Author Archives: lpurchase

This was the final research paper I wrote during my Food Security certificate program at Ryerson University, for a course on “Practicing Urban Agriculture” in the summer of 2021. I wanted to explore this topic because in the spring of 2020, I heard about how community gardens in Ontario had to fight to open duringContinue reading “Growing pains: How COVID-19 affected community gardening across Canada”

CERIC Most of my work for CERIC is in content planning and editing, and when I write, it’s usually for social media, marketing or in listicle-style pieces. However, sometimes I get the opportunity to dive deeper to explore topics that matter most to our readers. Principals Have a Key Role to Play in Unlocking TheContinue reading “Writing”

Development The first project I took on at CERIC was the development and launch of a new content-based website, CareerWise, to replace an outdated, directory-style website and job board. We wanted to create the source of career development news, resources and analysis for our target audience. It needed to be engaging and educational. Getting acquaintedContinue reading “Building a news site for career professionals”

I don’t personally use Instagram, so when CERIC decided to create an account to connect with our CareerWise readers, I knew it would be an exciting challenge for me. I started by taking a Lynda.com course, “Learning Instagram,” to brush up on the basics. I consulted with colleagues and researched best practices for designing aContinue reading “Instagram account development”

I produced this article for the final project of my Community Development and Food Security Course at Ryerson University in summer 2020. We were given free rein to explore a topic and medium of our choosing, and I decided to examine how food security organizations were responding to COVID-19 in Toronto, as well as theContinue reading “Hungry for Change”

I researched, wrote and designed this policy brief as part of an assignment for a course at Ryerson University , “Community Development and Food Security,” in Spring 2020. Executive Summary: Toronto’s underutilized public-owned spaces and many vacant lots present an opportunity for the city to capitalize on the widespread benefits of urban agriculture. Urban farmingContinue reading “Policy brief: How Toronto can leverage the benefits of urban agriculture”

I wrote and researched this paper for a course on Food Security Concepts and Principles at Ryerson University in fall 2019. I was fortunate to be able to interview the FoodRescue.ca Senior Manager as well as several organizations/businesses using the platform. Names of organizations/businesses and of participants have been omitted for online publication. Four millionContinue reading “Waste not, want not? Assessing FoodRescue.ca’s impact on food security”