How to fight against food waste in South-West Montreal?
In 2022, the Southwest Borough adopted a Nourishing Community Development Plan (PDCN)1, a multi-stage action plan aimed at developing a local food system and enhancing it.
The main goal of the PDCN is to facilitate interactions between the actors of the food system, within a 5-year horizon, by articulating three key orientations: the promotion of the culture of citizen empowerment, the facilitation of the development of infrastructures and food spaces for production, processing, distribution and valorization, contributing to access to healthy food for vulnerable populations.
It is this last orientation that will draw our attention in this article, because it includes the following objective: to encourage the solidarity contribution of commerce to the food community.
This objective, promoted by the City of Montreal2, is not new and has been the subject of many discussions in recent years, especially since the adoption of the Garot Law3 in France. An article recently published by the Institute for Socio-Economic Research and Information (IRIS) entitled « Fighting against food waste through the donation of unsold food: benefits and recommendations for Montreal » (2025)4 shows that this law has played a catalytic role in the adoption of other European laws aimed at regulating the donation of unsold food to community organizations. It is on this very rich article that most of the information that follows is based.
In fact, it lists a study published in 2022 by Recyc-Québec which concludes that in Quebec, 41% of food is rejected along the food chain, from land (or sea) to the table. It is then estimated that 39% of food waste is food that should have been eaten or donated (e.g., to food banks) rather than rejected. The numbers show a glaring reality of food waste in the province, and yet, although several bills have been tabled in the past year, none have found an echo in the federal or provincial parliament.
Thus, the public authorities do little, but the numbers speak for themselves and citizens act: in 2021, a petition signed by 15,000 people forced a public consultation to be held in Montreal. The City of Montreal then mandated the Maison de l’Innovation Sociale, which issued several proposals for by-laws following the consultation, including the obligation to sort to maximize donations, and the mandatory declaration of the quantities of food and food waste sent to composting and landfill. These regulatory proposals are also based on a documented reality that shows the limits of the voluntary approach. Several writings show that without effective regulation, there is a significant gap between the reduction procedures adopted by companies and what is actually implemented to reduce food waste. However, the effects of this regulation in Montreal would be major. The IRIS study indicates that, from all food establishments in Montreal, it would be possible to recover between 649 and 1,636 tonnes of food per year from large establishments, which represents between 1.2 million and 3 million meals.
Not only are these significant quantities in terms of the fight for food security, but it is also good news for the environment because when an edible food is thrown away, all the resources that correspond to its life cycle are lost. In addition, for businesses, food waste represents a loss of income, which has the effect of reducing profit margins, and it is the consumer who pays the price with an increase in the purchase price of foodstuffs.
The benefits of adopting such a by-law are undoubtedly beneficial to all stakeholders in Montreal.
The latest news is that the administration of the city of Montreal is currently studying this possibility. A consultation for organizations that receive food donations was organized by the City of Montreal in collaboration with the Maison de l’Innovation Sociale last May and focused on two draft municipal by-laws, one of which provides for the obligation of donations for food businesses.
However, Guillaume Tremblay Boily’s article clearly shows that regulation alone is insufficient to support the groups concerned and that support is necessary. Among the recommendations put forward are the hiring of a local community procurement specialist for each borough, the creation of a fund to strengthen the logistical capacities of food recovery organizations, and the financing of the purchase of a truck and the hiring of a driver.
This allows us to return to the PDCN of the Southwest Borough, which is funding two projects, including Epicamion, a shared refrigerated truck supported by Épicentre Saint Henri that aims to facilitate the transportation of food for community organizations. However, despite the existence of this innovative project, which has been a great success in the neighbourhood, the challenges remain. Indeed, the recovery of foodstuffs requires a well-oiled logistics circuit, but also a coordination body close to the field and a permanent open dialogue between the generators of food residues and the groups that receive them.
In addition, several partnerships already exist between community organizations that work on food security in the neighbourhood and merchants and large distribution groups. However, these partnerships exist by the goodness of the owners, and community organizations that work individually with each of them have little room to evolve the collaboration so that it benefits an equitable, supportive and self-sustaining local system.
It will be important to closely monitor the adoption of such a by-law in Montreal and to evaluate its implementation in the Southwestern region so that this regulation, which is essential in the fight against food waste, meets the needs and aspirations of all stakeholders.
In this sense, the round tables brought together within the largest pan-Montreal and regional bodies can play an influential role in making the voices of food groups heard in the various neighbourhoods, in the same way as the Société de Développement Commercial (SDC) for small and medium-sized restaurant businesses. We can also expect the Southwest Borough, committed to the actions of the PDCN, to use its expertise and knowledge of the local community environment to be a major pivotal actor in the implementation of this local and solidarity food system.
Louise Laurent
- Southwest Borough of Montreal, 2023, Development Plan for a Nourishing Community, p.37.
- The City of Montreal has set itself the goal of reducing food waste by 50% by 2025 in 2020.
- The Garot law enshrines the pyramid of food waste in legislation, prohibits intentionally making food unfit for human consumption and obliges supermarkets of more than 400 m² to offer donation agreements to food aid associations
- Tremblay-Boily “Fighting against food waste through the donation of unsold food: benefits and recommendations for Montreal », IRIS (2025)
Bill 2: Example of systemic violence
On October 24, the Coalition Avenir Quebec tabled Bill 2 under gag order. Since then, unions, doctors and health system employees have taken to the streets. Multiple resignations, departures from the province, rallies and threats of departure are on the agenda.
Systemic violence is a form of violence embedded in economic, political or social institutions, producing collective prejudices without any identifiable individual malicious act. More simply, it is how the system operates within its rules, norms, and structures that causes violence and provokes problems.
Bill 2 is a glaring example of this. In addition to the forced adoption via a procedure that prevents an in-depth analysis by the National Assembly, it contains consequences for those within the system who would like to show their opposition. In addition, the lack of analysis before its adoption would possibly seem to have consequences on the accessibility of care for citizens.
And for the citizens, we, this same system forces people to fall very low into a hole, instead of preventing them from falling. At the end of the day, our health care system, which is supposed to be universal, non-discriminatory and, above all, preventive, is only used as a band-aid to bandage people who have fallen, and this, at a cost that could have been much lower if the interventions had taken place more quickly.
Peace: A Collective Choice
A little over a year ago, we wished each other a year of peace. However, the year 2026 begins with a sad record: 2025 is the year with the most active war in the world since the 2nd World War. With more than 130 armed conflicts around the world, the most affected regions are the Middle East, East Africa and Latin America.
Let’s not forget the hotspots where, at any time, new conflicts are at risk of erupting (South China Sea). In Gaza, the truce continues, uncertain. In Venezuela, the United States captured and took prisoner President Nicolás Maduro. Several countries are still threatened with being invaded (Greenland, Canada, Mexico) by their neighbours.
The way war is waged is also changing: ongoing civil wars, asymmetric combat, unilateral violence, terrorist attacks or hybrid wars (cyberattacks, disinformation). This is one more challenge to manage for those who are trying to make peace.
In the face of these issues and dangers, many individuals, groups and non-governmental organizations are mobilizing and joining forces with the aim of implementing a lasting peace. We must use creativity and ingenuity to find lasting solutions to increasingly polarized conflicts.
More than ten conflicts to watch around the world in 2026 | Radio-Canada Omondo.info! – Global conflicts 2025: A year not seen since 1946 between wars, civil violence and geopolitical tensions
The Centre for Restorative Justice Services (CSJR) will soon offer: The Healing of Memories workshop, from February 27 to March 1, 2026 in Granby, for everyone.
eager to reread her life from a restorative perspective. Participate in a weekend to move forward on her healing journey as a group in a safe and benevolent setting. Current registrations: https://csjr.org/guerisondesmemoires/
Denounce and outsmart food inflation
by Ugo Lachapelle
During the holiday season which has just passed, there were many interventions on food insecurity. There is the food drive; there are Christmas baskets; There is an increase in donations to organizations that serve people facing food insecurity. But this insecurity is constant, and in recent years, the perception of unaffordability has skyrocketed. Many players in the food industry blame the pandemic, but this could not shoulder the total cause of this situation.
When we look at the official statistics at Statistics Canada1, a completely different picture emerges. Thus, since 2008, the gap between the general consumer price index and the share of food has been around 12%, with a sharp increase in 2022 which means that it is now a gap of 24% today. These differences were caused by inflationary episodes, first in 2008 and then in 2022, so not pandemic-related moments, but rather moments of economic depression.
(The other inflationary period in Canada, with even higher inflation, was between 1970 and 1992, following the famous oil shocks. However, the difference in increases in food prices and in prices in general were smaller, in the range of 7 to 8%)
Denounce
These price increases have not gone unnoticed; on the contrary, they have brought to the fore several problems in the world of food distribution in Canada.
In 2023, an Ontario woman on Reddit denounced Loblaw, the aberrant grocery conglomerate that owns, among other businesses, the Maxi and Provigo banners. From this outburst, a movement has emerged for the boycott of all Loblaw banners2.
In addition to the increase in prices, this citizen movement also denounces the non-competition contracts that some banners have forced on the renters of commercial space, causing monopolistic situations on food retail in many communities. Finally, they are calling for more transparency from the big grocery chains.
With these denunciations, the food retail industry has adopted a code of ethics for interaction between the various players in the industry3. It doesn’t directly address the costs and it remains to be seen whether this code will have concrete long-term effects, but it’s a step.
Outsmart
But more than denouncing, many people and groups are organizing to fight against this price inflation. Programmers have already developed applications to direct their potential users to grocery stores and other independent and/or local food distributors. For example, AltGrocery4.
In addition, there are many discount grocery stores that have started selling surplus stock and clearance products, often with discounts of up to 70% compared to prices in chain grocery stores5. For example, in the greater Montreal area, there is Liquidation Marie6, which has developed a concept to allow the distribution of grocery products at low prices. We are also starting to find them elsewhere in the regions.
In addition to these grocery stores, people are organizing themselves to share good discounts in grocery stores more quickly, often through social networks.
Deconstructing
Ultimately, we will need to understand the source of the increase in grocery costs; If increases end up doubling the Consumer Price Index too often, affordability will not only become an issue, but could undermine balance and social peace. We must work to rebalance social equity for a good living environment, and therefore deconstruct this food inflation, which should not be exaggerated as it is currently and that could even possibly be reversed with improvements in food production and, above all, distribution.
References::
- Statistics Canada. « Price Trends: 1914 to Present. » National Organisation of Statistics Canada, June 24, 2025. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-607-x/2018016/cpilg-ipcgl-fra.htm.
- Link to the Loblaw boycott subReddit (Loblaw lost its way): https://www.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/
- Bolduc, Michel. « Canada’s Grocery Code Goes into Effect January 1. » Radio-Canada.ca, December 3, 2025. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2211105/code-epiciers-canada-lancement-critiques.
- Team, AltGrocery. « Discover Local Food, Events & XP Rewards near You. » AltGrocery. Accessed December 3, 2025. https://www.altgrocery.ca/ca/en/map.
- Montambault, Marie-Claude. « Cut Your Bill In Half With Clearance Grocery Stores. » Radio-Canada.ca, December 11, 2024. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2125900/epiceries-liquidation-produits-rabais.
- Link to Marie Clearance: https://liquidationmarie.ca
Changes to the Board
At the Annual General Meeting on September 25, 2025, several changes took place in the Board of Directors. We would like to warmly thank Shimbi-Kamba Katchelewa and Normand Beaudet for their long-standing dedication to the activities of the CRNV. Normand was the last founding member of the CRNV. We wish them all the best.
These withdrawals occurred following the arrival of 2 new members. We are pleased to welcome Atlantis Puisegur as President and Ugo Lachapelle as Secretary to the Board of Directors.
Since the Annual General Meeting, Colin Perreault and Alexandre Vidal have also stepped down from the Board to take care of themselves and their families. Thank you for all the time and energy you have given to the CRNV.
Management
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Yasmina Azi as our new Director. Yasmina Azi is a new director of the Non-Violence Resource Centre. A community manager and doctoral student in public international law, Yasmina specializes in the right to peace and social, economic and cultural rights.
Resilience C
This is an official restart for the Resilience C project! Despite an eventful first year and two restructurings, the project is now back on track in force. During the month of January, we will contact several organizations in St-Henri (Montreal) to assess their level of robustness and resilience during extreme weather events.
Newsletter in English
Since the last issue, fall 2025, it is possible to obtain an English version of the newsletter by email as well as on the website. If you would like or prefer to receive it in this language, please contact bulletin@nonviolence.ca.
Peace Tools
We participated in the Lake on the Shoulders of Peace Tools on October 22. This event provided an opportunity to draw a portrait of the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities. Our presence allowed us to meet potential partners in joint activities.
A building for the community
In recent years, significant efforts have been made to have a community organization acquire the building. Despite the search for donors and approaches to several organizations, the lack of financial resources did not allow the purchase to be completed. The building is now for sale on the private market.
This outcome raises concerns about the future possibilities for the Southwest Montreal community sector to access adapted and sustainable spaces outside the private market. We are therefore calling on donors, institutions and partners who can offer financial, strategic or real estate support to support a community organization in the purchase of the building. Allowing the acquisition of this building by the community means investing in social development and responding to the growing needs of the Southwest.
Retour de ping : Édition hiver 2026 - CRNV
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