'A different relationship with food and nature': Quebec program brings city kids to the farm
On the edge of the Quebec-Ontario border, a summer camp is giving city kids a chance to get their hands dirty.
At Young Roots Farm, campers get a break from urban living as they learn about sustainable farming.
The program is run by Camp Amy Molson (C.A.M.) in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, Que.
"Farming is so relaxing, everyone should do it. It really helps deal with stress," said C.A.M. counsellor Zedekai McKenzie.
"There's a lot more vegetables, a lot more places to plant new things."
Farm coordinator Amy Castillo told CTV News the goal is to give kids a sense of self-sufficiency and confidence.
"Sometimes we struggle as kids, as grown-ups. It's identity. '[Am I] fitting in here, fitting in there?' On the land, that doesn't exist," said Castillo. "It's just more belonging, and that's what we're aiming to teach the kids with the farm."
The program also helps shape the children's understanding of the natural world and where the food on their table comes from.
"They kinda develop a different relationship with food, with nature, with animals," said training director Emelie Sattaratn.
The campers prep a daily salad bar, chopping and tasting their crop -- like arts and crafts that you can eat.
Produce from the farm also goes to markets in the area, and even some Montreal restaurants.
(CTV News)
"It's organic, very delicious," said Castillo. "And at the same time, all the money we get goes into nurturing the farm [so it] keeps being sustainable. I think that's also why they order, because they know the project."
It's a feeling that rings true for chef Paul Toussaint of the restaurant Kamuy in Montreal.
"You're going to have the best vegetables because they are not there for the money, they're not there for 'I need to make a lot of products to sell' -- no. They're doing it for love," he said.
"We need the vegetables. At the same time, we have to respect the soil and we have to respect the environment."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.