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 February 22nd 2010
There is more to fair trade than food products and handicrafts. While fair trade practices are better known for their impact on Third World agricultural producers and artisans, a global effort is underway to benefit workers in the mining sector and those who are affected by mining operations. The social and environmental problems caused by the mining industry are of concern to many organizations, and programs, services and regulations are being created so that mining will adhere to the adage of “economics as if people matter”. Read More »
Posted February 2nd 2010
The One-Month Challenge is an opportunity to show support for producers in the developing world by consuming only fair trade brands of coffee, tea and chocolate for 30 days, starting on Valentine’s Day, 2010. Read More »
Posted January 29th 2010
Pioneering organic chocolate maker Green & Black’s today announces its commitment to move its chocolate bar range, worldwide, to Fair Trade Certified – including Canada. Fifteen years ago Green & Black’s led the Fair Trade movement by launching Maya Gold™ – the first ever Fair Trade Certified™ product in the United Kingdom. Green & Black’s entire range is already organic, and thanks to continued expansion around the world, this move will make Green & Black’s the world’s leader in organic and Fair Trade chocolate. Read More »
Posted January 18th 2010
January 6th saw Gimli host the Olympic Torch Run as it made its way through Manitoba’s Interlake Region. Premier Greg Selinger even took a turn at carrying the torch. Read More »
Posted December 7th 2009
If you buy a bunch of Fair Trade or organic bananas you may get a product with a hidden stamp from Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA). MEDA has been helping cooperatives in Peru to streamline their certification procedures to maintain the rigorous requirements of Fair Trade and organic distributors and thus gain a premium price Read More »
Posted December 2nd 2009
The “taking of tea” is steeped in tradition, a product of estates and small holders in Asia, East Africa and elsewhere, and a tasty and sometimes nutritious beverage of choice around the world. Unfortunately, the process of payment and environmental control, when tea is not produced through the fair trade system, leaves a lot to be desired. Basic farm commodity prices have been falling worldwide over the past generation and small holders are worst hit, creating abject poverty in the Global South, and insecurity and urban migration here at home. Read More »
Posted November 25th 2009
A recent survey by Fair Trade Manitoba and Probe Research determined that the next food products that most Manitobans wanted available as Certified Fair Trade were bananas and spices. Now, bananas are actually Canada’s most popular fruit – surprisingly for me, a huge apple fan! And you can find fair trade bananas more and more outside the big metropolitan areas like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Fair trade spices are still, however, not easy to find. Read More »
Posted September 3rd 2009
Cadbury’s, Canada’s largest confectionery company, will make one of its most successful chocolate bar brands, Cadbury Dairy Milk, available as certified fair trade in this country by next summer, 2010. Twenty-two million dairy milk bars are sold annually in Canada. Thus, their going fair trade will double the number of fair trade chocolate bars sold each year across the country and will also mean that 11% of the chocolate sold by Cadbury’s in Canada will be fair trade. Read More »
Posted September 3rd 2009
It would seem that consumer appetite for new fair trade products runs more than skin deep! A new and revolutionary product, at least in terms of community livelihood in West and East Africa, is shea (pronounced shay) butter, produced by crushing the fruit (nuts) of the shea tree. The tree is called “African women’s gold” as it often represents the main source of income for its harvesters and processors. Read More »
Posted September 3rd 2009
There is no longer any reason to whine! Manitoba has become a leader in bringing in eight fair trade certified wines to its Liquor Marts around the province, sourced from South Africa and Argentina 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)