowering local food infrastructure

Julie Dabrusin is Toronto-Danforth’s federal champion and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment and Climate Change. She has been an effective, vocal environmental advocate since her election to Parliament in 2015. Before running to be the Member of Parliament, Julie’s environmental work started at a community level with volunteering with parks, preventing food waste, and active transportation.

Lauren Baker, PhD

Deputy Director, The Global Alliance for the Future of Food

Topic: Transforming Food Systems and New Costing Models

Lauren has more than 20 years of experience leading cross-sectoral research, policy and advocacy for sustainable food systems in non-profit, academic, business, policy and philanthropic contexts. She is Interim Executive Director at the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, an alliance of philanthropic foundations working to transform global food systems. Previously, Lauren led the Toronto Food Policy Council, a citizen advisory group embedded within the City of Toronto’s Public Health Division. She was the Founding Director of Sustain Ontario — the Alliance for Healthy Food and Farming. She is the author of Corn meets Maize: Food Movements and Markets in Mexico (2013), and co-editor of Balancing the Scales: True Cost Accounting for Food (2021) and Earth to Tables Legacies (2022).

Guy Dauncey

Author, EcoFuturist

Topic: Practical Steps to Increase Food Access and Affordability

Guy is an author, futurist and anthropological economist. He works to develop a positive vision of a beautiful, kind, sustainable future, and to translate that vision into action. He is a founder of the BC Sustainable Energy Association, co-founder of the Victoria Car Share Cooperative, and the author or co-author of ten books, including the award-winning The Climate Challenge: 101 Solutions to Global Warming. He is President of the Yellow Point Ecological Society, an Honorary Member of the Planning Institute of BC, a Fellow of the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland, and a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts and host of the Change the World television show.

Neil Hetherington

CEO, The Daily Bread Food Bank

Topic: The Role of Policy and Food Banks

Neil has been CEO of the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto since 2018. He began his career in project management at Tridel Construction. In 2000, he made a career change by joining Habitat for Humanity Toronto, as the youngest CEO of a Habitat affiliate in the world. Neil’s non-profit experience includes 16 years as CEO of Habitat for Humanity in Toronto and New York City, and two years as CEO of Dixon Hall, a multi-service agency with 240 staff serving thousands of people in Toronto through its social programs, shelters, seniors programs, youth initiatives and community revitalization.

Kimberly Zeuli, PhD

Founder and Managing Director, The Feeding Cities Group

Topic: Thinking Inside the Gap!

Kim established The Feeding Cities Group to fully realize her vision for resilient urban food systems. FCG is a certified woman-owned social enterprise based in Madison, Wisconsin. Kim holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics and has extensive experience researching food systems from production through consumption. Kim is also respected nationally for her work on economic development, focusing on urban inequality. Prior to creating her own company, she was Senior Vice President at the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) and has also held various academic positions This expansive career means Kim has partnered with all sectors, from large corporations, government agencies, and philanthropies, to small, local non-profit organizations and businesses.

Yasmin Glanville

RSI Founder, Board Director
Future-Innovation Strategist and Acceleration Advisor

Yasmin is a recognized future and innovation strategist and executive coach. She works with global and national corporate and entrepreneurial leaders, boards, and organizations – with a focus on positive change for advancing organizational and community readiness.

Backed by 30+ years of international experience as an executive and advisor for corporations, SMEs, government/NGOs, NFPs, Innovation Hubs and philanthropists, she is also a sought-after keynote speaker, advisor and board director. In 2011, she founded RSI as a go-to knowledge exchange for senior leaders to rethink sustainability, resiliency, and innovation as core business priorities vs. a sideline.

Who is this Roundtable for?

Senior leaders, subject matter experts, funders, and supporters of food-related solutions to the food affordability challenge facing citizens and cities everywhere.

Why are we hosting this roundtable?

Because food accessibility and affordability is a major concern – impacting millions of people in our cities and neigbourhoods in Canada and globally. By working together to bring real solutions to life, we still have time to course correct the path. The Time is NOW!