Spring 2022 Updates

Hello and Welcome to VFPC,

We are now keeping all minutes and posting all agendas directly on the City of Vancouver website, so please visit us there!

We are continuing to send our newsletters out before each meeting that is open to the public, so please do sign up for those reminders and invitations!

Hope to see you soon!

Best,

VFPC Admin Team

April 2021 Meeting

Save the date! The next VFPC meeting is:

Thursday, April 29, 6pm,
Virtually (WebEx)
Link to the meeting can be accessed here.

Join in and say hi for our last meeting of the term! We’ll be wrapping up with a continued discussion on the urban farming guidelines, as well as a reflection on the accomplishments and progress achieved in food policy in the past year.


Agenda Overview:

Opening (welcome, intros, housekeeping) ……………………………. 6:00 – 6:15pm
Liaison Updates  ………………………………………………………………… 6:15 – 6:30pm
  • Councillor Bligh
  • Councillor Wiebe
  • Commissioner Dumont
  • Trustee Gonzalez
  • Rebecca Till (Park Board staff) 
  • Rachel Telling (Sustainability Staff) 
  • Caitlin Dorward (Social Policy Staff) 
Working Group Updates …………………………………………………….. 6:30 – 6:45pm
  • Leadership team
  • Food waste
  • Food cultivation and urban agriculture
  • Children and youth
  • Development/retail
  • Community Food Programming
Urban Farming Guidelines ………………………………………………….. 6:45 – 7:30pm
  • The Urban Farming Working Group has put together a draft motion framing the history of urban farming and to ask council to remove barriers to urban farming.
BREAK ……………………………………………………………………………… 7:30 – 7:45pm
Transition to New Term ……………………………………………………… 7:45 – 8:15pm
  • Housekeeping items
  • Update on works in progress from working group to be continued in new term.
Closing Remarks ………………………………………………………………… 8:15 – 8:30pm
  • Term in review. 

Steps Towards a National School Food Program – Letter to the PM

“With income and food insecurity increasing among Canadians, a school food program on a national scale is essential to address inequality and ensure all Canadian children learn basic food skills and have access to healthy meals…”

Read this letter sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by our own Vancouver Mayor, Kennedy Stewart. Derived from a City Council Motion passed on March 11, 2020, it speaks in support of a national cost-shared universal healthy school food program.

Letter to PM Trudea – Shared cost for Universal Healthy School Food Program – 2020-06-16

Apply to be on the Vancouver Food Policy Council

Want to join the Vancouver Food Policy Council? Applications are now open!

We are looking for a diverse group of new members to join the Council and encourage you to share this opportunity with anyone you think may be interested.

Information about the terms of reference, eligibility requirements, and time commitment, as well as the online application and instructions are available HERE.

The deadline to submit an application is 11:59 pm, April 12, 2019.  The first meeting of this term is expected to be in May or June of 2019, and the term will end December 31, 2020

We encourage applicants of all ages, abilities, genders, racial origins, sexual orientation, gender identity, income levels and other lived experiences to volunteer to help shape City policy and services to better serve everyone in our community.

In addition to the Vancouver Food Policy Council, the City is calling for applicants to join 14 other municipal advisory bodies. See a list of all of the City’s advisory bodies, their terms of reference, applications and more at vancouver.ca/volunteer

For more information, please contact civicagenciesinfo@vancouver.ca or phone 3-1-1

Food on the Election Table: Setting Priorities and Accountability with the New Vancouver City Council, Parks Board and School Trustees

The Vancouver Food Policy Council would like to welcome and congratulate the newly-elected and returning City Councilors, Park Board Commissioners and School Board Trustees.

In the lead up to the municipal election we sent all candidates a survey to ask what their food priorities are, what they will commit to, and their strategies to address pressing issues in our city. The Vancouver Food Policy Council would like to thank Camil Dumont, Christine Boyle, Brandon Yan, Justin P. Goodrich, Kennedy Stewart and Estrellita Gonzalez for taking the time to participate in our survey.

To begin to build accountability between the new City Council and the Food Movement, here are the answers to the questions we asked, from those candidates who were elected and are now acting as City Councillors, Park Board Commissioners and School Board Trustees. We look forward to beginning our work together in Vancouver.

1.  What do you think Vancouver’s role is in advancing just and sustainable food systems? Please rank from 1 (least important) to 5 (most important)

Camil Dumont, Green Party, Elected Parks Board Commissioner

  • Invest in urban food projects through grants and funding: 4
  • Develop innovative new policies and regulations to create a just and sustainable food system: 5
  • Establish partnerships with private businesses, non-profit groups, and volunteers: 5
  • Increase public awareness of the link between local food and a healthy environment: 5
  • Increase city and neighbourhood food assets by 50%: 5
  • Advocate to Provincial and Federal Government: 5

Christine Boyle, OneCity, Elected City Councillor

  • Invest in urban food projects through grants and funding: 5
  • Develop innovative new policies and regulations to create a just and sustainable food system: 5
  • Establish partnerships with private businesses, non-profit groups, and volunteers: 5
  • Increase public awareness of the link between local food and a healthy environment: 5
  • Increase city and neighbourhood food assets by 50%: 5
  • Advocate to Provincial and Federal Government: 5

Kennedy Stewart, Independent, Elected Mayor

  • Invest in urban food projects through grants and funding: 5
  • Develop innovative new policies and regulations to create a just and sustainable food system: 5
  • Establish partnerships with private businesses, non-profit groups, and volunteers: 5
  • Increase public awareness of the link between local food and a healthy environment: 5
  • Increase city and neighbourhood food assets by 50%: 3
  • Advocate to Provincial and Federal Government: 5

Estrellita Gonzalez, Green Party, Elected School Board Trustee

  • Invest in urban food projects through grants and funding: 4
  • Develop innovative new policies and regulations to create a just and sustainable food system: 5
  • Establish partnerships with private businesses, non-profit groups, and volunteers: 5
  • Increase public awareness of the link between local food and a healthy environment: 5
  • Increase city and neighbourhood food assets by 50%: 4
  • Advocate to Provincial and Federal Government: 4

 

2. One in six BC children lives in a food insecure household, and poor nutrition negatively affects people across the socio-economic spectrum. We also know that better nutrition enables better learning. Despite this, British Columbia does not have a universal school food program for public school children. What will you do to ensure school-aged children have access to local, healthy meals?

Camil Dumont, Green Party, Elected Parks Board Commissioner                                              

No child should ever want for food to eat. We need to make this a priority. That kids are going hungry in this city is outrageous. We need to work with the organizations that are already effectively tackling this issue and figure out how to increase their scope. We need to assist in making the funding happen for programs that ensure kids get what they need.

Christine Boyle, OneCity, Elected City Councillor

OneCity supports universal school food programs, to increase access to local, healthy meals, and to de-stigmatize meal programs. Our school board candidates (incumbent Carrie Bercic, along with Erica Jaaf and Jennifer Reddy) will push hard to expand healthy breakfast and lunch programs in schools.

Kennedy Stewart, Independent, Elected Mayor

I would support the existing food programs and press the provincial government to do more, especially for children in vulnerable groups.

Estrellita Gonzalez, Green Party, Elected School Board Trustee

As a VSB Trustee running again, one of my key issues is food quality. I would work with our Park Board and City Council to look at ways of using public land including schools to host gardens on every school and include things like bees where possible. This food could be used by VSB to be made onsite at a culinary school (or commissary idea) and distributed to our schools for school cafeterias and food programs for vulnerable kids. We could hire a Nutritionist to provide nutritious meal plans and develop a program throughout the VSB to leverage our facilities, work with non-profit groups and the MOE to develop a food policy for schools.

 

3. Goal 10 of the Greenest City Action Plan was for Vancouver to become a global leader in urban food systems and in 2018 the Food Sector was the fastest growing green job sector. What do you think the City can do to support marginalized and vulnerable people working in the food system?

Camil Dumont, Green Party, Elected Parks Board Commissioner  

That’s a great question. I’m an urban farmer professionally and I am one of the people this question is talking about. I think the city could identify the food assets that fit its criteria and then work to encourage and develop policy that incentivizes the identified projects and enables them to flourish.

Christine Boyle, OneCity, Elected City Councillor

OneCity supports equity-based micro-employment programs, such as SoleFood’s urban agriculture efforts, United We Can’s green recycling jobs, and more, that seek to provide support and flexibility for marginalized and vulnerable people  seeking meaningful work. As well we will fight hard for more low-income housing and supports, so that people can have the housing security necessary to transition to stable work.

Kennedy Stewart, Independent, Elected Mayor

I will continue with the Greenest City action plan and continue to press for an increase to the minimum wage.

Estrellita Gonzalez, Green Party, Elected School Board Trustee

Hire and teach them. Give them plots to manage.

 

4. What do you think the City can do to play a bigger role in protecting/valuing farming in the region given the City’s reliance on BC farms for their food?

Camil Dumont, Green Party, Elected Parks Board Commissioner

Define what exactly “local-sustainable” food means and what it looks like. Develop metrics formulated to calculate which models most support local-sustainable farms. Then build incentives for the restaurant and/or food distribution sectors to support whatever criteria has been developed. Make sure the market (the city) is in partnership with local and sustainable food producers (usually rural spaces.)

Christine Boyle, OneCity, Elected City Councillor

It’s important that the City of Vancouver support protection of ALR lands, and work collaboratively across the region and the province to lift up the importance of that land and of British Columbia agriculture.

Kennedy Stewart, Independent, Elected Mayor

I want to work to protect the Agricultural Land reserve and make sure these lands are used for farming and not for residential development.

Estrellita Gonzalez, Green Party, Elected School Board Trustee

Protect ALR land, encourage the buying of food produced within 50 kms, encourage organic food or growing our own, we can and should!

 

5. The City is in consultation around how to plan for the False Creek Flats Arterial Route (east-west). The VFPC sees the food distribution businesses (‘Produce Row’) situated on and adjacent to Malkin Ave as essential food assets that support our Province’s access to healthy food. Pending the results of the consultation process – would you vote to protect Malkin Ave and “Produce Row’?

Camil Dumont, Green Party, Elected Parks Board Commissioner: Yes

Christine Boyle, OneCity, Elected City Councillor: Yes

Kennedy Stewart, Independent, Elected Mayor: Yes

Estrellita Gonzalez, Green Party, Elected School Board Trustee:

 

6. One-third of the food produced in our food system is never consumed. The food system also contributes significantly to plastic waste in the form of packaging and single-use containers. Food-system waste is an economic, social and environmental problem that occurs in all sectors the food system. How can the City enable small businesses to tackle the food waste and plastics used in serving food?

Camil Dumont, Green Party, Elected Parks Board Commissioner

Make it easy for that food that is potentially going to be wasted to be prepared and used. Even if it has to be a charity model at times, so be it. It’s not ok that in our community we have people dealing with chronic food insecurity while at the same time large amounts of edible food is wasted. I would need to see specific cases to elaborate further but there is no excuse for the powerful and the privileged amongst us to ignore this issue. I consider the City very powerful. In addition, we need a massive reduction in packaging and plastics of all kind.

Christine Boyle, OneCity, Elected City Councillor

Increasing the number of food sorting bins throughout main streets, and food sorting/compost/recycling options for small businesses. OneCity is also proposing a differential tax rate that would mean small and local businesses pay less business tax than global multinational companies. We hope to take some pressure off small businesses, while having the city work with them to implement greener business options. More here: http://www.onecityvancouver.ca/protectlocalbusiness

Kennedy Stewart, Independent, Elected Mayor

I will follow the work the city is currently doing to reduce food waste and plastics used in serving food.

Estrellita Gonzalez, Green Party, Elected School Board Trustee

Better recycling, encourage programs that could pick up food destined for the dump. This is being done all over the world.

 

7. Indigenous food systems continue to be eroded through ongoing colonialism. Indigenous communities are raising concerns regarding the negative impacts of development and extraction projects on their ability to maintain traditional foodlands and waterways. How can the City encourage Indigenous Food Sovereignty in Vancouver?

Camil Dumont, Green Party, Elected Parks Board Commissioner

Mostly listen and value the the input of indigenous food system experts. And if that means spending some money, so be it. Food and food systems are at the root of health. If we are going to commit to the effort that is reconciliation and hopefully one day true de-colonialization we have to be willing to change. We also have to agree as a community that we will absorb some of the costs that will inevitably come with that change. That’s ok. It’s important.

Christine Boyle, OneCity, Elected City Councillor

Yes. OneCity believes that there is a lot more the City can do to deepen Indigenous Justice in Vancouver, including: http://www.onecityvancouver.ca/indigenous_justice

Kennedy Stewart, Independent, Elected Mayor

With such a large Indigenous population, acknowledging the Indigenous food traditions, we should amplify these traditions and ensure they are part of local food traditions.

Estrellita Gonzalez, Green Party, Elected School Board Trustee

Work with them and find out what THEY want. We are incorporating more indigenous knowledge into the school curriculum, this will help our kids to learn about indigenous people, their history and culture.

 

8. Food insecurity is directly linked to the unacceptable rates of poverty in BC. In October 2014, City Council adopted a poverty reduction target and in 2015 committed to develop a poverty reduction plan as part of the Healthy City Action Plan (2015-2018). If elected, would you commit to implementing a comprehensive poverty reduction plan with targets and timelines within the next term of office? If yes, what will be your first actions to implement this strategy?

Camil Dumont, Green Party, Elected Parks Board Commissioner

I am running for Park Board so the angle is a little different from some other offices, however, it is very much there. Public space like parks are often the front line for social issues and often a space where people in a desperate state of poverty end up, i.e. living in public spaces. I think we all need to work together to reduce poverty here at home, in BC. I think the Park Board need to be an open and willing partner within a collaborative team of public institutions that takes this issue on. We need to act on recommendations made from community sources and incorporate poverty reduction models that have proven successful in other jurisdictions. We need to make evidence-based decisions regarding poverty reduction that have been informed by rigorous research. We also need community centres to be hubs for all. Access and support in our community spaces must reach out tothe most vulnerable among us in a way that is equitable, does not shame or discriminate and provides welcome and dignity.

Christine Boyle, OneCity, Elected City Councillor

Yes. The City should continue to advocate provincially for a more bold poverty reduction strategy, while strengthening municipal actions including quickly ramping up the building of Temporary Modular Housing, supporting the development of truly affordable non-market housing in every neighbourhood of the city, and more: http://www.onecityvancouver.ca/affordable_city

Kennedy Stewart, Independent, Elected Mayor

The Province has released a poverty action plan and we will work to ensure it is completely implemented in the City of Vancouver.

Estrellita Gonzalez, Green Party, Elected School Board Trustee

At VSB we need to be partners in this.

 

9. The climate is changing faster than we are and significant mitigation and adaptation action is required for agriculture and food systems. In the upcoming term, how will you integrate food supply issues into the Resilience Strategy and the Renewable City Strategy and ensure that the City’s most marginalized and vulnerable are considered?

Camil Dumont, Green Party, Elected Parks Board Commissioner:

We need to make sure sustainable food systems are developed here in our city. We need to re-invent our relationship with dominant, industrial food. We need to re-imagine our relationship with food animals. We need to acknowledge that every person has the right to healthy food. People need access to food produced  in ways that aren’t choking the climate and poisoning land and water. We need to agree on this as a priority. We need to accept that food systems are a massive window into issues of ecological, economic and social justice. Food is sacred and it connects us all. If we can find a way to feed ourselves sustanably we will manage to solve many other problems as well. Access to truly health food must be universal.

Christine Boyle, OneCity, Elected City Councillor

OneCity believes that we need to take bold action in addressing the climate crisis. We will continue to support the direction that Council has taken on Greenest City efforts, while pushing for more of an equity lens, so that it doesn’t feel like environmental efforts are further squeezing low-income people out. Additionally, we want Vancouver to join the campaign to hold big oil companies accountable for their fair share of the costs of climate impacts: http://www.onecityvancouver.ca/climatechangeadaptation

Kennedy Stewart, Independent, Elected Mayor

Yes, we must protect the Agricultural Land reserve to make sure it is as productive as possible for our and future generations. One of the best ways to tackle climate change is to ensure the food we eat is produced locally and we need to make sure we promote this principle within our region.

Estrellita Gonzalez, Green Party, Elected School Board Trustee

VSB can tie into this.

 

10. Is there any food system issue that is of most interest to you?

Camil Dumont, Green Party, Elected Parks Board Commissioner:

The entire food system and its study is a very big part of my life. What we need is for sustainable food to become dominant food. Right now, the dominant, industrial food system is hurting us on so many levels. And sustainable food, though gaining presence, is still on the fringes of our consumption paradigm. We need to invert that ratio.

Christine Boyle, OneCity, Elected City Councillor

My background (Christine) is in Urban Agriculture (running the school and community garden at Grandview Elementary, and working with families there to move forward Indigenous food sovereignty efforts). I’m passionate about systemic changes that re-localize our food systems, AND I really love cooking and tending to food-gardens with people.

Kennedy Stewart, Independent, Elected Mayor

I want to make sure the most vulnerable people in our city get nutritious meals they need to move their lives forward in a productive and positive way.

Estrellita Gonzalez, Green Party, Elected School Board Trustee

Food quality and location (where is it coming from).

We thank all the candidates for their time and look forward to working with our elected officials on continuing to build a just and sustainable food system!

Open Letter in Solidarity with Members of the Latin American Community: Escobar Restaurant

View this letter as a pdf  here >>

The Vancouver Food Policy Council (VFPC) is an official civic agency that advises City Council on issues relating to food policy and systems. As per our City of Vancouver mandate, this includes food for all residents that is “safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate,” and is “produced, processed, marketed, consumed, and waste products reused or managed in amanner that protects the health and dignity of people.”(1)

We write this letter in solidarity with the Latin American community’s response to the opening of the restaurant Escobar (4245 Fraser Street) in May 2018. As evidenced by early marketing materials(2 3), the owners named the restaurant after the infamous narco terrorist and mass murderer, Pablo Escobar. This generated criticism from thousands of members of the Latin American communities and allies in BC, Canada, and around the world(4).

Five months have passed since its opening, and the question remains: how is a restaurant,
whose owners claim no ties to the Latin American community, allowed to operate while bearing the name of a known terrorist and murderer? The unwillingness of the business owners to engage in dialogue with members of the Latin American community after many attempts, and antagonistic responses towards those who have raised questions about their business, contradict what we believe to be a just and sustainable food system built on respect and dignity.

Escobar restaurant’s publicity strategy glorifies violence, and has leveraged outrage and shock for its own benefit; this ignores the trauma of people affected by drug trafficking and the war on drugs. As has extensively been reported in media (5) and beyond, this choice of name makes light of a painful period in Colombia’s history under the guise of entertainment; it trivializes the oppressive infrastructures set up by Escobar during his reign of terror, which continue to affect people’s lives in Colombia and around the world to this day.

When a restaurant is named after someone who is responsible for heinous crimes, mass
displacement and the death of thousands of people, it automatically targets, victimizes, and alienates members of the community who have been affected by those historical events. Under these circumstances, the business does not operate under the key principles of the Vancouver Food Charter (2007) : the food is not (6) safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate; the business threatens people’s dignity and personal and social well-being, and fails to reflect meaningful dialogue between community and the food sector.

We highlight that the Colombian Embassy in Canada, the Consulate of Colombia in Vancouver, and thousands of members of the Latin American community have spoken out to show their discontent with the name of the restaurant as demonstrated through this petition (7). The response by the restaurant team so far has been to stand by their culturally inappropriate decision and ignore the request to reconsider the name, while actively silencing any questions and critiques. They block and delete comments and reviews from concerned community members on social media. Many members of Vancouver’s Latin American community have been victims of insults, racist and discriminatory remarks, and even threats to their safety in retaliation for standing up for their rights.

As our guiding Vancouver Food Charter (2007) states, “Sharing food is a fundamental human experience. Food brings people together in celebrations of community and diversity (8).” A restaurant that is named after a known terrorist and glorifies drug trafficking culture, as in the case of Escobar, cannot be a cause for celebration. The VFPC is committed to supporting members of the Latin American community to research and develop strategies via which food-businesses, as part of their licensing process, should be required to address critical questions before they open. Such as: What is the inspiration behind the name? What are the cultural and historical implications? How does it fit in the overall brand? Is the marketing plan exploitative and discriminatory?

Vancouver is a city of great diversity, and is home to people of many cultures. The VFPC recognizes and affirms the connection between food, sustainability, and the complex cultural and historical experiences of Vancouver’s people. It also recognizes that culturally appropriative marketing practices in the food and beverage industry contribute to the marginalization of Indigenous and people of colour, including erasing their histories, experiences, and voices (9).

There is opportunity in the current dialogue for Vancouver, as an international leader in
sustainable urban food systems (acknowledged through the 2016 Milan Urban Food Policy Pact award ), to lead the way in developing guidelines to affirm (10) that culturally
harmful food marketing practices do not have a place in a just and sustainable food system. As the Vancouver Food Charter (2007) reminds us “[w]hen citizens are engaged in dialogue and action around food security, and governments are responsive to their communities’ concerns and recommendations, sound food policy can be developed and implemented in all sectors of the food system and the community(11).”

We call on all members of the food, beverage, entertainment and hospitality industry to:

1. Recognize that food and beverages, their names, the way they are prepared and served, are closely tied to people’s cultural identities, and thus need to be approached with respect. Entrepreneurs who plan to open a food business, such as a restaurant, that aims to focus on food traditions that are not their own, should be responsible for understanding the historical context and cultural complexity of the culture they want to borrow from; it should be about honouring culture and not exploiting it.

2. Strive to create spaces for meaningful engagement with local diasporic communities to
understand the heritage, historical context, and traditions, locally and globally, allowing for better-informed business practices that move beyond tokenism, hurtful stereotypes, and appropriation to sell products and services.

3. Stand in solidarity, listen to members of diverse communities when they voice concerns,
engage in respectful conversations, instead of marginalizing, stigmatizing or silencing people who decide to speak out.

And finally, we call on the City of Vancouver within its powers and through advocacy to the provincial government to review and take action on the concerns we have laid out.

Sincerely and in solidarity,

The Vancouver Food Policy Council
*The opinions expressed here do not represent those of the City of Vancouver.

1 http://www.vancouverfoodpolicycouncil.ca/about/terms-of-reference/
2 http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/escobar-latin-restaurant-vancouver-2018
3 https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/2018/04/09/escobar-barrestaurantvancouver/
4 http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/pablo-escobar-vancouver-colombian-consulate-2018
5 https://www.straight.com/news/1075006/pain-pablo-escobars-shameful-legacy-putdisplay-outside-new-vancouver-restaurant

6 https://vancouver.ca/file/cov/Van_Food_Charter.pdf
7 https://www.change.org/p/co-owners-alex-kyriazis-and-ari-demosten-co-owners change-escobar-yvr-restaurant-name-and-embrace-cultural-awareness
8 https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/Van_Food_Charter.pdf
9 https://everydayfeminism.com/2016/09/food-is-a-political-issue/

10 http://www.milanurbanfoodpolicypact.org/award/
11 https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/Van_Food_Charter.pdf

October 24 Meeting: Our Final Meeting – VFPC End of Term

The current term of the Vancouver Food Policy Council is coming to an end as we will be dissolving on November 5th. It is up to the new Mayor and City Council to decide whether the VFPC and all the City’s other advisory committees will be reformed or not. If we are, stay tuned for details of how to apply to join the VFPC in the new year.

This is a special meeting as we will be wrapping up some of the actions and priorities we’ve focused on as a council, including: proposing a new membership structure for the Vancouver Food Policy Council, and food on the Vancouver municipal election agenda.

As usual, this is a public meeting members of the community at large are very welcome to.

October 24, 6-8:00 PM, Town Hall Room, Vancouver City Hall

See the proposed meeting agenda here>>

We would be delighted to see you there.

Upcoming Event: Domestic Hunger in the USA & Canada – Towards Food & Social Justice

Tuesday, October 2nd  |  7:00pm – 8:30pm

Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House (800 East Broadway, Vancouver)

The Vancouver Food Policy Council is pleased to partner with the UBC School of Social Work to offer this unique panel discussion as part of the 2018 Sustenance Festival.

Join us for an evening of conversation with authors Graham Riches and Andy Fisher. Both of their recently published books critically explore the root causes of food insecurity in the Global North. Their work puts the adequacy of food banks on trial as a primary solution to this nation-wide issue. We will hear from both authors, and open up the room for conversation and questions from the audience.

Andy Fisher is a leading national expert on community food security in the USA, and author of the recently published Big Hunger: The Unholy Alliance between Corporate America and Anti Hunger Groups (MIT Press, 2017). He is a co-founder of the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC), which has successfully brought together food security advocates across the country and influenced federal nutritional legislation. More recently he served as the Executive Director at Portland Fruit Tree Program (2015-2017). Andy Fisher currently consults on various food system organizations and speaks throughout North America about his vision for addressing hunger.

Graham Riches is a former Director of UBC’s School of Social Work (1998 – 2008), and author of Food Bank Nations: Poverty, Corporate Charity and the Right to Food (Routledge, 2018). He is a co-founder of Vancouver Food Policy Council and has written extensively about food poverty in Canada and first world hunger in wealthy nation states from a right to food perspective.

Moderated by David Speight, Vancouver Food Policy Council Co-Chair, Executive Chef & Culinary Director, UBC Food Services

Co-hosted by: UBC School of Social Work and Vancouver Food Policy Council in collaboration with the 2018 Sustenance Festival.

Light refreshments with be provided. No RSVP required to this free event.

Accessibility

  • Venue has physically accessible doorways for wheelchair access
  • Venue has elevator/ramp to access event space
  • Venue has physically accessible washrooms

Help us spread the word – share the event with friends on Facebook!

The Wild Salmon Caravan is Coming to Vancouver this Saturday

Hello Vancouver Food Policy Friends,

The Wild Salmon Caravan is coming to Vancouver this weekend, and we hope you can join in the festivities – as a participant, volunteer, or both!

The Caravan is an annual celebration that follows and celebrates wild salmon as they migrate all the way from the Salish Sea to the Adams River. It stops in communities along the way, and will begin in Vancouver on Saturday, September 22 with a lively splash of creativity and cultural expressions of reverence for wild salmon. We hope to see you there!

Event Details
– Saturday, Sept. 22
– 10am  – Parade from Vancouver Art Gallery to the Roundhouse Community Centre via Georgia, Granville & Davie
– 11:30 – 3:30pm – Salmon Ceremony & Performances by Melawmen Collective, Just & more
– For more details view the event program

Calling All Volunteers
Can you lend a hand? There are lots of ways to get involved, whether it’s helping with set up, preparing the feast or child care.
Take a peek at the Volunteer Schedule here!
OR email the volunteer coordinator, Amy Schwab directly – aschwab01@hotmail.com

Learn about the purpose, vision and values of the Wild Salmon Caravan: wildsalmoncaravan.ca
Follow the Caravan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wildsalmoncaravan

We acknowledge that we are on the unceded, occupied, ancestral and traditional lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.

September 12th Meeting Agenda

Wednesday September 12th, 6:00- 8:30 pm

Location: Committee Room #1, Vancouver City Hall

 

1 Homelands acknowledgement and introductions 10 min 6:00-10
“We acknowledge that we are on the unceded homelands of the ʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations and we give thanks for their generosity and hospitality on these lands”
2 Approve minutes from July meeting 10 min 6:10-20
3 Liaison Updates 15 min 6:20-35
  •  City Councillors – Adriane Carr & Heather Deal
  • Parks Board Commissioner – Michael Wiebe
  • Parks Board Staff – Megan Herod
  • VSB Trustee – Joy Alexander
  • City Staff – Sarah Carten
  • Vancouver Coastal Health – Claire Gram
  • Ministry of Agriculture – Lindsay Bisschop
4 Wild Salmon Caravan Update 15 min 6:35-6:50
5 Letter of Support – Cedar Cottage Community Garden 15 min 6:50-7:05
6 Motions for October Meeting 15 min 7:05-7:20
7 Big Hunger & Food Bank Nation Event Update 5 min 7:20-7:25
8 Break 15 min 7:25-7:40
9 Election Working Group Update 15 min 7:40-7:55
10 Working Group Recommendations 30 min 7:55-8:25
11 Bread Basket 5 min 8:25-30
12 Motion to adjourn   8:30