When a conference is not simply a conference! 

It is a network creation process by which we develop relationships and “small networks” to help us get to where we want to go and build the public market ecosystem our city needs.

When Toronto applied and won the bid to host the 11th International Public Market Conference, it was always about how we leveraged this milestone moment to advance the work needed to support public markets in our city and strengthen the mid-size distribution infrastructure that enables inclusive economies, local food and social connection. 

Inspired by CITIES4CSR URBACT network building model and the Constellation model of collaborative social change Tonya Surman, over the last few months, Market City TO has been the backbone support to this process, this is a visual representation of the work to date, and it is just the beginning. You can check the 12 workshops that emerged, and the potential of building 12 local /global networks on these issues. 

Partnerships, issues, and learnings that emerge from this process will inform the City of Toronto Public Market strategy and the governance model of Market City TO. 

It is a messy, complex, emerging and participatory process—all keywords when we think of bottom-up innovation and solutions that lead to systemic change. 

I love and thrive in this space and am grateful for the opportunity.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Eu90I8UwAtVUCrpZAaK6v-Vyxvwx6heL/view?usp=sharing