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• Trying to get a bake oven conversation

Part of Community Notebooks: Bake Ovens

From: Solomon Boye
To: Jutta Mason
Date: Wed, 19 May 2010

Hello Jutta,

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me informally on Tues. May 18 regarding the City's community gardens and bake ovens policies.

This email is a follow-up to identify two main issues that emerged from our discussion, which I will note as we continue to develop more enabling urban agriculture policies for the City.

You suggested that (1) Those most affected by policy should be involved in the policy formation process at the beginning; and (2) Policies may not be needed for all programs, since established programs may only require guidelines or regulations.

Please let me know if I've missed any key points that you made, and if there is any additional input that you may have. Also, please ask any bakers you know to email me with their input as we continue to shape the bake ovens policy.

From: Jutta Mason
To: Solomon Boye
Date: Wed, 19 May 2010

Hi Solomon,

Yes, it was fun to hang out with you, thanks for hosting me.

Collaboration is not something unidirectional, all message going in one direction -- so I think it would be good for us to have a gathering of bakers, with you there, sometime in June? You suggested showing off some community gardens as well, but that may expand the time a bit too much -- tell me what you think.

Three additional points that I want to stress, in addition to the two points you mentioned: 1. the problem of bottlenecks with a too-strict hierarchy 2. policies that prevent exploration and discovery, and 3. the unfortunate capacity of community meetings, imposed from the top, to seed community discord.

Those issues will also be interesting to discuss.

Can you look in your calendar for a few possible dates in mid-June, so we (you and I both) could start canvassing bakers for availability? Two hours should do it, lunch at Dufferin Grove?