Today, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced during her visit to the Rideau Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre with Minister Mona Fortier, Member of Parliament for Ottawa-Vanier and President of the Treasury Board, a $10 million funding.

This represents a new phase of the Local Food Infrastructure Fund (LFIF).

It is worth mentioning that LFIF is a 5-year initiative worth $70 million ending on March 31, 2024.

It was created as part of the Government of Canada's Food Policy, which is a roadmap for healthier and more sustainable food systems in Canada.

The LFIF program supports non-profit community organizations to improve food security by promoting local food systems and improving access to healthy foods.

This new phase of the LFIF program will provide rapid response funding ranging from $15,000 to $120,000 per project to help improve food security in communities through investments in equipment and infrastructure needs.

The Ministry of Agriculture statement said that the project impacts must be targeted and immediate, and must be directly related to addressing food security and increasing access to healthy, nutritious, and ideally local foods within communities.

It explained that, for example, the project could help purchase and install a large refrigerator or storage units for donated foods.

Program details and requirements are now available, and eligible applicants from across Canada will be able to apply for this funding starting from May 4 to May 31, 2023.

Organizations that have received LFIF funding in the past will also be eligible to apply for this new funding opportunity.

During their visit to the Rideau Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre, Minister Bibeau and Minister Fortier toured the facility and learned about the organization's support for community food security in Ottawa.

The Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre received a total of $71,502 during previous phases of the LFIF program to purchase a refrigerated vehicle, shelves, and vertical growth towers.

These community projects have allowed the ministry to increase food production, as well as improve distribution to community members.