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Northeast Alberta FOOD (Finding Our Own Diversity)– The Connect for Food Project
2025 CMC-Canada's Project of the Year - Gold Winner
From Left to Right: Pierre Cormier, CMC. Keleigh Cormier, FCMC. Brooke MacLean. Cara Shan. Perry Phillips.
Project Details
Project Co-Leads: Keleigh Cormier, FCMC & Perry Phillips
Consulting Firm: ClearThink™ Group
Client: Community Futures St. Paul-Smoky Lake Region
Client Sector: Rural Economic Development & Agrifood Sustainability
Project Duration: June 8, 2023 – May 9, 2025
Background & Project Summary
"Northeast Alberta FOOD (Finding Our Own Diversity) – The Connect for Food Project " is an initiative transforming agrifood development in Northeast Alberta. Funded federally by PrairiesCan, administered by Community Futures St. Paul-Smoky Lake Region, and hosted by the Northern Alberta Food Marketers Association, Connect For Food drives community-based solutions to food system challenges and opportunities. It empowers local leaders, builds collaboration across the Food Wheel
Through a three-phase approach, Connect for Food successfully engaged over 250 stakeholders, delivered six targeted workshops, organized a sector-wide symposium and successfully launched Agrifood Network Alberta —laying the groundwork for long-term agrifood system renewal across Northeast Alberta and beyond.
Connect for Food is more than a project—it’s a scalable, adaptable model for socio-economic renewal, regional collaboration, and resilient agrifood systems.
Key Outcomes
- Engaged 250+ regional producers, organizations and municipal leaders.
- Co-created vision and mission statements through the revitalized Agrifood Network Alberta (ANA) to guide the network’s long-term sustainability.
- Strengthened trust and collaboration across inter-community partnerships.
- Catalyzed grassroots interest in regional food sourcing, value-added processing, and distribution systems.
- Integrated regional insights into broader socio-economic development strategies.
- Created a scalable model for agrifood systems transformation driven by local knowledge and leadership.
Impact and Industry Recognition
This project represents a paradigm shift in how food systems can be revitalized—from the ground up. By aligning local voices with regional strategy, Connect for Food demonstrated that rural innovation thrives when driven by relationships, storytelling, and shared goals. It’s now seen as a model for replication across other Canadian regions and beyond.
The Project bridged existing gaps, empowered regional food champions and created a lasting framework for agrifood development and inter-regional cooperation. The project team includes CFF co-founder Perry Phillips, Cara Shan, Brook MacLean and Pierre Cormier CMC.
Client Testimonial
From Left to Right: Penny Fox, client. Keleigh Cormier, FCMC & Perry Phillips, co-founders of Connect for Food Project.
“The Connect for Food project started with a simple conversation and grew into a powerful community-based movement—we listened, adapted, and let the community lead. What emerged was a model rooted in connection and shared knowledge about food and our agrifood systems. It’s been incredible to see youth engagement, local/regional food discovery, and momentum growing beyond our region. This wasn’t just a project—it was a shift in how we think about food, community, and resilience.”
- Penny Fox , General Manager, Community Futures St. Paul-Smoky Lake Region
About the Consultant
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Keleigh, is a Fellow Certified Management Consultant (FCMC), with experience in rural economic development, agrifood strategy, and collaborative planning. As the founder of ClearThink™ Group, she has supported a wide range of projects across Alberta and beyond.
Her work on the Connect for Food Project focused on facilitating inclusive engagement, supporting community-based leadership and helping guide the development of practical tools and frameworks for long-term regional agrifood system sustainability. Keleigh values relationship-building and listening first—principles that were central to the project’s success.
Company Bio
Founded in 1992, ClearThink™ Group is a woman-led, certified management consulting firm specializing in agribusiness, tourism, technology and business coaching. With a focus on community-driven strategy, sector transformation, and meaningful engagement, ClearThink™ leads high-impact initiatives that turn local insight into actionable outcomes.
