Fair Trade Ottawa Équitable is a coalition of Ottawa-based volunteers. Its primary goal is to have the City of Ottawa declared a Fair Trade Town, according to the criteria established by Fairtrade Canada.

According to the criteria of Fairtrade Canada, Ottawa must achieve five goals before it can be officially recognized as a Fair Trade Town. These goals are:

1. Municipal support
2. Product availability
3. Community support (faith groups, schools, etc.)
4. Education and public awareness
5. A steering committee is convened

Goal #1 in this case refers to the City of Ottawa ('the City') and Ottawa City Council ('the Council'). This requires the Council to pass a motion to declare its support of Ottawa becoming a Fair Trade Town and instruct the City to follow suit by amending its Ethical Purchasing Policy to include fair trade certified coffee, tea and sugar in its cafes and at City meetings. Additionally, a representative from City Hall must participate on the Fair Trade Town steering committee, and an announcement must be made on the City of Ottawa website once the designation is achieved.

The goal of the petition is to help demonstrate to the City and the Council that there is widespread support from residents throughout Ottawa. For this reason, we seek signatures specifically from residents of Ottawa. We greatly appreciate outside support, which can be shown by visiting our website (see below for address) and following us on social media.

Fair Trade Town campaigns have been instrumental in increasing the amount of fair trade products purchased and improving consumer awareness over the origin of common products. Over 1,000 towns across the globe have already achieved Fair Trade status, 26 of which are Canadian municipalities. As the national capital, Ottawa must show leadership both nationally and on the world stage in terms of supporting socially-responsible practices. Fair Trade Town status for the City of Ottawa will raise local, national and international awareness about trade practices and increase the demand for goods produced ethically and sustainably both in Canada and abroad. For more information on Fair Trade Towns, check out our website. 

http://fairtradeottawaequitable.ca