This program was made possible with financial support of the Government of Manitoba,
and was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through Global Affairs Canada (GAC)
Posted May 3rd 2012
A new poll by Probe Research Inc. indicates that nearly two-thirds (64%) of Manitobans said they would be inclined to purchase fair trade goods, even if they cost more than competing products. The poll, which surveyed 1,000 Manitobans on their views on Fair Trade, also indicated that Manitobans want to see Fair Trade products more widely available in our restaurants (52%) and workplaces (44%). It also found that also half (47%) say they purchase Fair Trade goods on at least a monthly (31%) or weekly (16%) basis. MCIC announced these results on May 3, 2012 at Elements – The Restaurant, which serves Fair Trade and locally-sourced food. Read More »
Posted March 19th 2012
*By Zack Gross* Manitoba can boast that its Liquor Control Commission now carries thirty-two Fair Trade Certified Wines, more than any other jurisdiction in Canada. There are three hundred FTC wines available worldwide. This strong commitment supports fairer wages and better working conditions in the wine industries of South Africa, Argentina and Chile. And the world is moving on to new products such as fair trade beer, vodka and rum! Read More »
Posted January 30th 2012
The Manitoba Council for International Cooperation (MCIC) is excited to present the sixth annual Fair Trade One-Month Challenge. We invite all Manitobans to take up the challenge by only consuming fair trade coffee, tea and chocolate, rather than conventional brands, for the period from Valentine’s Day, February 14th to March 14th. Read More »
Posted September 30th 2011
Fair trade Gummy Bears? You can’t mean it! Yes, fair trade principles have penetrated the confections industry and I’m about to chow down on my first helping of fair trade certified gummy bears, with a choice of plain or sour! Not only that, but I can now get Belgian chocolate-style seashells, chocolate and chocolate/hazelnut spreads and Coke-like fair trade soft drinks! It must be true, then, that fair trade is a sweet deal! Read More »
Posted August 30th 2011
MCIC is pleased to announce that there are now twenty-six Fair Trade wines available for purchase at Liquor Marts throughout Manitoba. Take a look at the list of Fair Trade wines here Read More »
Posted May 30th 2011
If you are already drinking fair trade coffee and tea, and eating fair trade chocolate and dried fruit, get ready for the next wave of fair products, clothing, from cotton grown organically and produced ethically. The fair trade movement in Europe, North America and “Down Under” is currently focusing on fair trade clothing, in a “Show Your Label” campaign, and merchants are beginning to show ethically produced t-shirts, pants, dresses and accessories. Read More »
Posted May 5th 2011
Fair Trade Fortnight (May 1-15) provides a great opportunity to raise awareness of fair trade issues in your school or community group. It’s when everyone gets together to do fun stuff in support of Fair Trade, from big public events, to special promotions in stores, to quiet efforts at home. Read More »
Posted March 18th 2011
Ben Kramer is the Executive Chef at Diversity Food Services Inc. Originally from Vancouver, Ben has been cooking since the age of twenty. He has lived and worked in Manitoba for over ten years, bringing Fair Trade and ethically-produced foods to Manitoba restaurants and cafés. I met Ben over a cup of Fair Trade tea at Pangea’s Kitchen in Riddell Hall at the University of Winnipeg where he works as the ExecutiveChef. As soon as he began to speak, his passion for the concept of Fair Trade became immediately apparent. Ben’s approach to the topic is a holistic one, “I like to look at the bigger picture. Fair Trade is so important because it makes people consider where their food comes from, and what it has been treated with and how it was made”. Read More »
Posted March 1st 2011
The Fair Trade Manitoba One-Month Challenge is fully underway! Manitobans throughout the province are consuming only Fair Trade coffee, tea and chocolate for thirty days. Five of the people in our province who are taking the challenge are sharing their stories through personal blogs. They represent the wide range of Manitobans who are ensuring that they only consume products for which the producers receive a fair wage and safe working conditions. Find which participant matches your fair trade interests and follow them throughout the challenge. How easy is the Challenge proving to be for them? Are they encountering any difficulties in getting their hands on Fair Trade products? Click on the following names… Ainsley Frederickson Duane Nicol Kevin McPhillips U of M Activism Class Susan Roe-Finlay Read More »
Posted February 22nd 2011
Spring marks a time of promotion and celebration of fair trade around the globe. Manitoba holds the Fair Trade One-Month Challenge from Valentine’s Day onward, while Britain and the countries “Down Under” hold Fair Trade Fortnight beginning February 28th. (Most of our younger or non-British population hasn’t learned that a fortnight is fifteen days!) During the first half of May, the fair trade movement annually holds “fair trade days” and “fair trade weeks”. Of course, the United Kingdom has a head start on North America when it comes to fair trade, with hundreds of Fair Trade Towns and even greater availability of fair trade products. Canada currently has only fourteen Fair Trade Towns and the US has only marginally more. It is estimated that twenty million people in Great Britain participated in some way in Fair Trade Fortnight in 2009 and thirty million in 2010. Of course, this figure is almost the total population of Canada! Read More »
This program was made possible with financial support of the Government of Manitoba,
and was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through Global Affairs Canada (GAC)