Maple Leaf Centre Awards $60,000 to Fuel Food Insecurity Research

The selected scholars—Alexandra Doran of Simon Fraser University, Firoozeh Bairami Hekmati of Dalhousie University, Diego Bitencourt Minas of Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, and Sian Borden of Queen's University—were chosen for the methodological rigor of their proposals. Their projects aim to bridge existing knowledge gaps regarding the intersection of policy and community-led food sovereignty.

Doran is set to analyze the overlap between housing and food insecurity among single mothers, while Hekmati focuses on the impact of Old Age Security programs on low-income seniors in Atlantic Canada. Bitencourt Minas will examine urban food environments for Indigenous people in Maniwaki and Gatineau, and Borden plans to partner with African Nova Scotian communities to strengthen local food systems. Sarah Stern, Executive Director of the Centre, noted that these projects are essential for understanding how specific government policies and community-based programs can mitigate rising food insecurity rates. Since the program's inception in 2020, the organization has supported 25 researchers in their pursuit of solutions to this national issue.