June 20th VFPC Meeting Closed to the Public for Member Training Session on Indigenous Food Systems

by admin

Hello VFPC friends,

As part of our Council’s cultural competency training, the Vancouver Food Policy Council meeting on June 20th will be closed to the public as our members participate in a workshop on Indigenous food systems with Dawn Morrison. Dawn Morrison is of Secwepemc ancestry and she is the Director of the Working Group on Indigenous Food Sovereignty.

Following the workshop, we will have some resources, books and more information to share on this topic, so please stay tuned!

We look forward to seeing you at the next Vancouver Food Policy Council meeting on July 18th.

All Our Father’s Relations Film Screening

by admin

The Vancouver Food Policy Council is pleased to invite you to join us for a special documentary film screening of All Our Father’s Relations, followed by a panel discussion.

When: Thursday, May 31st – 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Doors open at 6:30pm. Film starts at 7pm. Panel starts at 8pm.

Where: Science World at TELUS World of Science, 1455 Quebec St, Vancouver, BC. View Map.

The venue and washrooms are wheelchair accessible. Gender neutral washrooms are available on-site.

Tickets are $15 – available through Eventbrite. Share the event with friends and family on Facebook.

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

As we strive to understand our own relationships to each other and the land through food, it is important for us to also recognize the historical and ongoing colonization and settlement of Indigenous peoples and lands that make it possible for us to be here as settlers.

About the Film

All Our Father’s Relations (祖根父脈) is a documentary film telling the story of the Grant siblings’ journey to rediscover their father’s roots and to better understand his fractured relationship with their xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) mother. Raised primarily in the traditions of the Musqueam people, the Grant family and their story reveals the shared struggles of migrants and Aboriginal peoples today and in the past.

Panel Discussion + Special Guests

Join us afterwards for a panel discussion with Alexandra Henao-Castrillon, Hayne Wai and Howard E. Grant to explore how the erasure of Indigenous and minority communities’ food contributions impacts current society and actions.

Alexandra Henao-Castrillon is originally from Colombia. She has worked supporting and advocating for migrant farm workers in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley for the last 6 years. She is a founding member of the Migrant Workers’ Dignity Association

Hayne Wai is a longtime advocate, researcher, and author on Vancouver’s Chinatown and Strathcona. He is a founding member and past president of the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC and a former board trustee of the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden and continues his involvement with both organizations. Hayne worked for the federal and provincial governments and was more recently a sessional instructor at UBC’s Faculty of Education. He has served on government, post-secondary and community committees on anti-racism, diversity, human rights and multiculturalism including the recent city advisory committee on Historical Discrimination Against Chinese in Vancouver. Panelists and participants will explore topics ranging from Reconciliation efforts, migrant farm labour organizing, and other challenges we are facing in just and sustainable food systems.

Howard E. Grant was born and raised in the Musqueam community. He was one of the fortunate children who did not attend residential school, giving him the benefit of learning his culture, values and teachings from his elders in his every day life. Mr. Grant is his family’s cultural speaker and is a historian and cultural leader of his extended family. As a result of this, Howard was given the honour by the elders of his extended family to carry the name qiyəplenəxʷ, a name known and respected throughout Coast Salish territories. Mr. Grant is currently the Executive Director of the First Nations Summit. The First Nations Summit is comprised of a majority of First Nations and Tribal Councils in British Columbia, providing a forum to address issues related to Aboriginal Title, Rights and Treaty negotiations as well as other issues of common concern. He is also a long serving member of Council from his home community of Musqueam.

Sarah Ling was born and raised as a 4th generation Chinese Canadian in Prince Rupert, B.C. on Tsimshian territory. She is a Project Manager with an Indigenous focus at the University of British Columbia at St. John’s College as well as Student Housing and Hospitality Services, where she produces and manages both Indigenous and Chinese Canadian storytelling initiatives. She is the lead Producer of All Our Father’s Relations, and was recently elected President of the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of B.C

May 23, 2018 Agenda

by admin

1 Homelands acknowledgement and introductions 10 min 6:00-6:10
“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 April meeting 5 min 6:10-6:15
3 Liaison Updates 15 min 6:15-6:30
  • 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 Working Group Updates 10 min 6:30-6:40
  • Election Priority
5 Letter of Support (motion) 5 min 6:40-6:45
 
  • Request to co-sponsor event with Graham Riches & Andy Fisher ‘Domestic Hunger in the USA and Canada. Towards Food and Social Justice’ as a part of the Vancouver Food Summit on October 2nd
6 All Our Father’s Relations Film Screening Update 10 min 6:45-6:55
 
  • Screening & Panel discussion May 31st at Science World
7 Escobar Discussion 10 min 6:55-7:05
8 Break 10 min 7:05-7:15
9 Establishing Working Groups for 2018 Priorities 5 min 7:15-7:20
 
  • Reconciliation Priority
  • Membership / Future of VFPC Priority
  • Election Priority
10 City of Vancouver Redefining Food Assets Workshop 45 min 7:20-8:05
11 Toronto Food Policy Insights 20 min 8:05-8:25
12 Bread Basket 5 min 8:25-8:30
13 Motion to adjourn   8:30

Vancouver Proclaims March 1, 2018 as “Great Big Crunch for Healthy School Food Day”

by Vicky Baker

We are thrilled to share the City of Vancouver’s proclamation of March 1, 2018 as “Great Big Crunch for Healthy School Food Day” in Vancouver!

Councillor Adriane Carr, on behalf of the Mayor of Vancouver Gregor Robertson, presented the proclamation to the Children and Youth working group and the Vancouver Food Policy Council.

To learn more about the #GreatBigCrunch, visit the Coalition for Healthy School Food, and Food Share.

PROCLAMATION:

Whereas the City of Vancouver is dedicated to supporting a just and sustainable food system;

And Whereas the Vancouver Food Policy Council is a member of the national Coalition for Healthy School Food;

And Whereas Canada remains one of the only Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations without a federally supported school meal program which has been called for by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food;

And Whereas a recent UNICEF report ranked Canada 37 of 41 high income countries around the provision of healthy food to children;

And Whereas school food programs are one tool for addressing childhood hunger at school;

And Whereas school food programs and have been proven to increase scholastic success across socio-economic classes and increase children’s consumption of vegetables, fruits, and other healthy foods, and decrease the consumption of unhealthy ones;

And Whereas: The Great Big Crunch is a key initiative of the Coalition for Healthy School Food that celebrates healthy food for all children and youth across Canada;

Therefore be it resolved: I, Gregor Robertson, Mayor of the City of Vancouver, and City Council DO HEREBY PROCLAIM that the day of March 1, 2018 as

“THE GREAT BIG CRUNCH FOR HEALTHY SCHOOL FOOD DAY” in the City of Vancouver

February 28, 2018 agenda

by Vicky Baker

1 Homelands acknowledgement and introductions 10 min 6:00-6:10
“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 January meeting 5 min 6:10-6:15
3 Leadership Update 10 min 6:15-6:25
4 Liaison Updates 15 min 6:25-6:40
●     City Councillors – Adriane Carr & Heather Deal
●     Parks Board Commissioner – Michael Wiebe
●     Parks Board Staff – Rebecca Till
●     VSB Trustee – Joy Alexander
●     City Staff – Sarah Carten
●     Metro Vancouver – Jaspal Marwah
●     Vancouver Coastal Health – Claire Gram
●     Ministry of Agriculture – Lindsay Bisschop
5 VFPC Updates 25 min 6:40-7:05
●     Reconciliation Training
●     Park Board Local Food Action / Capital Plan
●     All Our Father’s Relations film screening
●     Great Big Crunch
6 Slack Demonstration / Training 15 min 7:05-7:20
  Break 10 min 7:20-7:30
7 Introduction of Food Justice and the Buffer Zone 10 min 7:30-7:40
8 Strategic Planning – 2018 Key Priorities 30 min 7:40-8:10
  ●     Reconciliation / Decolonizing the Vancouver Food System
●     Membership Structure & VFPC post 2018 Election
●     Food on the Election Table
9 Strategic Planning – 2018 Map the Meetings 10 min 8:10-8:20
10 Bread Basket
●     Food Tank Policy Summit draw
●     Endorsement Policy Review		 10 min 8:20-8:30
11 Motion to adjourn   8:30

January 31, 2018 agenda

by Vicky Baker

1 Homelands acknowledgement and introductions 10 min 6:00-10
We acknowledge that we are meeting on the unceded homelands of the ʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and mi ce:p kʷətxʷiləm (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations and we give thanks for their generosity and hospitality on these lands.

Introductions:

  • VFPC members and liaisons first
  • Then invite audience
2 Approve minutes from October meeting 5 min 6:10-15
3 Introducing Incoming Liaisons 5 min 6:15-20
4 Liaison Updates 15 min 6:20-35
  • City Councillors – Adriane Carr & Heather Deal
  • Parks Board Commissioner – Michael Wiebe
  • Parks Board Staff – Rebecca Till & Megan Herod
  • Vancouver Coastal Health – Claire Gram
  • Youth Food Policy Council – Crecien Bencio
5 City Staff Liaison Update: Redefining Food Assets (10 mins) 6:35-45
·         Background (Sarah Carten)

Identify interested members for further involvement
6 Children and Youth Working Group Update 15 min 6:45-7:00
  • Working group update
  • Motion on the Big Crunch
7 Reconciliation Training Planning Update 30 min 7:00-7:30
  • Update and decision making regarding All Our Father’s Relations film screening, and two reconciliation training sessions for VFPC members and liaisons
BREAK 10 min 7:30-40
8 Priorities for 2018 and Organizing without Co-Chairs 40 min 7:45-8:25
  • Recap of major outcomes from November/December discussions:
    • Shared leadership model rather than co-chairs in 2018
    • Suggested priorities for 2018: reconciliation, food on the municipal election agenda, VFPC post-election, connecting with other advisory committees, and any working group priorities
    • Proposed new communication method through Slack
  • Discussion
  • Goal of discussion (at minimum): identify leaders for February meeting including coordination and chairing
9 Bread Basket

  • School board liaison
 5 min 8:25-30
10 Motion to adjourn 8:30

 

October Meeting Agenda

by Vicky Baker

1 Homelands acknowledgement and introductions 10 min 6:00-6:10
“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 September meeting 5 min 6:10-6:15
3 Liaison Updates 20 min 6:15-6:35
●     City Councillors – Adriane Carr & Heather Deal
●     Parks Board Commissioner – Michael Wiebe
●     Parks Board Staff – Rebecca Till
●     City Staff – James O’Neill & Sarah Carten
●     Metro Vancouver – Theresa Duynstee
●     Vancouver Coastal Health – Claire Gram
●     Ministry of Agriculture – Emma Holmes
●     Youth Food Policy Council – Crecien Bencio
●     Special Representative – Janet Fraser
4 Working Group Updates 15 min 6:35-6:50
●     Cross-Working Group Leaders Bi-Monthly Meeting
●     Children and Youth
●     Development
●     Food Justice
●     Urban Farming
●     Waste
5 Wild Salmon Caravan Vancouver Feast Report Back 10 min 6:50-7:00
  Break 10 min 7:00-7:10
6 VanPlay: Parks Board Master Planning Process | Katherine Howard and Megan Herod 30 min 7:10-7:40
7 City of Vancouver Single-Use Items Reduction Strategy | Waste Working Group 20 min 7:40-8:00
  ●     http://vancouver.ca/green-vancouver/single-use-items.aspx
●     http://council.vancouver.ca/20170627/documents/rr1b.pdf
●     http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/single-use-consultation-paper-9-12-2017.pdf
8 VFPC Truth and Reconciliation training and public engagement funding request 10 min 8:00-8:10
9 2017-2018 VFPC Work Plan Update 10 min 8:10-8:20
10 Bread Basket
●     Co-chair transition
●     Council of Councils Meeting
●     Agenda setting		 10 min 8:20-8:30
11 Motion to adjourn   8:30

Wild Salmon Caravan 2017

by Vicky Baker

For thousands of years, the wild salmon have been our most important Indigenous food, and cultural and ecological keystone species in BC. They are an indicator of the health and integrity of the Indigenous land and food system on which the health and functioning of the entire agri-food system is based. They feed the entire Pacific Temperate Rainforest as well as many species including the bears, the wolves, the eagles, and our families and communities.

We invite everyone to come out in colourful and creative expressions of love for wild salmon in parades, banners, posters, music, storytelling, regalia etc.

Wild salmon hear our songs!

Celebrate the spirit of wild salmon!

Transform the darkness surrounding the industrial storm that is killing wild salmon.

Swim with us! Get involved in the #WSC2017.