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Brampton Endorses Plant Based Treaty To Limit Climate Warming And Strengthen Food Security

Brampton has become the first city in Ontario to endorse the Plant Based Treaty and make “a plant based approach as a part of the city’s climate plan.” This important endorsement will reduce climate change and increase food security. Brampton has joined 34 other towns and cities worldwide in calling for a global Plant Based Treaty to be added to the Paris Agreement. The Plant Based Treaty Brampton Team worked tirelessly on this campaign and the motion passed unanimously after being introduced by Brampton Regional Councillor Navjit Kaur Brar.

Brar said, “We have to acknowledge the importance of diverse food options to meet the dietary needs of Brampton’s residents, looking at not only personal preferences for plant-based foods and locally sourced foods, but also food sensitivities as well. Considering plant-based, locally sourced and sustainable food procurement options for city events, city facilities should be a key part of our city’s climate action plan.”

Brampton’s endorsement is crucial because food accounts for a third of greenhouse gas emissions globally. Please consider funding us to support Plant Based Treaty teams and city campaigners so more cities take ambitious actions.

Keep reading to learn how Brampton is developing its impressive plant-based food strategy.

1.  Plant based Food Options At City Council Meetings

The City of Brampton will be leading by example in Ontario when they begin serving environmentally friendly plant-based food and drink options at city council meetings and civic events. Next to food items will be information displayed about the climate, health benefits, following a plant-based diet, and relative cost of different protein and food sources. Serving healthy and nutritious meals at meetings and events and providing matching literature will increase awareness on the climate and biodiversity crisis.

Plant Based Treaty cities campaigner in Dufferin Peel, Yarim Hinojosa, explains, “Endorsing Plant Based Treaty is a historic win for the City of Brampton, positioning itself as a climate leader and setting an example for the rest of Canada and the world. Brampton’s commitment to prioritizing plant-based food and making climate-friendly food more accessible to the community, will strengthen food security and bring us closer to a Paris-aligned food system.”

2.  Plant Based Catering Options

Moving forward, events in Brampton’s open spaces will be required to include plant-based catering options. This big change has multiple benefits and aligns with the Plant Based Treaty’s mission to promote a shift towards a vegan food system that will allow us to live safely within our planetary boundaries and reforest the earth. Plant-Based catering options will help the world move towards reduced greenhouse gas emissions, help rewilding the land used for animal agriculture, and conserve resources. Our present food system uses huge amounts of precious land, water, and energy to sustain the production of animal-based foods on factory farms. But when we shift to plant-based food the strain on our earth’s resources is reduced.

In a video statement on November 13, Mayor Patrick Brown said, “Thanks to Councillor Brar and Councillor Toor, who put forward this motion, we’re excited to pass the Plant Based Treaty here in the City of Brampton.” 

By providing vegan catering options, Brampton is advocating for a healthier future so humans and animals can live in a world with fresh air, forests, and reduced effects of climate change.

3. Plant Based Defaults

Brampton will be evaluating the potential for increasing plant-based food options and introducing plant-based defaults during regional events, with the aim of increasing healthy food choices for staff and visitors. Similarly, the Plant Based Treaty has been promoting greener by default initiatives at Universities and Colleges to help phase in more plant-based options on menus.

“Greener by Default is a simple and inclusive strategy to offer healthier and more sustainable meals. A Greener by Default menu features plant-based meals as the default, while giving diners the choice to opt into meat and/or dairy. Simply by changing the default, consumers are much more likely to choose a plant-based meal, even when meat and dairy options are available.” – Greener by Default

4.  Plant Based Awareness Week

In a video statement on the day the city of Brampton officially endorsed the Plant Based Treaty, Councillor Gurpartap Singh Toor, the chair of economic development who also sits on the environment committee, said, “I think it is amazing to take a step in the right direction, especially when we talk about sustainability and we talk about climate action.”

PBT Universities and College Playbook

During plant based awareness weeks at schools, University Chefs can consider switching to a vegan menu or adding new plant-based options in response to the climate and planetary crises. Other examples of institutions that may become involved in Brampton’s plant-based awareness week are Senior Care Homes and Early Childhood Education Centers. If your city is planning an awareness week, these institutions are a great starting point.

5.  Plant Based Action Plans For 2025

Brampton is developing an action plan and reporting back in six months with progress.

Brampton is one of dozens of cities and hundreds of thousands of individuals, groups and businesses that are collectively calling for a global Plant Based Treaty based on three core principles: Redirect, Relinquish and Restore.

Important things to consider when developing action plans is the Plant Based Treaty’s Safe and Just report, a vegan donut economics approach to the food system that provides information, forward-thinking policies, and resources to safely live within our planetary boundaries. The report outlines 12 crucial calls to action with a focus on the current food system including banning live exports, food security, education, and health.

Other important work the Plant Based Treaty is doing includes multiple campaign trails, research, education, street activism, ads, publicity, and lobbying. Please consider funding us to support Plant Based Treaty teams and city campaigners so more cities take ambitious actions.

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