Council proclaims October 1 to 7 as National Breastfeeding Week

National Breastfeeding Week proclamation

WHEREAS, Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, and continued breastfeeding for two years and beyond provides unique nutritional and non-nutritional long-term benefits for an infant’s growth and development; and

WHEREAS, The World Health Organization’s Global Strategy on Infant and Young Child Feeding calls on governments worldwide to create environments that enable mothers, families and other caregivers to make informed choices about feeding practices for infants and young children; and

WHEREAS, Breastfeeding is a human right and the Ontario Human Rights Code protects a woman’s right to breastfeed in a public area without discrimination; and

WHEREAS, October 1st to October 7th is recognized as National Breastfeeding Week – an initiative to raise awareness of the numerous benefits of breastfeeding, to strengthen individual, family, and community support for breastfeeding, and to further strategies that promote breastfeeding practices; and

WHEREAS, The global theme for 2025 is Prioritize Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems which focuses on the environment and climate change. Breastfeeding is a natural, renewable food that is environmentally safe, produced and delivered without pollution, packaging or waste. It is a sustainable solution that is good for the planet and its people. Prioritizing and supporting breastfeeding will reduce the growing climate impact of artificial infant feed supply chains, as formula production and consumption generates greenhouse gas emissions which accelerate global warming.

THEREFORE, I, Mayor Mike Burkett, do hereby proclaim the week of October 1 to 7, 2025 as “National Breastfeeding Week” in the Township of Severn.