Guelph-Wellington is creating Canada’s first circular food economy.

Using data, technology and the deep expertise in this region, we’re reinventing how we produce, distribute and consume food—and providing a practical roadmap for others to follow.

In 2019, the City of Guelph and the County of Wellington were awarded $10 million through Infrastructure Canada’s Smart Cities Challenge to develop Canada’s first circular food economy.

Our Food Future

This partnership brings together more than 125 core stakeholders including local government, community groups, businesses, industry associations, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), academia, institutes, public agencies and utilities.

Together, we’re creating a food system driven by a quadruple bottom line:

Prosperity—economic growth,
Planet—environmental sustainability,
People—greater social equity, and
Purpose—a clear vision of an inclusive green economy of the future, valuing nutrition, health, diversity, equity and dignity.

We call this initiative Our Food Future, and it features nine Pathfinder initiatives and several Living Lab projects that will help us achieve our ambitious goals by 2025:

    1. Increase access to affordable, nutritious food by 50 per cent.
    2. Create 50 new circular businesses and collaborations.
    3. Increase circular economic benefit by 50 per cent by unlocking the value of waste.

To realize these benefits, we’re using nature’s circular approach as our inspiration. Visit FoodFuture.ca for the latest on this fast moving initiative.