Vegging out

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This article was published 20/08/2022 (1453 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

At this time of year, fresh vegetables are being harvested in gardens and farms big and small, and are featured in recipes on cooking shows, social media and tantalizing newspaper photos. And at this time of year, the annual Winnipeg VegFest is gearing up to bring a bigger-than-ever celebration of all things green for a rapidly growing community of people wanting to live a more mindful, compassionate lifestyle.

After a two-year absence, Winnipeg VegFest will take place on Saturday, Sept. 10 on the grounds of the University of Winnipeg. The daylong event begins at 11 a.m., and will feature inspiring speakers, live music, a children’s area and a diverse array of vendors and activities.

Winnipeg VegFest founding members Jason Hannan and Randy Tonnellier started doing the work to form a team and create the annual festival in 2016, launching the first event in 2017 to serve as a hub for everything vegan in Manitoba.

Hannan, an associate professor in the department of rhetoric, writing and communications, and acting director of the Centre for Research in Cultural Studies at the University of Winnipeg, is also a longtime vegan with a passion for animal rights.

“Our goal is to promote awareness and compassion for animals, the planet and also our health,” says Hannan, author of Meatsplaining: The Animal Agriculture Industry and the Rhetoric of Denial. “When we first put on this event, we thought we’d be lucky if we had 500 people show up. We ended up receiving 3,000 and it’s grown considerably, by about 1,000 people per year. We’re on the radar of quite a number of local businesses and associations. They reach out to us and tell us they’re looking forward to the event. We’ve become a Winnipeg institution.”

Randy Tonnellier, retired manager of transit operations with the City of Winnipeg, has been a volunteer with the Winnipeg Humane Society for almost 20 years and currently sits as a member on the board of directors.

“I was blown away by how many people showed up the first year,” says Tonnellier. “It seems (documentary) movies like The Game Changers and Forks Over Knives keep it spreading more and more.”

The annual festival is organized by a core group of about eight people, and a team of 25 volunteers to help with the logistics of the daylong event.

When Hannan moved to Winnipeg from San Diego in 2013, he noticed there were a lot of vegans in the city but no association to bring them together. “There was no community; it was just spread out. Every other city has a VegFest… Winnipeg’s time had come,” he says.

“What we really want to do is educate the public about the health and environmental benefits, to attract people who are curious about it,” says Tonnellier, adding that you don’t have to be vegan to attend and to experience all the advantages of the yearly event.

This year’s outdoor festival will be held on the U of W campus front lawn and will feature a market, vendors, live music and a drag show. “One thing that will be different this year is that it will be an outdoor event, a safe event,” says Hannan. “We are in a very prime downtown location; this is going to be a very big draw. People love markets.”

In the grassy area behind Wesley Hall, on an elevated concrete platform, distinguished speakers will share their knowledge and experience. “We will have wonderful speakers, pretty big names on environmental justice and racism and one of the world’s leading voices against animal testing,” says Hannan.

Legendary strongman Patrik Baboumian, well-known for being featured in the popular Netflix documentary The Game Changers, is one of the strongest people on the planet. Passionate about animal rights and environmental justice, Baboumian has dedicated his life to creating a more compassionate world and celebrating a plant-based diet.

Dr. Charu Chandrasekera, a leading voice for the elimination of animal testing, is the founder and executive director of Canada’s first and only research centre dedicated exclusively to animal-free methods, the Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods, and its subsidiary, the Canadian Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods, at the University of Windsor.

Environmental justice educator and activist from Los Angeles, Calif., Isaias Hernandez has been featured in leading newspapers and magazines. He’s the creator of the Queer Brown Vegan platform, an environmental education page focusing on social justice and intersectional topics not traditionally covered in environmental spaces.

Jordan Reichert, deputy leader of the Animal Protection Party of Canada, is the co-founder and director of the Vancouver Island Vegan Association, president of the B.C. Foundation for Non-Animal Research and volunteers on a number of fundraisers and projects to support animal liberation.

With a continually increasing number of people concerned about the environment and its health (as well as their own), support for Winnipeg VegFest has been strong. “The Winnipeg Humane Society has really pulled through for us with their full support. They’re setting an example for other humane societies,” said Hannan.

Just Egg, the company best known for its plant-based egg made from mung beans, is a sponsor for the food court, which will feature vendors offering a wide range of sweet and savoury vegan foods.

“It’s unlike any other event. It’s all positive vibes; it’s free. It’s almost like Christmas — a feel-good event,” says Tonnellier

“We are a volunteer-based group,” adds Hannan. “We do this because we are really, really committed to animals and the planet. We see what happens to animals in farms all across the world. We are doing this for them. We want to minimize animal suffering.

“The biggest joy for me is seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces. Everyone just lights up.”

Winnipeg VegFest welcomes all. In the event of rain, speakers will be moved indoors to Convocation Hall; vendors will have tents, so the market will go on rain or shine. Learn more at winnipegvegfest.ca.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca