Will Thunder Bay become a fair trade city?
School children prompt city council to consider fair trade city designation at council tonight
What does it take for Thunder Bay to become a fair trade city? City council will find out Monday night.
City council is expected to receive a report Monday about the criteria for the city to be declared a fair trade community. It requested the information after a group of students from Ogden School came up with the idea in June.
Wolfville, N.S., became the first fair trade community in Canada in 2007. Since then, 12 other cities — including Ontario's Port Colborne, Barrie and Toronto — have joined the rank.
The designation would give Thunder Bay a unique identity, according to Wolfville's deputy mayor David Mangle, and it hasn't cost his city much.
"It puts us on the map of a place that is socially conscious and … there would be benefits in terms of tourism possibilities," he said.
The title also complements Wolfville's business profile, according to Manlge.
"We're not a big mall type of town. We're a small town with a distinct business community," he said.
Fair trade products, such as coffee and fruits, give a better deal to marginalized producers in developing countries.