Wayne Roberts is a Canadian food policy analyst and writer, widely respected for his role as the manager of the (TFPC) from 2000-2010. The TFPC is a citizen body of 30 food activists and experts that enjoys an international reputation for its innovative approach to food security. As a leading member of the City of Toronto's Environmental Task Force, he helped develop a number of official plans for the city, including the Environmental Plan and Food Charter, adopted by Toronto City Council in 2000 and 2001 respectively. Many ideas and projects of the TFPC are featured in Roberts' book The No-Nonsense Guide to World Food (2008). In April 2009, under Roberts' leadership, the TFPC received the Bob Hunter Environmental Achievement Award, given to a City of Toronto agency with a record of outstanding leadership, 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 that honors exceptional work to promote food sovereignty in October, 2009.
Since 1989, Roberts has written a weekly column for Toronto’s Now Magazine, generally on themes that link social justice, public health and green economics.
In 2002, he received the Canadian Environment Award for his contributions to sustainable living. Now Magazine named Roberts one of Toronto’s leading visionaries of the past 20 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 earned a Ph.D. in social and economic history from the University of Toronto in 1978, and has written seven 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.
Roberts chaired the influential and Toronto-based Coalition for a Green Economy for 15 years. He has also served on the Board of the U.S.-based Community Food Security Coalition and Food Secure Canada. He is on the board of Green Enterprise Toronto, an organization of local eco-businesses that's associated with the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies across North America. He has been invited to speak around the world on strategies that combine food security, community empowerment, environmental improvement, social equity and job creation.
Prior to his involvement with environmental issues, Roberts worked for two decades in the fields of community organizing, university teaching, media, labour education, industrial relations and union administration. During this period Roberts wrote a number of books, including Cracking The Canadian Formula (1992) on the Energy and Chemical Workers Union, Don’t Call Me Servant (1993) on the Ontario civil service and Ontario Public Service Employees Union, and Giving Away a Miracle (1992) on Bob Rae's New Democratic Party (NDP) government in Ontario.
Before retiring in September 2010, he was a major contributor to Toronto Medical Officer of Health David McKeown's food strategy report called Cultivating Food Connections. Since retiring, he has joined boards of many organizations, including Community Food Security Coalition, FoodShare, Unitarian Service Committee and Food Secure Canada. He is also an associate of the Canadian Urban Institute.
Wayne continues his weekly column on food for NOW Magazine, and also posts regularly on municipal food policy matters at the Worldwatch-sponsored site, Nourishing the Planet. He speaks across Europe and North America on matters related to food policy councils, food charters and strategies to promote sustainable food systems.
Read more about Wayne Roberts: Bibliography
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