To Kyle Steele, from Alan Warner
Dear Kyle
I want to voice my strong opposition to the notion of putting a Tim Hortons in the student union building. The University is trying hard to move to a green and sustainable campus for the benefit of the students, the community, and the planet. Tim Hortons offers no sustainable/fair trade coffee choices in what is the first fair trade town in Canada. It has steadfastly refused to offer such coffee. Most universities have or are on the way to moving toward fair trade in Canada. We appear to be moving in the opposite direction. We have just initiated a new environment and sustainability major in part to encourage this process. There are two local suppliers of fair trade/sustainable coffee, who have been supportive of the University, and I am quite sure that either one would be pleased to talk with you about a cafe in the SUB. As someone who has visited fair trade coffee producers in southern countries and talked to those who supply coffee to the likes of Tim Hortons, let me tell you in the strongest terms, that although you might not realize it, your choice in this way has a dramatic effect on farmers in other parts of the world who literally cannot afford to eat because of the price they receive for their coffee. In addition, more pesticides are sprayed on coffee than any other crop in the world except cotton. I would be very pleased to discuss this with you further although I will be away as of Saturday for the next couple of weeks.
Please know that I will boycott a Tim Hortons in the SUB and will encourage all those I work with to do so as well.
Sincerely
Alan Warner
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