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

The 2026/27 recipients include Alexandra Doran of Simon Fraser University, Firoozeh Bairami Hekmati from Dalhousie University, Diego Bitencourt Minas at Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, and Sian Borden from Queen’s University. Each scholar was selected based on academic merit and the potential for their work to provide actionable insights into the systemic causes of hunger.

Doran’s project examines the overlap of housing and food insecurity for single mothers, while Hekmati focuses on the impact of Old Age Security programs on low-income seniors in Atlantic Canada. Meanwhile, Bitencourt Minas is documenting how urban environments affect Indigenous food practices in Maniwaki and Gatineau. Borden will collaborate with African Nova Scotian communities to explore pathways toward greater food sovereignty. Sarah Stern, Executive Director of the Centre, noted that these projects are critical for identifying how government policy and community-led initiatives can better support vulnerable populations. Since the program began in 2020, the Centre has provided financial support to 25 researchers.