Winnipeg officially a Fair Trade Town

Winnipeg was officially designated as a Fair Trade Town on Friday.

It is the 25th Canadian city or town to be given the designation. Other fair trade locations include Brandon, Selkirk, Gimli, Toronto, Vancouver, and Edmonton.

The goal is to get people to buy Fairtrade-certified products and help farmers and workers in developing countries.

“We try to cut down the middle man as much as we can so that the bigger portion of what consumers in Canada pay for their goods actually go back directly to them (developing countries),” said Julie Francoeur, the executive director of Fairtrade Canada.

“It’s a commitment for towns to make sure that throughout the city there are places where people can buy Fairtrade products,” she said. “So retail, restaurants, hotels, that carry Fairtrade-certified products.”

Winnipeg City Hall will now be serving Fairtrade-certified coffee, tea, and sugar.