ELORA, Ont. — More than 130 Canadian restaurants will pay tribute to Canada Food Day, a celebration of Canuck food, on Saturday, July 31.

The special day, founded in 2003 as The World’s Longest Barbecue, by culinary activist Anita Stewart of Elora, Ont., it was created to support Canadian beef after the closing of the American border to Canadian beef exports.

At the time, Stewart asked her friends, including the membership of Cuisine Canada of which she is founder, to “fire up their barbecues” and join in a day-long celebration from coast-to-coast in support of Canadian beef and the country’s rich food history.

TORONTO — A major new mixed-use complex that will feature a four-star hotel, and a series of restaurants, is set to begin construction later this year in what is becoming Toronto’s  Southcore financial district.

British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (bcIMC) announced, yesterday, July 28,  its newest development project, Southcore Financial Centre (SFC), will encompass a block in the southern part of the downtown core from York St. to Lower Simcoe St., within walking distance of King and Bay streets.

HALIFAX — Just as the slow-food movement seems to be gaining steam in Canada, a recent report out of Halifax indicates local food is on the decline in Nova Scotia.

“We do have a pretty good idea that at most, 13 per cent of our food dollars spent in this province go back to Nova Scotia farms. Unfortunately, this percentage has dropped by four per cent in the last 11 years,” reads the joint report released by the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture and the Ecology Action Centre. “The good news is, at 13 per cent, we could be eating a lot more locally grown food than we are now — a potential boon for producers.”

BRISTOL, CT — “What’s lurking in your stadium food?” This question headlines an ESPN.com report on food-safety violations in a ranking of more than 107 major league sports arenas, including seven in Canada.

ESPN’s Outside the Line studied 2009 food-safety inspection reports and found that only 11 stadiums, three of them in Canada, had no food-safety infractions. Canada’s best performers were Toronto’s Air Canada Centre and Rogers Centre as well as Ottawa’s Scotiabank Place.