Janielle is a passionate advocate for racial empowerment, equity, and the role of co-operative economics therein. She has been serving as the Project Coordinator for the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation’s (CWCF) Justice, Equity, Diversity, Decolonization, & Inclusion (JEDDI) Business Conversion Project since September 2022, and is also a Master’s candidate; pursuing her degree with a focus on BIPOC farmers, small-scale agriculture, and One Health. Her interest in the co-op sector began during the completion of her Master’s, where farmer co-ops were often referenced in an international agricultural framework as a means of navigating challenges in traditional agri-food chains. She believes the usage of co-operative economics to gain autonomy over the cultivation, variety, and distribution in food systems-can promote sustainable growth in communities our system has historically underserved.
Janielle is excited about the collective power we can create and sustain through a co-op/ Social Purpose Organization sector that is centered on justice, equity, and decolonization. Janielle holds a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science with a minor in French studies from the University of Guelph. She is also a poet who enjoys international cuisines, planting, and self expression through journaling & song, in her spare time. She is an advocate for work environments built on a culture of care, trust, and worker autonomy. Janielle sits on the Food Sovereignty and Economic Development subcommittees of BlackUrbanismTO, an organization that works to mitigate the adverse effects Urban Planning has had on marginalized communities. She is also a volunteer at REST centres, a GTA based organization that seeks to combat youth homelessness in the Peel region.