Sea to Sky Community Food Action Initiative Report

Community Food Action Initiative Food on EVERY Table

Final Report

Prepared by Lydia Szymanski – Project Coordinator & Kate Sutherland – Facilitator

June 14, 2006 (updated August 17, 2006)

Sea to Sky Community Services Society 38144 Second Avenue Squamish, BC

1 Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 4 Introduction ...... 10 Our Approach ...... 11 Inviting & Engaging...... 12 Defining the Theme: ...... 12 Invitation Process:...... 12 Highlights from Community Meetings ...... 13 Squamish (May 17)...... 13 Whistler (May 18) ...... 14 Pemberton (May 18) ...... 15 Highlights: Corridor Open Space Event, May 30-31 ...... 16 The Format ...... 17 Recommendations ...... 18 Budget 2006/2007 ...... 19 Outcome Measurement Framework 1 Year ...... 19 Outcome Measurement Framework 3 Year ...... 23 Summaries of Dialogue Sessions, May 30...... 27 A. Summary of Access/Hubs Discussion and Action Plans for Implementation ...... 27 B. Growing Food Locally and Using Local Food...... 29 C. Working towards a Sustainable/Less Unsustainable Food System and Local Regional Food Policy...... 33 D. Sustainability – how to keep things going, who makes decisions etc. 35 Summaries of Action Planning Sessions, May 31 ...... 36 A. The 100 Mile Movement...... 36 B. Project: Food Calendar/Almanac ...... 39 C. Sea to Sky Corridor Food Security Coordinator Position...... 41 Appendices ...... 42 A. Environment Scan...... 42 B. Food System Assessment plus Gaps Analysis...... 50

2 C. Newspaper Coverage...... 57 D. Invitation...... 59 E. Squamish “Food on Every Table” Community Meeting Contacts ...... 61 F. Whistler “Food on Every Table” Community Meeting Contacts ...... 63 G. Pemberton and Area “Food on Every Table” Community Meeting Contacts ...... 64 H. Mountain FM Interview Questions and Notes...... 66 I. Mapping Squamish ...... 68 J. Mapping Whistler...... 72 K. Mapping Pemberton ...... 77 L. Proceedings of the Open Space Event ...... 83 M. Squamish Homeless Survey ...... 83

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

– Key Findings

Sea to Sky Country is a group of communities linked by the Sea to Sky highway on Canada's west coast.

Beginning at Horseshoe Bay, west of Vancouver, Sea to Sky Country stretches north through several mountain passes up to Pemberton, British Columbia. These passes, which are linked together by Sea to Sky Country, are known as the Sea to Sky Corridor.

The Corridor is a strong rural area with rural traditions. Many homes produce seasonal foods that are shared or sold locally. These foods are nutritious, affordable and at times, offer culturally appropriate food choices. Despite these efforts, there are numerous gaps and issues identified throughout the Corridor. Some are unique to a specific community or area, others are broader issues that all of us face.

Production

Each of the three larger communities (Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton) offers both similar and different opportunities around food production. Each community has at least one community garden operating, many backyard gardens for personal and/or other consumption. There are some working farms in the Squamish and Pemberton areas that produce food for cost. It was estimated that there are 15 to 20 large farms (0ver 200 acres) operational in the corridor with full-time farmers and approximately 40 small farms. However, it was generally felt that proportional to the population of the corridor, there is little food production that is grown locally.

There is access to water in all three communities and local fishing and hunting is available, although regulated.

Squamish has several community gardens, one being located at the 55 and older residential complex. Seasonally there is a farmer’s market, although only one wholesaler sells produce; there are no farmers selling their goods. There is also Squamish Community Harvest, a partnership program between Sea to Sky Community Services Society and Squamish Bear Aware where excess fruit is picked by volunteers and distributed to people and programs in the community.

4 Growth on the Ground Foundation Research Bulletin: Squamish” from March 2005 suggests there is great potential for local food systems in Squamish.

The availability of healthy food sources for those who rely on fishing in Squamish was severely impacted in the summer of 2005 in Squamish when caustic soda spilled into the Cheakamus River, killing steelhead and many other fish.

In Whistler, the value of locally grown food is increasing in the community. Currently there are three community greenhouses in which food is grown through the spring and summer. There are plans to expand the project and to have greenhouses growing food throughout the year, pending access to funding. Whistler also has various programs and events that assist their community. There is a farmer’s market, and several large greenhouses.

In Pemberton, there is a strong mushroom business although the majority of this is sent out of the community. This community has the largest farming production, potatoes being a main product. In addition to a community garden, a local organic farm, Across the Creek Organics, sells organic harvest boxes in the corridor.

Many people living in Pemberton and area north of Pemberton, hunt, fish and pick wild berries and mushrooms. There is a sense of community around hunting, fishing and harvesting food in the native communities. Hunters help the community when food gets low, during hard times including funerals. Deer is hunted in the area. Fishermen and fisherwomen help one another make nets. Rods nets and freezer space are shared. In the spring and summer the native populations of the Mount Currie and D’Arcy fish for salmon. Deer is hunted in the area.

Farming has been a mainstay of the Pemberton Valley since Europeans first settled here more than 100 years ago. Farming has been the traditional industry of the Pemberton Valley, and continues to be a significant contributor to the local economy. In 1967 Pemberton was the first commercial seed potato area in the world to grow virus-free seed potatoes. With careful monitoring, inspection and testing, Pemberton seed potato industry continues to enjoy renowned success. Some farmers today are choosing to diversify by growing a variety of vegetables and berries, which are sold locally and to customers in Whistler.

Common threads for each broad community are around the following: • Capacity to store foods appropriately i.e.) freezing, so that local food banks, and others could distribute over a longer period of time instead of having to decline some donations. • Increase in the number and size of community gardens. There are, for example, several farms in the Squamish and Pemberton area where not all the land is being utilized.

5 • Increase the communities’ education on home production and increasing distribution i.e.) Grow a Row program. • Engage our young people, get individuals involved sooner, through preschool, elementary and high school programs.

Accessibility

From the research, it is estimated in the Cost of Eating in BC report that Canadians spend 10% of their personal disposable income on food and non alcoholic beverages.

For the most part, food stores in the Corridor appear fairly well distributed and cover a wide range of consumer choice. The biggest issue is that the large chains, that typically offer reduced pricing are all located in Squamish, which often means families and individuals have to travel south for groceries or pay higher costs closer to home.

Each broad community has access to smaller grocery stores, typically within walking distance, however, costs are higher and more prohibitive than the larger chains. Seniors have the additional problem of no meals on wheels programs, relying on service from Burnaby, which provides frozen meals that must be purchased for 4 weeks minimum. Families and friends tend to provide the extra support needed for seniors, as well as the senior’s centre in each community at times has special events with meals.

Public transit is available in each of the communities at least 6 days a week. Busses travel to the center of each community where most grocery stores and restaurants are located. Residents living in Mount Currie and the New Site of Mt Currie usually travel to Pemberton to do their shopping and must travel approximately 8km and 18 km respectively to do so. Busses run 7 days per week approximately 4 times each way during business hours. Hitchhiking is common in Pemberton and area in between scheduled bus times.

With seniors expecting to experience reduced mobility as they age, transportation is identified as one of the ‘top three’ health issues. Seniors would like to see improved municipal transit, improved access to HandiDart and volunteer drivers.

Seasonally, there are some farm stands and U-picks available, mostly in the Pemberton area. In all three communities there is a farmer’s market and in Pemberton there is a Farmer’s Institute. Farmers did report that there are challenges getting local grocery stores and restaurants in the corridor to purchase their produce because the distribution system that has been in place for year makes it easier for them to purchase food from large companies and food distributors, including those in the US, than to purchase from local farmers. An additional barrier to smaller farmers selling their goods to grocery stores, is that shipment of produce is required to arrive at a certain temperature which requires refrigerated trucks.

6 Not all foods that are culturally relevant or traditional are available in the Corridor. South Asian food is available at Save-On-Foods in Squamish, however, it costs more than buying the same food in Vancouver. Grocery stores have Chinese and Japanese foods, but often people rely on trips to the city to stock up on their supplies due to cost and better variety. Fruits and vegetables are always available but they are more costly the farther north you travel.

Common threads for each broad community are around the following: • The large geographic area creates barriers for those who want to comparison shop as well as try and access the lowest costs. Squamish seems to offer the most competitive pricing but still higher than Vancouver. • Limited variety particularly regarding culturally relevant foods throughout the corridor. • Typically those foods that are cheaper to purchase tend not to be the most nutritious foods. • Seniors, throughout the corridor, do not have a well-developed food access/security system, often relying on family and friends. • Difficulties encouraging local grocery stores to purchase local farms produce. • Transportation issues in each of the communities creates challenges for vulnerable individuals.

Distribution

Each of the three larger communities has a food bank available. Squamish has its distribution twice per month; Whistler also distributes twice per month and Pemberton distributes food coupons through Sea to Sky Community Services Society (SSCSS) during business hours. Both Whistler and Pemberton have some capacity for emergencies and Pemberton has a small shelf of food available to supplement the coupons. In Squamish there tend to be pockets of services and agencies that also have small food cupboards to assist individuals and families they serve e.g.) United Church in Squamish, Healthy Pregnancy Outreach Program, Squamish Youth Centre and food coupons through the Mt. Currie band.

In addition to the food banks, Squamish runs a soup kitchen program two times per week. There are several Community Kitchen programs in each of the three larger communities that typically run weekly and allow participants to come together to cook one or more meals that they take home to their families. There is no cost for some cooking clubs and a minimal charge for others. There are school breakfast/food programs that run in several elementary and high schools throughout the corridor. Some of the programs offer free breakfast to students and/or a subsidized nutritious snack. At Whistler Secondary,

7 students are encouraged to share food from their lunch that they are not going to eat by putting it into a basket for other students.

There are several drop-in programs where food is served such as the Healthy Pregnancy Outreach program, Multicultural Drop-In program, Social Interaction group, Pemberton’s Senior’s lunch and the Elder’s lunch in Mt. Currie. As mentioned previous, there are farmer’s markets and community gardens in Squamish and Whistler where produce to sold. Most of the food redistribution takes place at a store to individual program level. Usually individual programs go to ask for leftovers to be donated to the programs. More often than not, restaurateurs and grocers dispose of the extra food they cannot sell rather than pass it on to other programs because of fear of liability.

Common threads for each broad community are around the following: • Limited access and distribution of food banks i.e.) twice per month, food coupons, make it difficult to ensure that individuals and families have healthy food all the time. With food coupon distribution, some education is needed around purchasing healthy foods and not necessarily buying the cheapest product. • Consistency and complete distribution of school breakfast/food programs is needed throughout the corridor, as not all schools participate. Again, some education needs to accompany these programs and the earlier the age the better. • Coordination of what’s available and how to access and distribute throughout the corridor would assist in what’s offered and how. It would also allow for opportunities to learn and share from each other.

Consumption/Waste Management

In 2003, (Act Now Brochure), it was estimated that only 40% of adults reported eating 5 or more servings of vegetables and fruits a day. It has already been noted that a key to success within food security initiative that goes forward, is enhanced or supported through this process requires a certain level of education. Services and programs have tended to act in isolation and this process is really the first for the corridor to consider its food management issues.

There are opportunities for excess food to be shared but it is not universal. For example, restaurants and grocery stores have policies that must be followed regarding the distribution of food. However, by working with these groups there maybe creative ways that excess food can be shared with those in need.

None of the communities offer a ‘city-wide’ composting program, however, many individuals and families have backyard composts. Carney’s in Squamish has

8 made some in roads to overall composting but it is not universally used. Sea to Sky communities have the additional issue of bears coming onto their properties and some municipalities have discouraged composting as a result.

Common threads for each broad community are around the following: • Lack of coordination around food security/action issues particularly in drawing in the business groups. • In addition to municipalities offering recycling services, there needs to be some consideration of a broad composting program. Community by- laws and policies could strengthen practice.

Where to start

1. Creation of a Community Food Action Committee for the Sea to Sky corridor that includes broad representation. 2. Create a simple list serve that supports communication and information flow. 3. Encourage the formation of strategic partnerships with regional municipalities and local businesses e.g.) Whistler 2020, Smart Growth on the Ground. 4. Hire a dedicated Sea to Sky Food Security Coordinator to keep the momentum going and support the corridor.

What has been learned is that the three larger communities in the Corridor are distinctly different – each with their own character, history and culture. The diversity is both a challenge and a source of strength. This is an exciting time and there is energy in the communities throughout the Sea to Sky Corridor to continue and follow through with some of the ideas, plans and projects that have emerged through this process.

9 Introduction

We are pleased to submit this report on the Sea to Sky Community Action Initiative, Food on EVERY Table.

The invitation to participate in this project coincided with a deeply felt need on the part of our lead staff person (Lydia Szymanski) to support both the accessibility and the sustainability of the food system in Squamish. But that daunting task had been pushed to the side of the desk by other commitments and priorities.

We are thankful for this process. It has enabled us to discover the passion and capacity relating to food issues, in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton, and throughout the Sea to Sky Corridor. We have much better understanding of the depth and breadth of food issues – everything from emergency access to the viability of local farms, and a much richer sense of who is who and what is what.

Most particularly we are grateful for our own and other’s expanded understanding of what is possible, given the passion and dedication people have for issues around food security.

We know there is a lot of work to do, important work.

And we feel inspired and emboldened to continue, knowing that the will and capacity exist in our communities to support effective action.

10 Our Approach

From the outset we choose an appreciative, asset-based approach and worked to involve people and communities in finding solutions to their food security issues.

By focusing on assets/what’s already working, the process quickly engaged a wide range of community members and generated interest, commitment, and numerous excellent action plans and initiatives.

Our process traces the four stages in an Appreciative Inquiry: 1. Discover -- discovering resources, assets, precedents in the community 2. Dream – envisioning our ideal future 3. Design – developing action plans and strategies to achieve the vision 4. Deliver – creating results based on the action plans and strategies

Specifically, re Discovering and Dreaming, we hosted three community meetings (Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton). Each meeting was 3 hours long, brought together a cross-section of individuals and organizational reps, and included two main elements: Mapping the assets of the community relating to food security, and either envisioning a desired future, or identifying gaps and opportunities.

Hosting meetings in each community made them accessible to a wide range of people, and was congruent with most peoples’ definition of their community. In addition to mapping and envisioning, it provided an opportunity to build momentum for the subsequent Corridor-wide event that offered an opportunity to support initiatives in their own community, and also to: o Learn about and cross-pollinate with what’s happening elsewhere in the corridor. o Explore potential for corridor-wide initiatives o Strengthen their voice at the civic/political level

Re Designing and Delivering, we hosted a corridor-wide Open Space event on May 30-31. In Open Space, the agenda is developed by participants based on a self-organized sorting of the issues and questions that matter most to them. The approach is an efficient way to identify where there is both passion and willingness to take responsibility – key ingredients for getting things done.

Other benefits include: - Focused time for action planning - Supports emergence of new key players/new reluctant leaders - Potential for synergy and cross pollination - People energized and supported by knowing what others are doing - People leave with summaries of all the Day One conversations, and the promise to have summaries of all the action plans

11 Inviting & Engaging

Events start with the invitation. And critical to the framing of the invitation was identification of the theme.

Defining the Theme: From initial outreach, we found that “Food Security” generally does not resonate with people. Most do not know what it means, and do not relate to it as an issue.

We framed the issue as a question: How can we keep putting food on EVERY table? We are pleased to say this theme attracted participants reflecting every aspect of the food system: from accessibility to the ecological sustainability of production and distribution, from GMO activists to people concerned about nutrition and lack of cooking skills...

In facilitating the events what emerged, as an even more resonant theme was “Food on EVERY table, now and seven generations from now”.

Invitation Process: Significant resources were invested in inviting people to the community meetings and corridor event. The invitation attached as Appendix E was sent through Sea to Sky Community Services Society’s extensive networks, as well as the Vancouver Coastal Health networks in the corridor. Outreach to newspapers generated articles that extended the invitation to several people who would not have know of the event otherwise, and ditto for an interview with local radio station Mountain FM.

Other networks helped to spread the word, e.g. inclusion of the invite in the Squamish Nation Newsletter and an announcement in the United Church Newsletter (Squamish)

In addition there was in-person outreach to Squamish’s Concerned Citizens for the Homeless, the Squamish Soup Kitchen, the Squamish Nation Family Program, Mt. Currie Band and Baptise Band, the Sea to Sky Pregnancy Outreach program and the Graduate Cooking Club. Unfortunately, participants of the Squamish Nation Family Program were unable to attend but are interested in participating in future committee meetings. The project coordinator made over 70 email/phone follow-ups. Councillor Tim Wake, who participated in the Whistler community meeting (May 18th), said that he came “Because Lydia (Szymanski) asked me to”.

12 Highlights from Community Meetings

As noted above, each of the community meetings created a “map” of their local food system assets. These maps are rich with resources and existing initiatives, capacity and people. The maps had a potent effect on many participants: they were energized by the possibilities. Please see Appendices G-I for summaries of the maps – each well worth reading and referring to when undertaking food system initiatives in the corridor. (As one small example, a key way to get the word out in Whistler is through posters at a small number of specific locations.) The following highlights do not substitute for reading the notes on the individual meetings, but rather supplement those notes with overarching and reflective comments. Making Connections Squamish (May 17) The venue for the Squamish meeting was the • Fifty+ people attended the meeting same space used for the local Soup Kitchen – a in Squamish, almost double what hall owned by the Squamish United Church that we expected based on the RSVPs, sits on a large corner lot. and the largest of all the meetings we organized. The energy mounted In the process of organizing the event, the as we added chairs, and logistics coordinator conferred with the Minister participants experienced directly and learned that he hoped to develop the very building where the meeting was to take place that there were many people and and was interested in partnering with others to much capacity relating to local food optimize the benefit to the community and issues. Several said it was the first different stakeholders. time in Squamish that such a broad range of people gathered relating to That conversation planted seeds: and there are this theme. currently exploratory talks between the United • The large number of participants is Church and Sea to Sky Community Services likely due to several factors: Society re co-development of the site as a social o Squamish is the largest of the service delivery hub. three main communities in the corridor o The lead organization is based in Ripples Squamish and so is both better known We know of several ripples from and better connected. the whole project. Some are large There was good prior coverage of the o scale, like the Making event in the local paper. Connections sidebar above.

o Some participants came at the last Others are on a smaller scale: One minute, learning about the event in part participant appreciated that the because it was located in the same venue catering for the Squamish as the local soup kitchen. Their community meeting was done by familiarity with the venue likely made members of the Graduate Cooking

the meeting more accessible. Club. The participant intends to explore sourcing catering for events she runs in the future through participants in a program she oversees. 13 • To initiate mapping community assets, we invited participants to brainstorm which categories of assets to include. Rather than categories such as people and organizations, participants jumped to mapping by initiatives/themes. This was beneficial in that people where energized to see how many assets already existed in the community relating to their priorities, but problematic in that the resulting map may have missed key assets. (For Whistler and Pemberton, we pre-identified five categories: people, initiatives, organizations, resources and information.) • The process of mapping surfaced the following key themes: Education and the value of food – Making Smart Choices Easier Potential Starting Points – for community mobilization Resources in general, and in particular for a Food Coalition Person/Place that is Central/Accessible Growing Food Here Distributing Food with Dignity Please see Appendix G for a summary of the assets identified for each of these categories. NB: These categories cover four of the six dimensions of a community’s food system as per the City of Vancouver’s Food Policy framework: Production, Distribution, Consumption, and Accessibility. The two missing are waste disposal and processing. • Specific Gaps identified include: Storage facilities for the local food bank. If the food bank had both more secure storage space, and capacity to freeze donated food, they could make use of offers of food donations that they currently have to decline. A central hub – a place for people to go for food, information, showers, job board, and access to services. A food coalition person – to liaise and broker, networking the networks to support food accessibility and sustainability. Access to land in Squamish for growing food Food bank operating more frequently than once/month (NB: on June 7th the food bank began opening 2x/month.)

Whistler (May 18) • Six people attended the community meeting in Whistler. This smaller number is likely due to existing extensive community engagement in the Whistler 2020 sustainability initiative (16 taskforces with 10 community members in each, including taskforces on Health and Social, and Partnership Development.) • During the invitation follow up process, we also heard that people in Whistler generally don't relate to food or homelessness as key issues. It's a resort town. Dominant ethos: If can't afford to live here, suggest people move on. Health may be a better way to frame issues. E.g. poor people tend to eat junk food. Whistler is identified with health, more than social equity. And "Squatting" may be another framing approach. The many

14 people who squat at the margins. There is a vibrant counter culture of “pioneers” -- drawn to ski.... Culture of doing neat things. • Tim Wake of the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) participated in the meeting. Tim identified the strong potential link between the Community Food Action Initiative and Whistler 2020. He noted that when Whistler 2020 was established, they intended to address food policy/system issues with a dedicated taskforce. Then due to enormity of the initiative, food issues where allocated to the Health and Social Taskforce. Currently food system issues are not being addressed, and Tim named key RMOW staff contacts to follow up with. We have subsequently contacted RMOW’s Esther Speck, and she welcomes collaboration and helped to circulate the Open Space invitation through the W2020 network. • Affordable housing issues are a big challenge in Whistler given demand for holiday and time-share accommodation. This puts pressure on food budgets for people in medium and low paying jobs. Whistler has developed expertise in Resident Restricted Housing as a way of mitigating the effects of market forces on the availability of affordable housing. Given the tight link between rising housing costs and food affordability issues in our communities, this is a key asset. Whistler is already sharing their learnings with other communities. • The Olympics and Whistler 2020 are significant opportunities for doing innovative food system work. The “eyes of the world” are on Whistler, and there Whistler has a stated commitment to enhancing the sustainability of its food system. The Whistler 2020 initiative recognizes the need to collaborate with other communities in the corridor to achieve its sustainability goals, but so far little has been done in this regard. • Work on the ski hills, and the opportunity to ski attracts many Young Adults (referred to locally as YADs). Most have little or no cooking skills and live on fast food. This is an extreme version of the issues facing all communities: young people who’ve grown up on fast food due to their parents being a “lost generation” who similarly don’t know how to cook or prepare food from whole ingredients. Whistler has many innovative initiatives for addressing these issues (see Appendix H).

Pemberton (May 18) • The Pemberton Community Meeting attracted 17 participants, including three from the remote and predominantly First Nations community of Baptiste, and two from the Mount Currie Reserve. • We met at the farm of third generation farmer Bruce Miller and his wife Brenda, 10 Kms north of Pemberton. This was an excellent location as the meeting was a direct expression of the importance of improving linkages between the farm and the table, between sustainability of local farming and people in their “Foodshed.” • The Pemberton map is unique in naming the land and water, fish, berries and wild game as resources for the food system. This groundedness was potent and significant. For example, for food systems to be sustainable,

15 farming needs to be done sustainably. Local farmers face many challenges due to the globalization of our food system. Being on a working farm helped to bring this home. • While exploring gaps and opportunities the cross-pollination of ideas and reflections “birthed” an idea that galvanized the group. The mix included among many others: How Pemberton Farmers need a certified Excerpts: Pemberton Evaluations commercial kitchen to be A new learning or realization I have as a result of able to create value this session is: added products – to help • Stuff can happen when people get together farming be more • The power of mobilized community economically viable by getting more revenue for • How fortunate we are here their produce • A group of people can do wonders How First Nations • The connection people have to the land in this communities need better area facilities for canning • All things are possible here in Pemberton – lots salmon. of strength and energy to dream A licensed commercial • How much resources are here in our territory; kitchen as a potential how much caring and sharing people are here meeting place for “farm • As a group, even a small group, we can create folk” and “town folk”, and energy and powerful ideas and solutions for First Nations and • We need to connect with the entire corridor. non-First Nations – with food as the focus.

One participant shared that plans for a new Pemberton Recreation Centre might still be amended to include a licensed commercial kitchen, and was willing to follow up the next day. The energy of support and excitement was palpable (See sidebar for comments from evaluation forms.) Participants at the meeting signed a sheet indicating their support for the proposal. Please see the excellent letter subsequently sent to the Village of Pemberton, Attached.

Highlights: Corridor Open Space Event, May 30-31

The three larger communities in Uptake on Open Space the Corridor are distinctly different Initially there was a slow and low response to -- each with their own character, our invitation to the Open Space in Whistler. history and culture. This diversity Prior to the three community meetings in is both a challenge and a source of mid-May, only six people had RSVP’d for May strength. 30, and three for May 31.

In the end 20 participated on the first day and twelve on the second, plenty to have a good airing of key issues, and to support the development of potent action plans. 16 From anecdotal comments it seems that most people identify more with their local village/municipality than with the corridor as a whole. This made it difficult to attract people to a corridor-wide event, compounded by the barriers of time and expense to attend a meeting in a different community.

That same diversity contains important opportunities for collaboration and cross- pollination. We are excited that participants who had first hand experience of this potential are more likely to value and make time for corridor-wide food action gatherings in the future. Indeed one of the key requests emerging from the Open Space was for regular corridor-wide networking events (i.e. 1-4 times per year)

The Format Many commented on the Open Space format (For an explanation of Open Space, see http://www.chriscorrigan.com/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.WhatIsOpenSpaceTec hnology). They commented on how they had initially doubted it would work, how impressed they were by the almost universal participation in posting topics for dialogue, the self organizing aspect, the level of engagement, the quality of conversations.

Open Space runs on “passion bounded by responsibility”. Good ideas without passion to follow through on them are a distraction. Good ideas that have Another Ripple champions to convene a dialogue/action planning session have the potential to beget A participant in the Open Space was action. inspired the potential of community greenhouses to connect young Please see Appendix J for the Open Space children to where food comes from Proceedings including summaries for the and the excitement of growing their four dialogues from Day ONE, and the three own food. She plans to source action plans developed on Day TWO. These donations to enable greenhouse to be make for excellent reading, and express the built next to daycare facilities in the energy, passion and vision of participants in corridor. the community engagement process. In other words, the dialogues and action plans reflect where there is interest and aspiration in the Sea to Sky Corridor community relating to food issues.

17 Recommendations 1. We recommend that the proceedings of the community meetings and Open Space event inform future initiatives to support food security in the corridor, and that future CFAI funding honour the ideas and initiatives emerging from this community consultation/engagement process. This includes support for greenhouses at daycares, the Sea to Sky Corridor Food Security Coordinator position, the 100 Mile Movement, the Food Calendar/Almanac. It also includes ideas such as starting a Good Food Box program, promoting Grow a Row, creating more community gardens and kitchens/cooking classes, supporting local composting, creating food policy at a municipal level, including working on getting municipal resolution for a GE free zone and incorporating protection of the local food shed into the official community plan. 2. We recommend that the Sea to Sky Corridor Food Security Coordinator gives highest priority to activities that are highly leveraged such as the forming of strategic partnerships with regional municipalities and local businesses (such as Whistler 2020, Smart Growth on the Ground, Whistler Blackcomb, etc.), brokering collaborative initiatives, and securing funding for other corridor food security initiatives. 3. We recommend that community engagement/momentum be maintained and cultivated by creating a simple listserv that supports communication and information flow. Groups to be engaged in the ongoing process include but are not limited to seniors, Lil’wat and Squamish nation members, low-income individuals and families, the homeless as well as at-risk youth. 4. We recommend creation of a Community Food Action Committee for the Sea to Sky Corridor that includes broad representation. In particular, we recommend inclusion of reps from the business sector, municipal governments, seniors and first nations to complement the already active participation of the community services sector, farmers and citizens concerned about a range of community food related issues (GMO, Accessibility, Nutrition, etc.) 5. We recommend that the Community Food Action Committee over the next fiscal year, with the direction and assistance of the Food Security Coordinator, review this report, including Executive Summary and the Common Threads that were evidenced and develop a corridor wide plan of action to address these issues with the goal of increasing food security in the vulnerable population (as listed above).

18 Budget 2006/2007

Revenue:

Vancouver Coastal Health $20,000.00

Expenditures:

Facilitator/Coordinator $ 7,280.00 (7 hours/week x 52 weeks) x $20.00

Travel $ 2,000.00

Admin/Office Facilities $ 2,000.00

Priority Projects as identified from the CFAI report $ 8,720.00

(Greenhouses at Group Daycares - $3,000.00) (Food Calendar - $2,000.00) (Accessibility fund, including child daycare and travel, for participants to attend meetings etc. - $1,000.00) (Small fund to assist existing food banks/soup kitchens for supplies - $2,750.00)

Total $20,000.00

Outcome Measurement Framework 1 Year

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Inputs Activities Outputs Short Term Outcomes Intermediate Long Term Outcomes Outcome Creating a job # of members on Committee has a clear Community Food There is SSCS description and terms hiring committee definition of Action healthy Executive of reference for PT Job Description Community Food Action Initiative is locally grown Director Community Food Action Terms of reference Initiative responsive food on every oversight Initiative Liaison/ Liaison/Coordinator’s table in the and Coordinator role and job Community Food Sea to Sky connections expectations Action corridor, now Initiative is and seven SSCS Office Post position to # of resumes received Hiring a PT Community accessible generations Administrat solicit resumes and # of candidates Food Action Initiative from now. or support interview candidates interviewed Liaison/Coordinator Community Food Support for working Action SSCS Human groups and initiatives Initiative is Resource formed during CFAI sustainable Manager consultations People involved in Other projects SSCS CFAI feel supported by or initiatives Director of continuity of liaison started. Early and coordination Childhood function Development Services Creating a listserv for • # of people on Communication flow is people involved and listserv improved and people in Interim PT interested in food listserv the corridor are kept Community security communication informed regarding Food Action food security

21 Inputs Activities Outputs Short Term Outcomes Intermediate Long Term Outcomes Outcome Initiative Recruit participants # of volunteers for Developing food As above As above Coordinator (including seniors, food security security committees first nations etc) as committee in Squamish for each of the three Sea to Sky volunteer members for # of volunteers for larger communities in Corridor food security committee food security the Corridor VCH and develop terms of committee in Whistler (Squamish, Whistler Community reference for committee # of volunteers for and Pemberton) Developer food security Greater networking and Support committee in improved information Pemberton flow and support for Office Terms of reference and between people and Space, initiatives re: food Supplies security in the and corridor Equipment Food Security (fax, Committee has a clear phone, definition of its desk, purpose and procedures chairs) as well as greater validity Committee to explore the possibility of creating a map of the corridor’s resources

Supporting working • Support for: • Moving forward with groups formed during Greenhouses at Setting up May CFAI consultations daycare centers Greenhouses at Calendar/Almanac daycares Other priority Calendar/Almanac projects as Other priority identified by projects as committee and identified by coordinator committee and coordinator

22 Inputs Activities Outputs Short Term Outcomes Intermediate Long Term Outcomes Outcome Engaging and involving # of individuals from Increased food vulnerable and/or vulnerable security for As above As above marginalized populations involved vulnerable populations such as, # of priority populations in the but not limited to, projects corridor seniors, low-income determined to further individuals and assist in increasing families, Lil’wat and food security of Squamish nation vulnerable members, people with populations mental health challenges, homeless etc. in developing and prioritizing food security initiatives and projects

Soliciting grants and # of grants/amount of Additional funding and in-kind contributions additional funding in-kind contributions to support secured are secured sustainability of # of in-kind More food security community action for contributions initiatives can be food security. initiated and sustained Sea to Sky corridor CFAI coordinator position and initiatives are sustainable

Outcome Measurement Framework 3 Year

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23 Inputs Activities Outputs Short Term Outcomes Intermediate Long Term Outcomes Outcome Sea to Sky Hiring a PT Community • PT Community Food • People involved in Community Food People in the Executive Food Action Initiative Action Initiative Community Food Action Action Sea to Sky Director Liaison person. Liaison person is Initiative feel Initiative is Corridor have oversight hired. Target date: supported by responsive. access to and September 2006. continuity of liaison locally connections and coordination Community Food grown, function. Action locally Sea to Sky Supporting working • Support for: • Moving forward with Initiative is produced Office groups formed during Greenhouses at Setting up accessible. food, and the Administrat May CFAI consultations daycare centers Greenhouses at awareness to or support Calendar/Almanac daycares Community Food eat in Other priority Calendar/Almanac Action healthy Interim PT projects as Other priority Initiative is balanced way. Community identified by projects as sustainable. Food Action committee and identified by Initiative coordinator committee and Other projects Coordinator Note: See Action Planning coordinator or initiatives summary in Appendices. started. Sea to Sky Developing food • Volunteer committees • Greater empowerment, Corridor security committees for formed in Squamish, networking and Vancouver each of the three main Whistler and information flow Coastal communities in the Pemberton. between people and Health Corridor (Squamish, • initiatives re: food Authority Terms of reference Whistler and Pemberton) security in the Community are developed for corridor. Developer Community Food • Support Security Committee Channel for engagement and support for people interested in moving forward with ideas and initiatives.

24 Inputs Activities Outputs Short Term Outcomes Intermediate Long Term Outcomes Outcome Jan Developing a Coordinating Increased information As above As above Durocher coordinating committee committee for the flow between Resource for the corridor corridor is formed communities re Development Terms of reference successes and Officer are developed for strategies for food Food Security security. Coordinating Increased synergy Volunteer Committee. between communities – Committee e.g. growers in and Pemberton better subcommitte linked to markets in e members Whistler and Squamish, identified or School programs through the developed for whole May CFAI corridor. Consultatio Convening networking Networking events Engagement of greater n process. events (frequency TDB take place 1-4 times number of people (1-4x/yr) to link per year Support for creation people in the corridor of new initiatives working on food Identification of security initiatives public policy recommendations

Supporting working # of working groups Engagement of greater groups in forming to formed number of people work on a variety of # of new initiatives Support for creation food security of new initiatives initiatives/projects.

Creating strategic # of strategic Partners collaborate partnerships partnerships formed to engage in activities that promote food security

25 Inputs Activities Outputs Short Term Outcomes Intermediate Long Term Outcomes Outcome Soliciting grants and • # of grants/amount of • Current food security As above As above in-kind contributions additional funding initiatives receive to support secured additional financial sustainability of • # of in-kind support community action for contributions • Additional food food security security initiatives are initiated Engaging and involving # of individuals from • Increased food vulnerable and/or vulnerable/marginaliz security of vulnerable marginalized ed populations populations in the populations in involved corridor determining priority • # of priority projects and projects initiatives determined to further assist in increasing food security of vulnerable populations Coordinator and # food policies • Increased municipal committee to lobby for created and/or regional creating a municipal Amount of local support for increasing and/or regional food produce in grocery access to healthy, policy, including stores locally grown, GE free policy and distribution food in the corridor system/transport that • More locally grown would make it easier food is available in for local growers to grocery stores get produce to local stores

26 Summaries of Dialogue Sessions, May 30

A. Summary of Access/Hubs Discussion and Action Plans for Implementation

Convener: Jeanne Cameron (10:30-noon session) Participants: Lois Wynne, Jen Leigh, Marissa Schiesser, Karen Kay, Donna Bent, Shannon Brown, Jane Balance, and Dania Matiation.

Our group had many ideas and points of view. From our focus of children and families we discovered that we shared a vision of universal accessibility, where all people have access to food with no stigma or cost.

Out of this came the idea that we need to start education young, give young children the opportunity to grow things and provide assistance to others who can facilitate this process.

The Child Care Resource and Referral Program has taken ownership of a project that would see greenhouses donated to Family and Group Daycare centres so that children will have an opportunity to grow and enjoy their own food. The CCRR will cost source greenhouses and approach lawn and garden centres, Carney’s and other businesses about donations of soil, compost, tools etc. We have a vision that a portion of the “Seed Money” would be just that, to assist with providing these resources to daycares free of charge. There are a variety of other groups who would benefit from this style of outreach and we hope to incorporate their needs into our proposal.

It was discovered during our conversations that Soup Kitchen staff did not have access to Food Safe Training, which prevented them from being a distribution source for food that could be donated from local sources, farmer’s, grocery stores, restaurants etc. It was decided that Lois Wynne, of Sea to Sky Community Services, would look into providing or organizing this training. During the discussion it was also mentioned that this training would benefit others as well, including but not limited to daycare staff and community organization leaders (i.e. Girl Guides, Scouts). We would like to see Food Safe Course Seats subsidized by seed money and various community organizations.

We would like to see further dissemination of nutrition information. Having access to resource people who have the know- how, even in our small group, was a benefit to those of us who didn’t know that soaking brown basmati rice the night before reduces

27 cooking time. While this may seem trivial, getting actual healthy choice information out to those who can use it is not as straightforward as it may seem. The CCRR has offered to include submissions on healthy eating and cooking and can provide links on their website. To submit content please contact the CCRR at 604-815- 4144 or [email protected].

We also thought that having Family Days at local grocery stores, where families receive a discount similar to seniors, and focussing on healthy foods such as local produce would be a wonderful project to implement. Jane Balance, with the Putting Children First Initiative, has volunteered to explore the possibility of such a relationship with local grocery stores.

Ideally we felt that having a Liaison Position would be extremely useful and effective. We hope that funding for such a position would come through sources like the United Way and Seed Money. We envisioned this person as someone who had first hand experience with the difficulties of accessing food in the corridor and have come up with the following tasks for this position, once it has been created: Advocacy Newsletter Resource Directory Good Samaritan Implementation: Excess foods from restaurants, grocery stores, other sources to be distributed to seniors, food bank, daycares, youth centres, staff housing, and family housing (Castle Rock).

We have attached time lines to some of our projects, hoping to see Greenhouses sprouting up at daycares within the next two months, and the organization of a food safe course within the same time frame. The current CCRR newsletter will be distributed this week and will include some information on this process. The next newsletter will be coming out in September. Submissions are welcome at any time and must be received by mid August. We hope to see Family Days at Grocery Stores and a Food Security Liaison Position in the relatively near future.

28 B. Growing Food Locally and Using Local Food 10:30am session

The LOCAL manifesto… of Bruce Miller (Convener), Dietrich Jordan, Adam Hart, Caroline Ashekian, Sandra Midtal, Geraldine Joseph, Lisa Richardson, Lydia Szymanski.

(Scribed by Lisa Richardson with apologies to everyone for any misrepresentations or rantings that don’t reflect your part of the dialogue or incorporating my own personal tangents…)

We are united by our interest in: • Making locally grown food more accessible • Increasing the amount of locally grown food • Providing more of our own food for ourselves within the corridor • Distributing local food to local people • Shortening the distance between farmers and consumers, between earth and table, to create accountability and intimacy • Railing against the industrial food system and domination of big corporations and government • Increasing the vitality of grown things, and by consuming that, our own vitality • Anticipating coming food crises • Cultivating awareness so we can grow market/consumer demand for local produce

Facilitated by Bruce Miller, we map our corridor. The farming land here includes 60 miles2 in Pemberton and 3000 acres in Squamish, as well as some excellent farmland not in production in Mt Currie and at Baptiste. This farmland is big enough to feed the corridor. And half of Vancouver.

But there are challenges: For farmers, reaching markets, and market expectations, is a challenge. There are also development pressures on farmland, and competitive pressures from international agribusiness. Smaller operators often produce food in small irregular volumes – insufficient to generate regular distribution systems.

For the consumer, we have expectations of fast, instant, convenient, year around access to food. We suffer a knowledge gap, as 2nd generation fast-food consumers, and don’t know how to find our way back to local produce. How to get it, grow it, prepare it, preserve it. We face economic access issues, and sometimes choose cheaper food, because prices do not factor in true costs of production.

The new reality: the current industrial food system, subsidized by cheap oil, and government subsidies in the US, and global food distribution, is not sustainable. Prices are going to begin to reflect the rising cost of gas. We need to replace our

29 addiction to petroleum as our fuel of choice and instead fuel our bodies and communities and economies with LOCAL PRODUCE.

We can see the coming changes, and instead of seeing crisis, we see opportunity. An opportunity to break habits, and re-inhabit our foodsheds. To create a new system – or actually, to return to an older system, incorporate old-fashioned values of self-sufficiency.

We recognize that our assets are here. In our local environment. Our local community.

We embrace a quiet revolution. An evolution.

Through education.

We wish to educate consumers as to why eating locally is healthier for you, and for the food system. We wish to educate consumers that farmers have limitations, and cannot produce lettuce at 10c a pound, or strawberries in November. We wish to educate developers that habitat is more than housing – it is also the ability to feed ourselves, so if we build houses over farmland, we are in fact destroying habitat. We wish to educate people about the consequences of their actions, their purchases, their diets.

Through distribution systems.

We wish to ensure that surplus produce reaches the needy, through farmer partnerships with food banks and social services and schools.

And so, We propose a new manifesto. The Manifesto of the 100 Mile Movement.

Everyone who takes part in the 100 Mile Movement, will be motivated by different energy. The Movement aims to reconnect consumers with the source of their food. Be it by a sense of competition; a deep sense of spirit or ecological connection or desire for a practice of mindfulness; a desire to spend time as family and experience and teach our kids about the world, useful skills; a need for cheap food; the potential to make income; or for exercise/health and wellbeing, the 100 Mile Movement invites action.

The goal: The 100 Mile Movement draws a radius around the Sea to Sky corridor. Within that zone, we will build capacity for a local food system. With baby steps.

We invite the entire Sea to Sky corridor to take any one of the steps below.

We invite…

30 Gardeners to plant one extra row of food in their garden, to tithe to the food bank or distribute at the local farmers market

Farmers to contribute 1% of their crop to the social service system. To devote 1% of their working land to a new organically grown GMO free crop. Farmers to devote at least one weekend a year to hosting consumers/families etc for farm tours.

Restaurateurs to offer at least one meal on their menu that is 100 Mile.

Governments to dedicate at least 1% of their public lands to community greenhouses, gardens or edible landscaping.

Developers to commit 1% of each project landscape and budget to space for food security – community gardens, etc

Consumers to commit to having one product on their plate every day that is grown in the 100 mile locale. To buying into local farms through CSA or harvest box programs. (I.e. buy a share in a farm, share the risk, and get real dividends!)

Citizens to donate one day a year to earth-stewarding – to volunteer on a farm, to clean up litter, to pick fruit from abandoned trees, to build trails.

Families to commit to making one farm visit a year. Or to planting one edible thing – be it in a container garden, an herb pot on a windowsill, in the garden, a tree…a year.

Schools: to commit to devoting at least one day a year to the discussion of food and our foodshed.

Grocers to commit to devoting 10% of fruit and veg floor space to local produce.

Mechanisms: • Availability of vermincomposting/worm farms for indoor composting in bear areas (schools) • A schools project where kids start seedlings in the classroom. Similar to the salmonids in the classroom project. And once the seeds become small plants, in May, kids can take them home to plant, and tend over the summer, and eat from. • A foodshed map. A source guide of chefs who want to incorporate local ingredients. Of producers. Of farmgate operations. Of farmers markets. For the entire corridor. Available at the visitor info booths as well. • Work with bear aware groups to harvest “edible landscapes” promptly (e.g. Fruit Tree Projects) • Identify land with agricultural potential and partner it with wannabe farmers/farm tenants. Recommission farmland!

31 • Measure or chart the economic impact of a “grow local, eat local” movement. • Develop a logo/sticker/label that will clearly identify locally grown (within corridor) produce, and identify it as GMO free. • Investigate adopting the “Green Table” label for restaurants. • Support the development of local farmers markets, as ideal education/outreach situations, and places to grow a market, with maximum return to farmers. • Grocers to identify the source of the food they are selling. To offer taste tests comparing local and non-local food. • Lobby the SLRD to hire a Food Security Policy Coordinator, to link corridor, take education initiatives, support initiatives, identify land for edible landscaping, community gardens, etc.

32 C. Working towards a Sustainable/Less Unsustainable Food System and Local Regional Food Policy

Convener: Dania Matiation (1:00-2:30) Who was there: Dania Matiation, Sandra Mitdal, Adam Hart, Caroline Ashekian, Lydia Szymanski, Dietrich Jordan, Lisa Richardson, Bruce Miller, Donna Bent, Karen Kay, Jen Leigh

What we talked about: • Organic farming is an example of sustainability • Increasing the value of what farmers do • Education, labelling where our food comes from, the slow food cycle, packaging • Educating ourselves by talking to others who have done it before, people with experience • Educating people about why buying local is important • Educating school children (Power of Food-Adam Hart and Eric Jones) • Encouraging developers to working garden plots into landscaping • Integrating ideas into the Official Community Plan (OCP) • Partnering land owners and land seekers (for gardening and farming) • Creating policy at SLRD level to make the area GMO free; this has been done in Powell River! • Do our communities have an official food policy? • SLRD/RMOW/Village of Pemberton, District of Squamish to create food policy - Have an official food policy at municipal level that ensures that local farmers’ produce is used in stores • Ensuring that you can keep the farm in the family and keep the family in the farm; making sure land is protected and that farming is a viable, attractive livelihood for the next generation • Providing a discount for healthy eating, or making healthier food cheaper and junk food more expensive • Connecting farmers with nutritionists and cooks to teach school children about the where/how food is grown, the nutritious value and how to prepare it • Helping connect children to where food really comes from (not from a box on the grocery store shelves) • Whistler Housing Authority-community greenhouses to be incorporated • Lobby council for local food policies to be implemented • In US there is a reduction in health insurance for those who buy locally grown food • Use your own land to grown your own food; share knowledge that you don’t need fancy equipment to do so; borrow your neighbour’s equipment • In a time of crisis …government mandates everyone to grow a garden

33 • Keep in mind that there is not one answer for everyone because everyone is motivated differently in making decisions (relaxation, economy, gratification, some people wouldn’t garden because they grew up in a time where it was a sign of abject poverty)

Actions: • Have the Sea to Sky corridor challenge Vancouver’s 2010 community gardens by increasing the # of gardens or edible landscapes that we have • Create a resource to support networking – examples: website and mentoring • Create a Sea to Sky Corridor diary/almanac resource where we include what is grown locally, what grows at different times, info on what you need to garden, compost, also recipes for ideas on how to use what is in season and locally grown • Make a commitment that by 2010 have 20% of our overall food intake and 100% of the produce we eat come from the Sea to Sky Corridor • Teach people to eat seasonally • Work on getting municipal resolution for a GE free zone • Include protection of local food shed in community OCP • Support local composting (Carneys organic composting in Squamish) because there is pressure because of the smell to get rid of it

34 D. Sustainability – how to keep things going, who makes decisions etc.

Convener: Lois Wynne (1:00-2:30pm)

Participants: Jane Ballance, Lois Wynne, Karen Clarke, Erin Stewart, Marissa Schiesser, Geraldine Joseph

Summary of Discussion:

How to keep things going: • Food security committee developed • Consider a P/T paid staff • Organize around specific projects • Have quarterly forums to get together and share what’s been happening (action oriented) • Can we link or piggyback onto existing committees or groups to keep this alive

How does funding get allocated?: • By committee (more formal with terms of reference etc.) • By community or by corridor – each community decides on one project to start with

Ideas: • Good Food Box – incorporates education, distribution, local foods, affordable • Consider boxes that reflect different cultures in the corridor • Have cooking classes that wrap around the distribution of the boxes • Create a cookbook that has recipes with just a few ingredients, easy to use • Add an extra row in your garden to share • Develop a cooking calendar for a fund raising opportunity • Set up a sign up sheet for committee members

We discussed that priorities and how to draw on our strengths needs to be considered throughout the corridor. The question at this point is whether a corridor group or committee would be as effective as local community groups that communicate with each other or vice versa.

It was great to begin to look at the possibilities that could come out of these discussions and we moved from looking at Good Food Boxes to cooking classes to developing a cookbook to having a Chef Dinner at local farms to having an annual cookbook calendar to raise funds. Great group, great ideas, looking forward to the next steps.

35 Summaries of Action Planning Sessions, May 31

A. The 100 Mile Movement

Champions: We hope Lisa Richardson and Bruce Miller

Others who will help: We hope Dan Wilson, Peter Ackhurst, and many others!

What we will do together: • Develop a campaign of community engagement called The 100 Mile Movement in support of local agriculture, sustainable agriculture, healthy communities, accessibility of food for all, and other community food action goals. • To do this we need to develop a Brand, and integral to the 100MM brand is that it is a call to action: Families called to visit a farm 1/year Gardeners called to “grow a row” for the local food bank Schools called to spend one day/year focused on food accessibility and sustainability… Etc, etc. For other ideas – see Lisa Richardson’s notes on dialogue session B. Basically every person and organization can be invited to sign on/join the movement. The idea is to make the steps easy ones, and that in taking one simple step people are part of something that collectively can have a big impact on awareness, and on the food system in the corridor. • To develop a brand we need to: Create a committee to work on this initiative. Convene a meeting with stakeholders, and involve people with marketing expertise – e.g. so they can help profile “clients” and develop strategy. Learn from other branded calls to action like Vancouver’s One Day campaign, and the Suzuki Foundation’s Nature Challenge. Create a business plan/framework planning for development and roll-out of the Movement. Seek funding. Sources include: • Whistler Blackcomb Foundation • Regional Municipality of Whistler Community Enrichment Program • Community Foundation of Whistler • Fundraiser

36 • Fees (e.g. $5/year for individuals and higher fees for organizations for being part of the Movement) • Agricultural grants – e.g. to conduct a study/do a questionnaire In time, other ideas include: • Explore options for stickers/signs to publicize participant’s involvement in the movement – including logo development. Also sticker to show that food is grown within the 100 mile radius/the corridor, and also that it is GMO Free • The movement could support product development and brokering relationships between farmers and buyers – e.g. Pemberton Potato farmers to supply 100% of the potatoes used for French fries at Whistler Blackcomb. • Support for a Licensed Commercial Kitchen in Pemberton to support creation of value added products by farmers • Linking with the Green Table initiative re Restaurants • A Foodshed map – education, linkages, culinary tourism • Grocers identify source of food, and offer taste tests comparing local and non-local produce • Support local farmers markets • Measure the economic impact of a “Grow local, eat local” movement. • Set goal of 20% of food consumed in the corridor coming from the corridor, and 100% of the produce being locally grown

Who else we need to invite: • Person(s) with marketing expertise • A cross-section of stakeholders • We see that a partnership with Tourism Whistler can offer support for this initiative. Tourism Whistler has a big marketing budget and interest in culinary tourism is growing. Whistler is hiring a Tourism Development Officer effective September 2006 with the goal of diversifying Whistler’s offerings for visitors and cultivating options for the shoulder seasons. The Slow Food Cycle is an example of something that could be a great fit with Whistler’s tourism objectives. The Slow Food Cycle is also great for farmers as it offers an easy entry point for experimenting with welcoming the public to their farms, along with creating linkages between farm folk and city folk, greater

37 awareness of food and food sustainability issues, community, etc etc. • Tourism Pemberton • Pemberton Farmer’s Institute. Perhaps they might take ownership of the 100 MM?? • Please keep Kate Sutherland in the loop: [email protected]. She is happy to connect the 100MM to Marc Stoiber of Change Advertising Inc re development of the brand. His goal is to “Make Sustainability Sexy.”

When we will meet again: TBD

38 B. Project: Food Calendar/Almanac

Champion: Karen Kay to co-ordinate

Others who will help: Mary Freskin, Jane Ballance, Geraldine Joseph, Nancy Norman

What will we do together? • ***make a proposal • ***search for funding (Mary) • meet regularly – first in mid-august, then perhaps monthly • find/create a template • keep in contact

Who else we need to invite? Anyone interested. High-school students, disabled adults and children, First Nations and other cultural groups, farmers, chefs, Elders, food bank, soup kitchen representatives, videographer. Computer wiz(es).

When we will meet again: mid-August

Our group convened to discuss the following items: • education of food consumers (i.e. buy local, in-season, healthy choices); • Sea to Sky Corridor diary/almanac; • worm composting for indoors/bear areas; • cooking/recipe calendar as a fundraiser.

The group felt that these ideas were linked and therefore chose to discuss them as part of a common direction/project. We talked about the idea of a package/book that would encompass all of these ideas.

Criteria for the ‘book’ would include a focus on local produce and farms, seasonal changes and opportunities, cultural aspects and accessibility (i.e.. visuals, non- literate, non-English speaking, etc.).

This book would possibly include: • a calendar with seasonal info (i.e. what things to plant, what is available locally at specific times of year) • prompts (i.e. when to plant what, when to harvest what, local events to attend and support) • growing tips from local farmers • recipes (i.e. 4 ingredient/simple, catered to specific ages, cultures and abilities – possibly to pull out) • low income/budgeted cooking ideas

39 • nutrition info • local resources directory • indoor growing and composting info • greenhouse info, and other relevant material/info.

We think the ‘book’ should be filled with pictures of people in our own communities, in (food-related) action.

The group talked generally about distribution of the book and the info it would hold. Suggestion was made that the info needs to be made accessible in various forms (visual, in relevant languages, physically accessible) – i.e. Guest chefs, apprentice cooks and others could carry out short, dynamic cooking demos in local groceries and other suitable outlets while handing out the ’book’. A video series of the same nature could play (continuously) at the food bank – addressing prep of the local foods available at a particular time.

The group offered some suggestions for contacts for ‘book’ (and related) contributions including: • Steve Milstein re: greenhouse funding; • Adam Hart re: “Power of Food” video series; • university calendars for template ideas; • local high-school students involved in graphic design and photography courses; • VANOC; • many other community members.

We talked about connections with the 100 Mile Movement idea, suggesting the book be a tangible gift received upon joining the movement, and that it showcase the movement’s ideals.

The time frame around release of the ‘book’ is specific if it is to include a calendar (January), which would likely require a production deadline of early fall. The group talked about possibly releasing smaller sections of the ‘book’ as they are finished, before the full version of the book is ready for release. The group acknowledged that this is likely a project that will require much action to initially complete then require only upkeep over the following years. The group decided that the people working on this project should do so as a sub-committee of the Food Security Committee (in the works?).

We hope that this book may then become a fundraising tool, to enhance and sustain this and such food-related projects.

40 C. Sea to Sky Corridor Food Security Coordinator Position

Participants: Dietrich Jordan, Roxanna Kuurne, Karen Clarke, Lydia Szymanski

People to involve in Organizing/Supporting the Position • Sea to Sky Community Services Lydia Szymanski, SSCSS Lois Wynne, ED of SSCSS Jan Durocher (assist with more funding) SSCSS • Support from Vancouver Coastal Health – Karen Clarke

Terms of Reference for position need to be determined using the Act Now BC report from the Sea to Sky Corridor

# of hours will be determined by amount of funding in the beginning

Funding Opportunities • Act Now BC (Vancouver Coastal Health) • United Way • Community Foundation of Whistler • Squamish Community Foundation • Whistler/Blackcomb Foundation • Jan Durocher from Sea to Sky Community Services can assist with looking for more funding • CEDTAP Funding for a possible Research Position to support the various food security efforts in the corridor as well as use for a lobbying/advocacy tool i.e. gas price increase affecting food cost, availability of land for community gardens, protection of agricultural lands, etc.

Initial Coordinator Tasks • Seek funding for continuation of position and for food security projects in the corridor (Jan Durocher can support this work) • Organize Food Security Committees in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton as well as Sea to Sky Corridor Food Security Forums once or twice a year so everyone can meet • Coordinate volunteers on committees and projects • Create link between communities so ideas are shared • Network with Claire Gram the Food Security Coordinator from Vancouver Coastal Health Work on projects recommended in the report i.e. Protection of Agricultural Lands (OCP), School Agricultural Program (Agriculture in Classroom Foundation), GE/GMO Free Municipalities, Increasing Community Gardens, Good Food Box, Food Processing Facilities, etc.

41 Appendices

A. Environment Scan (N.B. The information contained is the best that could be put together with the time constraints for the report. If you have more information to enhance this scan, please e-mail [email protected])

a. Economic

Income differences of consumers1 • Average Family Income 2000 All Census families $ 67,298 Husband/Wife $ 72,944 Female lone parent $ 31,344

• Income distribution among families <$20,000 10% $20,000-$79,999 59.7% $80,000 30.3%

Income share of poorest households in the region 23.3 % vs 21.4% in BC

Unemployment trends2 • Employment Insurance Beneficiaries Sept. 2004 Total beneficiaries 19-64 years of age 971 Percent female 60.2 Percent 19-24 year olds 13.7

• Total Beneficiaries as a Percent of Population 19-64 Sep/04 3.8 Jun/04 4.5 Mar/04 4.5 Dec/03 4.7 Sep/03 4.2 Most recent 4 quarter average 4.4

1 Regional District 31- Squamish Lillooet BC STATS 2004 report 2 Regional District 31- Squamish Lillooet BC STATS 2004 report

42 % of income spent on food3 It is estimated that Canadians spend 10% of their personal disposable income on food and non-alcoholic beverages.

Propensity of people to spend on healthy food4 In 2003, it was estimated that only 40% of adults reported eating 5 or more servings of vegetables and fruits a day.

Cost /availability/buying habits of healthy, culturally relevant and/or traditional food-fresh fruits and vegetables5 Not all foods that are culturally relevant or traditional are available in the corridor. South Asian food is available at Save-On-Foods in Squamish, however it costs more than buying the food in the city. Grocery stores have Chinese and Japanese foods, but often people rely on trips to Vancouver to stock up on their supplies because there is better variety in Vancouver stores and it is less costly. Fruits and vegetables are always available but they are more expensive the farther north you travel up the corridor.

b. Social, cultural, demographic, environmental, geographical

Population health status report Indicators of health status from the Rural Population Health Profile prepared by VCH include life expectancy at birth, low birth weight rate, infant mortality rate and potential years of lost life index. Each indicator for Howe Sound can be compared with the province and VCHA.

Childbearing – Number of live births6 2004 2005 Squamish 229 205 Whistler 98 77 Pemberton 68 69 Mt Currie 42* 42* Total 437 393 *estimated by public health because #s are not available

3 Cost of Eating in BC 4 Act Now brochure 5 Interview with participants of HSWC multicultural group May 2006 6 Squamish Vancouver Coastal Health Public Health Unit

43 # of Aboriginal people7 • 3,695 (11.2% of population)

Other Cultural groups8 • 3,100 are of single origin. South Asian: 1,840 Japanese: 420 Chinese: 335 Filipino: 215 Other: 290 multiple origins: 100

# of families9 • 8,630

# of single parents leading families • 1,280

# of family farms10 • 15 to 20 large farms (over 200 acres) with full-time farmers. • Approximately 40 small farms

# of seniors11 • 2,515

# of homeless people (Squamish only)12 • Adult males=30 • Adult females=20 • Children=4

# of school-aged children13

7 Regional District 31- Squamish Lillooet BC STATS 2004 report 8 Regional District 31- Squamish Lillooet BC STATS 2004 report 9 Regional District 31- Squamish Lillooet BC STATS 2004 report 10 Estimated by Pemberton farmer 11 Regional District 31- Squamish Lillooet BC STATS 2004 report 12 Homeless Count April/May 2006, Squamish, BC, Concerned Citizens for the Homeless 13 Howe Sound School District, February 2006 student count

44 • 4,253 (Feb. ‘06)

# of daycare centers14 • Group Daycare 12 • Family Daycare 22 • Preschool 10 • Out-of school care 7 • License not required care 4

Level of education15 • % of population aged 25-54 (2001) without high school completion 15.7 % without completed post-secondary 42.3% • % of population aged 15-24 attending full-time school 33.4 • % of 18 year olds who did not graduate (2002-2004)29.3%

Transportation and its affect on available food sources Farmers have challenges getting local grocery stores and restaurants in the corridor to purchase their produce because the distribution system that has been in place for years makes it easier for them to purchase food from large companies and food distributors, including those in the US, than to purchase from local farmers. Creating a distribution system in the corridor, which includes considerations for transporting goods, so farmers could make it easier for grocers and restauranteurs to sell their produce is essential. A distribution system where produce from smaller farms could be pooled together for deliveries would decrease transportation and delivery costs for farmers.

Available transportation to food access/shopping16 Public transit is available in each of the communities at least 6 days a week. Busses travel to the center of each community where most grocery stores and restaurants are located. There are convenience or general stores in most neighbourhoods where food is available although more expensive than in grocery stores. Residents living in Mount Currie and the New Site of Mt Currie usually travel to Pemberton to do their shopping and must travel approximately

14 Childcare Resource and Referral 15 Regional District 31- Squamish Lillooet BC STATS 2004 report 16 BC Transit, Whistler Transit

45 8km and 18 km respectively to do so. Busses run 7 days per week approximately 4 times each way during business hours. Hitchhiking is common in Pemberton and area in between scheduled bus times.

Life expectancy at birth17 • 79.5 (Avg. 2000-2004)

Per capita income18 Average Family Income All census families 67,298 Husband/Wife 72,944 Female Lone Parent 31,344

Income Distribution Among Families <$20, 000 10.0% $20,000 - $79,000 59.7% $80,000+ 30.3%

Immigration and Emigration rates19 *Information was only found for Squamish* Squamish Population by Migration Status, 2001 In the five years leading up to 2001, just over half of Squamish residents did not change their primary residence. Of those that did move, 26% had moved elsewhere in Squamish, 15% arrived from elsewhere in British Columbia, 4% arrived from elsewhere in Canada, and 2% were international immigrants.

This pattern of migration is typical for most communities in British Columbia. The lower share of international migrants relative to Greater Vancouver is to be expected for non-metropolitan communities.

Squamish Immigration by Country of Origin International immigration to Squamish has been dominated by

17 Regional District 31- Squamish Lillooet BC STATS 2004 report 18 Regional District 31- Squamish Lillooet BC STATS 2004 report 19 District of Squamish

46 arrivals from India, which accounted for 70% of the 335 international immigrants to the community between 1996 and 2001. India is also the birth country of 36% of the roughly 2,700 international immigrants currently living in Squamish.

The United Kingdom, Germany and the United States have the next highest number of international immigrants in Squamish. In each case, their share of Squamish’s total immigrant population is higher than in the rest of British Columbia or in the Greater Vancouver metropolitan area.

Income Assistance20 • % of population receiving IA benefits June ‘04 Total (0-64) 2.1 Children (0-18) 2.3 Youth (19-24) 1.6

Values placed on and availability of healthy food sources for those who rely on hunting and fishing

While food was the original industry in Squamish, with a hay ranch occupying what is now downtown Squamish and Brackendale being home to dairy and hop farms, this is no longer the case. There are a few small farms in Squamish and Paradise Valley where food is grown on a small scale. However, as the “Smart Growth on the Ground Foundation Research Bulletin: Squamish” from March 2005 suggests there is great potential for local food systems in Squamish.

20 Regional District 31- Squamish Lillooet BC STATS 2004 report

47 low, during hard times including funerals. Deer is hunted in the area Fishermen and fisherwomen help one another make nets. Rods nets and freezer space are shared. In the spring and summer the native populations of the Mount Currie and D’Arcy fish for salmon. Deer is hunted in the area.

48 Recycling programs • Squamish: Carney’s recycling & organic composting Changes Squamish Bottle Depot Community Group Bottle Drives Pearl’s Seconds St Joseph’s Thrift Shop

• Whistler: Carney’s Recycling Whistler Bottle Depot Community Group Bottle Drives Whistler Re-Use It Center

• Pemberton and area Carney’s Recycling Pemberton Recycling Centre Smith and Jones Seconds c. Technological

Public places where internet is available Squamish: o Squamish Public Library o Hot Spot on Cleveland Avenue, with satellite sites at Totem Hall, the Greyhound Bus Station and in Brackendale o Training Innovations o Howe Sound Women’s Centre o Sea to Sky Community Services- Main Office Program Building o Pause Café

Whistler: o Whistler Public Library o Whistler Employment Resource Center o Jody’s Internet Services o Soapy’s Internet Station

Pemberton: o Pemberton and District Public Library o Paperworks o Charisma Cafe o Sea to Sky Community Services

49 B. Food System Assessment plus Gaps Analysis (N.B. The information contained is the best that could be put together with the time constraints for the report. If you have more information to enhance the food system assessment and/or gap analysis, please e-mail [email protected])

Most of this information was gathered through a mapping process through the Community Food Action Initiative Community Meetings that took place in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton in mid-May. Where it was known that information was missing, it was gleaned from the internet and e-mail communication or phone calls with community members.

• Food Banks Squamish: The food bank has been distributing food once per month however, as of June 7th 2006, the distribution will be twice per month. So far nobody has ever been turned away. While the food bank receives some support from local businesses, the food bank requires $1,500 per day of operation to supplement donations received. With two distribution days, the food bank will require $3000 per month to supplement donations.

According to the coordinator, the number of people accessing the food bank has increased by about 20% in the past year. 180 adults and 140 children access the food bank each month. It is anticipated that the number of people accessing the food bank will increase slightly over the summer due to the increase in transient people in Squamish during this time.

Whistler: Whistler Community Services (WCS) distributes food through a food bank twice a month. The coordinator is also on call between distribution days to provide food during emergencies. Funding is raised through the WCS run Re-Use it Centre to support the food bank, among other programs. This support is becoming increasingly important, as food donations have decreased over the years. The food bank often receives calls to help people from Pemberton to access food.

According to the coordinator, the busiest times at the Food Bank are in the fall and in the spring, shoulder seasons for Whistler. The peak for food bank access was in November 2002 when 184 people accessed the food bank. Young adults generally access the food bank most frequently, however there has been a growth in the number of families with children accessing the food bank over the last few months.

50 Pemberton: The Pemberton Food Bank gives out food coupons through Sea to Sky Community Services during business hours. A small shelf of food is available to supplement the coupons. Over 40 people per month access the coupons. If more resources were available, more food coupons would be given out. Once the monthly resources run out in Pemberton, people will often request help from the Whistler Food Bank. There has been an increase in the number of people accessing the service over that last few years.

• Other Food Distribution Squamish United Church: Distributes food on an as-needed basis to people in the community. According to those who distribute the food, there is a greater demand than there is food available.

Healthy Pregnancy Outreach Program Emergency Meal Bags: Meal Bags containing all the food in measured amounts that is needed to make the recipe in the bag for main dishes, baking and dessert such as rice pudding are available to participants of the program on an as-needed basis.

Squamish Youth Centre: Saves donated meat pies and other food for youth who come forward asking for food.

• Food Coupons Mt Currie band gives $40/month ($10 for each of the four food groups) to pregnant women to supplement their income for food.

Through the National Child Reinvestment Initiative food coupons are available to children and families in return for community services in Mount Currie.

• Christmas Hampers or Baskets Are available in each of the large and also smaller communities. Different groups organize the hampers in each community. In Squamish, the Howe Sound Women’s Centre puts together between 35 and 40 hampers per Christmas season. In Whistler, Whistler Community Services puts together an average of 20 baskets Christmas seasons. In

51 Pemberton the Food Bank organizes between 20 and 30 baskets. In Mount Currie over 80 families benefit from the baskets. Smaller communities north of Mt Currie also organize Christmas Baskets for families in need in the communities.

• Soup Kitchen The Soup Kitchen is run twice a week in Squamish. Anywhere between 18 and 56 people access the soup kitchen on any given day. The numbers tend to be higher the day before welfare. Most people who access the soup kitchen would like to see it open every day, however there are not enough volunteers nor enough money to make this possible at this time.

• Community Kitchens Squamish o Community and Employment Services Lunch Program: Participants are clients of the Community and Employment Services Program and from Newport House. They pay at the beginning of the year to cover the cost of the food. On average 6-8 participants come to cook and enjoy a meal together once per week every Thursday.

o Healthy Pregnancy Outreach Program (HPOP) Cooking Club: Runs every week or every other week depending on interest. It is open to participants of HPOP. Participants come together to cook one or more meals that they take home to their families. There is no cost. On average 2-8 women participate. The program is funded through the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Cooking club is integrated into the program budget.

o HPOP Graduate Cooking Club: Runs weekly and is open to graduates and current participants of HPOP. There is a $5 charge for graduates of HPOP and no cost for current participants. Child-minding is available on site. Funding for the facilitator and food is provided by United Way.

o Mental Health: Runs weekly with an average of 2 to 4 participants.

o Youth Centre: Runs weekly, Sunday afternoons.

52 Whistler o Youth Centre: Runs weekly, Friday nights. o Seniors Group Community Kitchen: Seniors come together to cook for youth in the transition house. This takes place weekly during the shoulder season. This program is funded by the New Horizon grant.

Pemberton o Healthy Pregnancy Outreach Program: Runs monthly at no cost to participants with an average of 2 to 3 participants. The program is funded through the Public Health Agency of Canada.

• HPOP Graduate Canning Club An offshoot from the HPOP Graduate Cooking Club this program was offered weekly in the summer and fall of 2005. It began when an abundance of fruit from the Squamish Community Harvest Project was available. Operators of Roots and Fruits, a local produce stand, also donated extra produce to the program. Women came together to learn to can fruits and vegetables and to make jams and jellies. A facilitator with canning experience led the group. An average of 5 women participated. Funding is currently unavailable to support this program in 2006.

• School Breakfast Programs Runs every morning in 3 Squamish elementary schools. The other 3 schools are provided with food and the staff gives it out to the children as needed.

• Other School Food Programs These are informal and consist of staff preparing food by their own initiative for the children or PAC putting on hot lunches for students. Pemberton Secondary and Signal Hill meet children’s basic food needs by serving lunch including homemade soup for the students. At one of the elementary schools in Squamish the school secretary makes sandwiches for the kids at lunch regularly. At Don Ross Secondary, there is a subsidized nutrition break where students pay 50 cents for a nutritious snack The “Food Share Basket” at Whistler Secondary is where students share the food from their lunch that they are not going to eat by putting it into a basket for other students.

53 At Myrtle Philip Elementary in Whistler the PAC puts on a lunch twice a week where pizza and sushi are served

• Drop-ins where food is served Healthy Pregnancy Outreach Program: Serves a balanced lunch in Squamish and Pemberton every Tuesday from 12:30- 2:30 pm

Multicultural Drop-In Program: Takes place every week in Squamish. This program is offered through the Howe Sound Women’s Centre. Snacks are served.

Social Interaction Group-Run through Squamish Mental Health, snacks and beverages are served weekly.

Pemberton’s Senior’s Lunch- 3rd Wednesday of every month

Tantalus Senior’s Lunches- takes place once per month at the Tantalus Senior’s Centre in Squamish

Senior’s lunches at the Manor- Lunches are held every few weeks at the Manor, which is subsidized housing complex for low-income seniors. There is a nominal charge for lunch.

Elder’s lunch in Mount Currie – once per week

• Farmer’s Markets Squamish has a farmer’s market that runs Saturdays from 11 am to 3 pm from mid-June until early September. Last year there were no farmers at the Market on a regular basis. Whistler has a large and very successful Farmer’s Market. Vendors sell their goods Sundays from 11 am to 4 pm from mid-June to Thanksgiving Weekend

• Community Gardens Squamish: Food growing beds are available in a community garden at the south corner of Mamquam and Hwy 99 under hydroelectric power lines. The garden was ready for planting in the spring of 2005. Anyone in the community can register for a space. This project was made possible through Rotary.

Whistler Greenhouses: This project grows fresh organic vegetables for the Food Bank from March to November in 20 ' x 40' greenhouses. 3' x 7.5' garden boxes are rented to community

54 members to grow their own veggies for a fee. 15% of the produce from those boxes goes to the Food Bank. One greenhouse is reserved exclusively for the food bank. Excess produce is sold to a local grocery store and at the local Farmers Market. 2 greenhouses are located at Spruce Grove and one at Myrtle Philip bottom field. There are a total of 54 beds that have been rented by community members for $50 for the season. All organic soil, seeds, fertilizer and instruction are included. Growers donate a portion of their produce every month to the Food Bank. We are looking at building 2 additional greenhouses for the spring of 2006.

Pemberton: There are no community gardens at present in Pemberton but the Pemberton Community Garden has been officially established and Council has adopted the terms of reference. The plans are to have the garden operational sometime in Spring of 2005. In a draft of the Community Garden Criteria, the annual garden plot fee will be $50 per plot and include access to water. The garden will allow only organic farming and each participant must supply his or her own soil amendments, seeds, and plants.

• Food Redistribution Most of the food redistribution takes place at a store to individual program level. Usually individual programs go to ask for leftovers to be donated to the programs. More often than not, restauranteurs and grocers dispose of the extra food they cannot sell rather than pass it on to other programs because of fear of liability. The following represents information gleaned, but is by no means a complete list of the redistribution that takes place. The Squamish Youth Centre receives a box of fruit 1x per month from a grocery store as well as meat pies from a local pie shop. The Soup Kitchen in Squamish receives day old bread and snacks from local shops and stores Last summer multiple programs and families received fruit from the Squamish Community Harvest Program

• Slow Food Cycle Sunday A 50 kilometre cycle and street-party up Pemberton Meadows Road, the third Sunday in August enabling people to meet local growers, sample their produce, and learn about the food-basket we live in. Last year was the first event and it attracted 400 people of all ages, from the Sea to Sky corridor and the Lower Mainland. This year it takes place August 20th.

55 • Squamish Community Harvest- (Fruit Tree Project) In 2005 a partnership between Sea to Sky Community Services Society and Squamish Bear Aware began where fruit from local trees was gleaned and distributed to people, families and programs in Squamish. It is uncertain whether this project will be up and running in 2006 due to lack of funding.

• Whistler Farmer’s Market Interactive cooking class A chef along with students from Spring Creek Elementary creates a delicious soup made from local Pemberton Produce. Some of the goals of this project are to promote healthy eating, to raise awareness about our local farms and farmer’s markets, and to increase understanding of where out food comes from

• ‘Adopt a YAD’ (YAD=Young Adult) Whistler Families can “adopt” a young adult who comes over to share a nutritious meal with a family on a regular basis

• 24 hour famine in Whistler schools to raise awareness around issues of hunger and poverty

• Food Buying Club Squamish has a small organic food-buying group. Whistler has a food-buying club for anyone is the community who has a difficult time making ends meet. Food is purchased in large quantities and sold at cost.

• Food Policies Of the five elementary schools that responded, none had a formal food policy that guided or encouraged healthy eating. One school has a formal policy around the school being a peanut free zone and another said that although they do not have a formal policy, they do not allow children to bring in candy or pop to school.

Three of the 4 the high schools responded. Two indicated that they do have food policies. At Howe Sound Secondary they have a “healthy food policy” and only juice and water are sold in the vending machines; the school store only sells healthier snack and the cafeteria always serves balanced lunched. At Pemberton Secondary their policy includes not vending soft drinks, only allowing water as a beverage in the classroom, and requiring that any food sales be approved through the office. Don Ross does not have an official food policy although their vending

56 machines only sell beverages; water and juice are the only options.

The Squamish General Hospital’s food service department is operated by an outside company, Sodexho, and thus purchasing is subject to their policies.

C. Newspaper Coverage See next page

57 58 D. Invitation

FOOD ON EVERY TABLE! How can we keep putting food on the table in our community? & How are we going to pay for it?

You are invited to participate in a Community Meeting and “Open Space Event”!

Bring to the table your ideas, stories and passions. Raise your questions, recommendations and concerns. Discuss possibilities and resolutions for the direction of food accessibility in your community. Come to contribute, learn and be inspired! Sea to Sky Community Services Society and Vancouver Coastal Health are inviting everyone who has a stake in keeping food on the table in our corridor – local businesses, municipal government, community groups, concerned citizens of all ages and walks of life. With challenges in the local economy, including the recent closure of the mill, global challenges such as the rising cost of oil and the ever-increasing “cost of living”, more and more people are having trouble making ends meet. We believe our communities have the resources, the capacity and the compassion to make sure no one goes hungry. In order to ensure that there is food on every table, the community needs to unify, dream together and dare to take bold action.

The goal for the Community Meetings will be to identify what’s already happening in our communities and where we want to go from here. The Sea to Sky Open Space Event will build on the community meetings in bringing people from up and down the corridor to explore participants’ strategies and resolutions to keep putting food on the table, every table!

Based on this group of events, a plan of action will be determined for our communities. Funding in the form of local community grants will be available to support some of the initiatives that come from this plan of action. Sea to Sky Open Space Event: Community Meetings: WHISTLER: May 30th, 9:15 am-5:15pm May 31st, 9:30am-1:30pm Spring Creek Community Centre 1509 Spring Creek 59 • SQUAMISH: May 17th, 11 am-2 pm • PEMBERTON: May 18th, 4–7 pm Squamish United Church Across the Creek Organics 38014-4th Avenue (at Victoria) 10km up Pemberton Meadows Rd. • WHISTLER: May 18th, 11am-2pm Spring Creek Community Centre 1509 Spring Creek Cont’d next page – Original 8.5” x 14” All events are FREE! We hope you can come to both your local Community Meeting and the Sea to Sky Open Space Event. However, if that’s not possible we welcome you to join us for the time you are able! Lunch or dinner will be served!

Please RSVP at least 3 days before the event(s) you plan on attending. E-mail [email protected] or Phone 604 892 5796 / 1 877 892 2022 EXT 417 * Let Lydia know if you need childcare or transportation.* See you there!

60 E. Squamish “Food on Every Table” Community Meeting Contacts NAME PROGRAM/INTEREST CONTACT Erin Stewart Mental Health & Addiction Services Susan Barry [email protected] Mohammed [email protected] Afsar Joan Forry Squamish Food Bank [email protected] Dietrich Jordan Farmer, senior 604-815-8112 (7:00-8:00pm) Joyce & Bill Squamish Food Bank [email protected] Berg Sonja Lebans Social Planning Council [email protected] Donna Bent Community and Employment Services [email protected] Nancy Norman Community and Employment Services 604-892-5796 ext. 422 Pam McLeod personal [email protected] Melany Crowston Howe Sound Women’s Centre hswc@ telus.net Adam Hart GE Free BC [email protected] Heather Evans Municipality & Social Planning Council [email protected] Patsy Riecker United Church Food Distribution [email protected] Jan Durocher Sea to Sky Community Services [email protected] Dan Ogert Squamish United Church [email protected] O’Brian Phil Harness Squamish United Church Jeanne Cameron Childcare Resource and Referral [email protected] Shannon Brown Childcare Resource and Referral [email protected] Lisa MacIntosh Childcare Resource and Referral Suzie Soman Sea to Sky Community Services [email protected] Beryl Taylor Squamish Emergency Program [email protected] Caroline Building Roots [email protected] Ashekian Jane Ballance Putting Children First Initiative [email protected] Marissa Scheisser Emeria Health [email protected] Treena Fleming [email protected] Sarah Jane Sea to Sky Community Services [email protected] Thomson Palbinder Johal Sea to Sky Community Services [email protected] Julia Bresalier Sea to Sky Community Services [email protected] Michelle Lebeau Capilano College/personal [email protected] Vivian Moreau Whistler Pique [email protected] Emily Smallwood Community Kitchens [email protected] Marilyn Cutler Community Kitchens [email protected] Chrissy Arthurs Community Kitchens Satoko Harrison Community Kitchens Kelly Fouchier Community Kitchens Rob Shirck Self

61 John McQueen Self Terril Patterson Self

Others contacted Helen Brownrigg-Breakfast program Valerie Stainton-Hospital Dietitian Kim Sayer-Hospital Social Worker Suzanne Akers-Squamish Youth Centre Nina Biln-Indo-Canadian Community, Multicultural Program Roseanne George-Squamish Nation Paul Wick-Squamish Nation Liz Patterson-Squamish Nation Health Nurse Jessica Reid- Mental Health Outreach Worker Jenny Ittitakoose-access community programs and services Nina Hansen- program particiapant Dawn Oleman- program participant Karrie Thornitt-Breastfeeding Support, program participant Father Mike-Anglican Church Tammy George-Squamish Farmer’s Market Heather Royal-Organic Food Buying Group Sheri Davis- Squamish Community Gardens Beryl- Emergency Preparedness Judith McQuinn- Rotary Club of Squamish, community gardener Gidda Avtar-President of Sikh Society Kris Hopping-Squamish Bear Aware Ian Sutherland-Mayor of Squamish Patricia Heintzman-Squamish Councillor Mike Jenson- Squamish Councillor Raj Kahlon-Squamish Councillor Corrine Lonsdale- Squamish Councillor Jeff McKenzie-Squamish Councillor Kevin James-MCFD Jacqueline Seymour-MCFD Cameron Chalmers-District Planner Gena Belanger-Sutton Realty Pam Kilburn-Crisis Nurse

Squamish Seniors Group Squamish Community Foundation Public Health Nurses St John’s United Church St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Squamish Community Church Mamquam Elementary School Brackendale Elementary School Squamish Elementary School

62 Stawamus Elementary School Garibaldi Highlands Elementary School Valleycliffe Elementary School Don Ross Secondary School Howe Sound Secondary School Save-On-Foods IGA Extra Foods

F. Whistler “Food on Every Table” Community Meeting Contacts NAME PROGRAM/INTEREST CONTACT Tim Wake Councillor [email protected] Michelle Antil Whistler Secondary [email protected] Karen Kay Community Kitchens, Catering [email protected] Jane Ballance Putting Children First Initiative [email protected] Greg McDonnell Whistler Community Services [email protected] Caroline Stroud Whistler Youth Centre [email protected]

Others Contacted: Dan Wilson-Whistler 2020 Mike Vance-General Manager of Community Initiatives, Councillor Sandra Mitdal-Food Bank Steve Milstein-Greenhouse Project Darla Savage-Transition House Food Program Nicole Ronan- Whistler Farmer’s Market William Roberts Hilarie Cousar- Whistler Cooks Catering Company Marnie Simon-works with seniors Mayor and Councillors Senior’s Group Public Health Nurses Myrtle Philip Elementary School Spring Creek Elementary School Whistler Secondary School Whistler Community Church Church on the Mountain Our Lady of the Mountains Church Whistler Village Church The Grocery Store Nesters Upper Village Marker Auntie Em’s Kitchen Astrid Fine Foods Community Foundation of Whistler Meadow Park Medical Centre 63 G. Pemberton and Area “Food on Every Table” Community Meeting Contacts NAME PROGRAM/INTEREST CONTACT Jane Ballance Putting Children First Initiative [email protected] Mary Freskiw [email protected] Brenda McLeod Farmer, “Food for Thought”- [email protected] Pemberton Secondary Kristin Hargitt Social Worker Mt Currie Band [email protected] Natalie Mackay Social Worker Mt Currie Band [email protected] Rose Smith Healthy eating [email protected] Rita M. Wells Healthy community, living and PO Box 6168, Mt Currie, V0N 2K0 eating better Geraldine Joseph Via health representative PO Box 433, Mt Currie, V0N 2K0 1-877-894-3360 or 604-894-3355 Lisa Richardson Slow Food Cycle Sunday [email protected] Annabelle Pierre Social Development Community 604-938-3559, Health Representative [email protected] Paul Cumin Pemberton Christian Fellowship [email protected] Paula Allen Healthy Pregnancy Program, 604-905-9421, Safe House [email protected] Caprii Public Health, VCH [email protected], Mohammed Chris Okumu MCFD 604-894- 2091,[email protected] Sylvia Shanoss [email protected] Bruce & Brenda Across the Creek Organics [email protected] Miller

Others Contacted: Fran Cuthbert-Food Bank Leslie Clements-Pemerton Secondary Teacher Jane Walser- Healthy Pregnancy Outreach Program, Stopping the Violence Outreach Rachel Andrew-Mount Currie Health Centre Darla Thevarge- Mount Currie Kathy Sam-Mount Currie Norma Dick-Mount Currie Canning Station, Soup Kitchen, Food Bank Debbie Alendal-Mount Currie Wellness Centre David Allen-Director of Development Services Anna Helmer-Farmer Crystal Tonkin-Family Support Worker Jesse Burnett-A& D prevention Geoff Pross-Whistler Youth Centre Marissa Collins-nut tree Christy and Richard Seed-Solstice Organics Mark Blundel-grocery store proprietor Dolores and Zdenek Loss-bee keepers, llamas 64 Liz Jones-Mt Currie Land and resource Manager Susie Gimse-Regional District Dicrector Area C Kathy Condi-Mt Currie Health Nurse Ernest Armann Marcy Ptolemy Florence Ward Margaret Galetly Lori Harris-Pemberton Community Gardens Committee Roxanna and Mark Kuurne

Pemberton Mayor and Councillors Blackwater Creek Elementary Signal Hill Elementary School Pemberton Secondary School Howe Sound Outreach School

65 H. Mountain FM Interview Questions and Notes

1. So what is the idea behind “Food on Every Table”? - Key messages: a. Hello – everyone needs to eat b. Our current approaches are band-aids. c. Ain’t no body here but us chickens i. We’ve got to solve the problem ii. We have the answers in our own backyard for the problems we face.

2. Are there more and more people who are having a hard time getting food on their table? a. Yes – because the solutions we’ve been using are band-aid ones. b. Yes – in order to buy food you need income: i. Things like the mill closing have put people out of work – loss of high paying jobs. ii. Restrictions on access to welfare iii. Another one – No more than three c. Yes -- The rising cost of housing is a key factor – more and more people paying 30% and more of their income for housing costs.

3. Who in the community is this project aimed for? a. All of us chickens. Everyone in the community who is concerned about the well-being of their community. Everyone needs to eat. This is an issue that affects everyone in the community. b. This is a health issue, this is a business issue, this is an environmental issue. The more diverse the participants, the more innovative our solutions will be.

4. Do you think food, or a lack thereof, is a concern for the communities along the Sea to Sky Corridor?? - Give some specifics: a. Number of food banks b. Number of people accessing soup kitchens c. Number of people in poverty.

- More and more people are one pay cheque away from losing their home based on the percentage of income that people are paying for housing. (If you have time, BC Housing has statistics on this.) As the cost of housing goes up, statistically, more people will be vulnerable. Housing costs are certainly rising in the corridor. People tend to meet their housing costs. So the core expense people compromise on is food.

5. Is there one particular community that has more of a need for it? - There’s a stereotype that Whistler is affluent and that Pemberton is poor, but each of S2S communities are vulnerable for different reasons.

66 a. Whistler has astronomical rents and there are a lot of low paying service jobs. b. Even though the average income is lower in Pemberton, they grow their own food. - We’ve been stressing affordability, but with rising transportation costs and concerns about the environment, it’s becoming more and more important that communities to grow their own food. (Lydia, you have a natural passion for this set of issues. Have fun! Share your passion.)

6. There are meetings in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton. Is it up to the communities to come up with ideas and solutions or do you have some ideas coming into the project? a. People in our communities have the ability to figure out what needs to be done. b. Our community is rich with ideas -- People with environmental ideas, people with business ideas…. Also social entrepreneurs, youth, seniors. c. By bringing a rich diversity of people together, this is an opportunity to unleash the capacity of the community. d. What if we could: i. What if we created solar heated greenhouses on every block where young children, youth and seniors helped to grow food in economically viable ways? ii. What if we could grow 50% of the food we eat in the corridor e. We may not necessarily have all the resources. But we have the capacity to get the resources we need. I.e. We can figure it solutions to the problems we face.

7. Have the local governments shown an interest in getting involved? a. We’ve invited all the mayors, councillors, planners, etc. b. We’ll be talking to the Mayors and urging them and their staff to come. – We see this as crucial for the health of the community.

8. Do the communities have the financial resources to take on “Food on Every Table”? a. The purpose of this open space is to bring together the resources we have in the community and to look at what we have to do. b. We know that there is a wealth of ideas and capacity in our communities. c. And we’re really excited about what can come out of this. We think whole new ways of looking at it can come forward. d. We see it as a really fundamental question to rally the community around (FOOD) because it affects all of us.

Be sure to let people know how to register/get more information. Easy to remember way to contact you.

67 I. Mapping Squamish Notes from May 17, 2006 Community Meeting

Squamish’s Assets – By Cluster Headings:

Education and the value of food – Making Smart Choices Easier • Sikh Temple (healthy food) • Soup Kitchen Nutrition Guide • Women’s Health Network – Funding • High School, Cap College • Home-care Support Workers • Recipe Network • In-home teaching • Farmers market information and education table • Rotary Allotment -- $12 per year • The Power of Food – (Adam and Marissa) • Nutritionist – Teaching – Qualified people • First Nations – Food Prep • Government (New Horizons Grant) • District-wide communication • Foods are we talking about: o Diversified Food types (Whole Grains vs. Meats) o Whole Foods, including pulses o Organic where possible

Potential Starting Points – for community mobilization • Transportation accessibility • Social Planning Committee • Access youth volunteers • Storage – Warehouse • Multiple Interest Mesh – One initiative that integrates multiple objectives • Hospitality Project • Hub location • Mother Centre • Good Food Box • Summer Programs • Grocery Delivery • Food Related Facility • Breakfast and Lunch Programs • Knowledge of locations and access • Mobile supports • Funding • Grow a row

68 • Health Regulation • Food recovery/Gleaning Resources Dream: Food Coalition Person/Place – Central/Accessible • Soup Kitchen • United Church Pantry • Healthy Pregnancy Outreach • Trinity Hall • PEOPLE – networking • Youth Centre • Farmers’ Market • Social Planning Council • Community Gardens (Rotary) • Local Organizations i. Lions ii. Rotary iii. Sea to Sky Community Services iv. Legion • Local Businesses i. Starbucks ii. Grocery Stores 1. IGA 2. Save On 3. Shakespeare’s? • Squamish Nation • Using School Newsletters for information distribution – I.e. Where and when of food banks, soup kitchens • Funding i. Act Now ii. Government 1. Municipal 2. Provincial 3. Federal iii. Vancity • Inviting People – to help (where possible) • NEPP – Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program • Neighbourhood groups • Restaurants i. White Spot ii. Mountain Burger iii. Pause Café iv. Pat v. Starbucks vi. Chef Big D’s • Pet Stores/Veterinarians • Food Bank

69 • Recorded Information Resource Directory – PCFI • Squamish Emergency Social Services – Victims’ Services • Fruit Tree Program – Bear Aware • Gardeners (Club)/ Homeowners with Fruit Trees • Homelessness Task Force • Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, Schools, Daycare Centers • Nutritionists, Dieticians, Doctors, CGHU, Sea to Sky Community Services, • Women’s Centre (And Christmas Care) • Breakfast and Lunch Programs (school-based) • Community Christmas Care • Hot Spot i. Internet Access/info ii. Volunteer requests • Local Church Emergency Food Distribution (Anglican, United Community Church, Sikh Temple) • Community Living Services – SSCS • Seniors Centre • Adam Hart – Whole Foods Personal Trainer

Growing Food Here • Securing land – Size, actual area and cost • Land Use Planning for agriculture • Sweat Equity!!!! • School Curriculum – Teaching Kids how to grow food, School Garden • Knowledge Transfer i. Info prep and delivery ii. Free or at costs iii. Info sessions 1. Hands on vs. video 2. Workshops • Commitment and Continuity i. By Community ii. At political level • Community Garden i. Security ii. Continuity iii. Sense of ownership iv. Peers teaching peers v. Log Book – Community Service • Backyard gardening i. Engaging community ii. Educating on what types of food can grow

70 Distributing Food with Dignity • Distributing food in vehicles to those who are unable to access it for themselves • Restaurant delivery of extra food? • Sharing resources across sectors – Space, $$$, Ideas i. Building Partnerships 1. VCH, SSCS, Churches, Community members • No lining up for food • Donated Space for distribution and storage of food – Safe and secure • Distributing excess food from restaurants so its not wasted i. Dempster’s • Centralized Distribution (and we also need Storage), on a bus route • Connections between local growers and Bear Aware – Excess Fruit • Good Food Box Distribution – Drop Off points. Large and Small boxes. Minimal Charge. • Safety and security of people giving food – i.e. Drugs and Alcohol Issues. • More than one food bank/month • Project Hospitality. People are given a number and then served Tea or Coffee until their number is called.

Themes from Individual Visions—Squamish 10 years from now • Connections between people • Community coming together • Starting small and getting larger as years go by • Central Hub – a place where people can come for food, showers, cooking facilities, information, etc. • Economic Vitality – as foundation for food accessibility/sustainability • We don’t need the food bank any more • Continuity and interconnectedness • Smiles, peace – satisfaction • All have something to contribute – diversity • Support each other when there is opposition – i.e. if need to stand up to vested interests • 20% of food eaten in Squamish is grown locally • We discover the joy of getting our hands dirty • Caring and sharing • Nature and Nurture • We can do it! • Balance between wants and needs • Helping people to learn to be resourceful • Sharing the bounty • Simplicity • We all have something to gain • Wonders of the earth – to be appreciated. 71 J. Mapping Whistler Notes from May 18, 2006 Community Meeting

Whistler’s Assets – By Cluster Headings:

Resources • Whistler Healthcare Foundation • Community Foundation of Whistler • Rotary Clubs • Lions • Provincial/Federal Government – breaking down silos • Expertise in NIMBY • Expertise in Resident Restricted Housing • Whistler Forum for Dialogue • Whistler Children’s Centre • North Shore Credit Union • My Millennium Place • WOW – Women of Whistler – Mallard Lounge • Equity owned by Churches and Social Agencies • Retirees & Semi-retirees – “Creative Connections”

Leading Organizations • Whistler Healthcare Centre – Community Health Office • Vancouver Coastal Health Authority • Sea to Sky Community Services Society • WCSS Whistler Community Services Society i. CMNS Committee ii. Increase of dignity • SPUD/Millers (Across the Creek) • AWARE – Environmental Org • RMOW – Regional Municipality of Whistler • Starbucks • Local Grocery Stores i. Nesters • The Fairmont – Turkey Dinners • Intrawest • Whistler-Blackcomb Foundation (Founded by Intrawest) • Faith-based organizations • WORCA – Whistler Off Road Cycling Association • Chamber of Commerce

72 Initiatives • Farmers’ Market • Emergency Centre – WCSS • AA/NA/Al-Anon • Food Bank – WCSS • Re-Use It Centre – WCSS • Women’s Group (Formerly Food Buying Club) • SNOW • Visiting Group for unwell community members – Elizabeth Massof • Food Share Basket (WSACS) • Youth Centre (food) Cook meals every Friday night • Food buying club • Adopt a YAD – YAD = Young Adult • New Developments to include Greenhouses • 24 hour famine in Schools • LUNA – Late and Unique Night Alternatives – Kiran Pal-Pross • House Advisors Program – (Lisa Tremblay) • MASH – Seniors Community Kitchen • Whistler 2020 Plan Sustainability Plan 45 partners 16 taskforce groups • Health and Social • Partnerships o Ted Battiston } Contact People for o Esther Speck } RMOW, 932-5535 Sees issues as involving to whole corridor • Eating Disorders Support Group – two programs • Community Kitchen HA Buy-in Kitchen not satisfactory Opp – SNOW kitchens • Food Bank Ad in paper All age range • Greenhouses Spruce Grove – Two Myrtle Phillips – One • Welcome Week – WCSS Early November event to connect young adults to the community Week of programming culminating in a dinner – 500 young adults (YADs) and 250 volunteers

73 Information • Notice Boards • Posters • Studies – Karen Kay v. knowledgeable about food security issues Cuba – info on urban agriculture and food security • Indicator initiative • Guest Speakers through WOW – Women of Whistler • HA • Periodic Cheap Food Nights • Messenger • TV Ad • Papers – Pique and Questions • Survival Guide • Articles • Radio – Mountain FM • Websites

People • Dave and Michelle – Outreach Workers • Grocery Store people Bruce – Nesters Tanya – UU Market Bob Adams – Grocery Store Gerry – Creekside Market • Greg McDonnell – WCSS • Linda Watson – Spring Creek School • Dave Burke – Editor, Question • Bob Barnett – Editor, Pique • GD Maxwell – Columnist, Pique • Gord Leidal – MAC (Mature Action Committee) • Father Gerry – Catholic Church • Mike Vance – in charge of Whistler 2020 plan, and 2010 Olympics • Sandra McCarthy – Food bank coordinator • Marnie Simon – MASH (re: Seniors and Young Adults eating together) • Bill Barratt – RMOW Administrator • Jim Godfrey – Former RMOW Administrator, now seconded • Dave Brownlie – Intrawest (Whistler-Blackcomb) • Ron Alberton – Myrtle Phillip School • Steven Millstein – MYP, Greenhouses • Big Brothers/Big Sisters • Kirby Brown – Director of Employee Experience, Whistler-Blackcomb • Lisa Tremblay – Whistler-Blackcomb • Bev Oakley, High School Principal • Tim Unruh, Whistler Community Church • Kiran Pal-Pross

74 • William Roberts – Whistler Forum for Dialogue • RMOW Council – Re Budget, Land use, grants Tim Wake

Opportunities/Dreams • Olympics World’s eyes on Whistler/Sea to Sky Corridor • Showcase • Motivation Sponsorship Locally grown food Labour • Construction • Food services • First Nations Knowledge of Environment Wildcrafting Hunting • (Local) food on every table – we have farmers in the corridor • Schools/childcare Food prep in school – students feed students School greenhouse and composting Past Grade Ten Longer time frame Beyond Academics (Currently Whistler’s high school has an exclusively academic focus. • Local Food – to supply grocery stores, Restaurants; Pemberton – vegetables, herbs, fish and meat Squamish – Fish Whistler – Greenhouses • Fruit Trees – Canning (Working with seniors who still know how!) • Give and take partnerships up and down the corridor – Suppliers and markets for each other, and sharing what works – e.g. greenhouse model.

Challenges/Gaps/Needs • Coordinating different pockets of money • Lack of coordination re: Levels of Government Sector/Topic focus • “Lost generation” Not knowing how to cook Kids growing up without experiencing home cooked meals Lost arts of canning and baking • GAP: Schools Teaching how to cook Craig Smith Kitchen at My Place • Access to food for invalids – we’ve nothing like Meals on Wheels

75 • Tidal Wave of mainstream culture Disconnect re where food comes from • Summer programs – food for kids when school is not in session • Involvement of First Nations and other ethnic groups • Organizations have full plates – so busy staying afloat that it’s hard to initiate partnerships/systemic change/deeper work

76 K. Mapping Pemberton Notes from May 18, 2006 Community Meeting

Pemberton’s Assets – By Cluster Headings:

Resources • Hunting – Wild Game • Water • Lake and Rivers – Fish • Mushrooms – Pine and Field • Wild Fruits o Berries o Wild Teas o Apples • Farm land • Farmers o Meat o Vegetables o Herbs • Educators o Teachers o Nutritionist • Piggly Wiggly Inc. – Meat Delivery, Meat orders to Families at cost (three sizes) • Harvest Box (Across the Creek Organics) • Government Funding • Whistler Community Foundation • Olympics o Opportunities for supplying food o Source of Grants • Buddhist Group • Catering Services • Volunteer programs – WWOOF • Lions • Community Kitchen – Health Centre • General Store – Bulk Foods • Grocery Stores o A.G. Foods o Pemberton Valley Store

Leading Organizations • Local Farms • School Lunch Program • Churches i. United

77 ii. Catholic iii. Community iv. Jehovah • Sea to Sky Community Services • Grocery Stores o Support Food Bank o Support Local Food providers o Supply Bulk Foods • Pemberton Farmers Institute • Seed Potato Growers Groups • Community Garden • Market Garden Farms • Family Backyard Gardens • Community Social Events – E.g. Legion • Restaurants

Initiatives • Fish Camp • Seniors’ Lunch – 1x/Month • Elders’ Lunch – Mount Currie • Healthy Pregnancy Outreach Program • Food Bank • Community Garden (Village of Pemberton and Farmers Inst.) • Harvest Box • Toad Stool Café – Youth Centre Fundraising • Fundraising for Xmas, and whole year • Slow Food Cycle – Sunday/Weekend in August • Baskets at Christmas (SSHS) • Christmas Hampers (rest of year?) • Xilolacw School Lunch/Café Subscription • Annabelle Pierre – 5 years Funding, National Child Reinvestment Initiative • Samahquam Band • Food coupons for all children. Food coupons for families, and families donate community services in return, rather than cash. • Food for Thought Program PSS and Signal Hill – Meet basic food needs for kids. Brenda subsidizes it with soups etc. Donations from Whistler overruns. Food at School.

Information • Canning and Drying know-how – Women’s Institute. • Elders – Foods, Fish • Community Health Reps/Health Centers/Nurses

78 • Newspapers The Pique The Question • Bulletin Boards Store Post Office The Pony Café Gas Stn. Roundabout Community Centre Library Etc. • Newsletters Harvest Box Wellness Team Mount Currie CAP Team • Phone Book/Community Directories • Internet/Library • Village of Pemberton Website • Community Centers – Multiplex • Band Offices • Farmers Institute Meetings • Food Band -- SSCS

People • Miller Family • Helmer Family • Fran Cuthbert & Eleanor Warner -- Pemberton Health Committee • Town Councilors i. Jordan Sturdy – Mayor ii. Kristen McLeod iii. Jenny Helmer iv. Mark Blundell • Mount Currie Wellness Centre i. Social Workers 1. Kristin Hargitt 2. Natalie MacKay ii. Debbie Alendal – Wellness Centre Manager • Farmers Institute i. Roxy Kuurne – President ii. The Farmers!! • Mount Currie Band Council i. Morgan Wells – Medicinal Plants ii. Patricia Williams – Rancher-Farmer • Agricultural Advisory Committee to SLRD • Sea to Sky Healthy Pregnancy Outreach Program 79 i. Jane Walker ii. Lydia Szymanski iii. Paula Allen • Pemberton Community Garden Committee • Ministers: i. Paul -- Community Church ii. Others… • Creekside Resources i. Liz Jones ii. Harriet Therreault • Mount Currie Health Centre i. Cathy Condy (Health Nurse) ii. Attsie Williams (speaker, Nutrition/diabetes) • Sea to Sky Community Services i. Food Bank and grocery coupon distribution • Mount Currie “Food Bank” – Norma Dick • Signal Hill Elementary School Lunch Program (AG Grocery Store donates $$) i. Sylvia Shanoss ii. Sean Wallace • Annabelle Pierre helps us get food coupons for getting lunch and snacks for our kids in Baptists Smith Rez Samahquam. • Grocers • Restaurants • Maureen Douglas – Olympic Committee • Lions i. Ryan Paskell ii. Noland Edmonds iii. Ralph Wallace • Pemberton Food Bank Committee and Christmas Hamper Program i. Fran Cuthbert ii. Paula Allen iii. Arlene McLean iv. Toni Morris v. Joanne Dilling

• Elders i. Laura Purcell ii. Velma Peters iii. Gardeners in our community iv. Hunters – too many to name. They help out our community when food gets low or hard times/funerals. • Fishermen and women – too many to name. We all help each other make nets or share nets or rods. Share our freezer space to put fish away. Even canning and drying. • Mount Currie CAP team i. Christopher Wells – Cultural Coordinator

80 ii. Social Assistance Skills Training School

Opportunities/Dreams • People want to come to visit farms/to become farmers • Abattoir – So able to sell or donate local meat locally • To feed everyone in the corridor • Unified body re distribution of farm produce Consistency Network or Co-op or Business partnerships? Farmers First Nations – Berries, Fish Equitable revenue to producers • Community Garden Heal Urban-Rural split that exists in Pemberton Include school kids • Farm visits through schools • Structure with Great Location for Farmers Market Every day Access Olympic funding Recreation Site – new facility Include community Kitchen – licensed. • Bridge First Nations and Non-FN through foods – sharing both ways • Apprenticeships • Schools include Food – so no one is hungry Healthy Food Gathering – Connectivity Education apprenticeships re food preparation, etc. Food production • Processing Food locally to raise incomes • New Recreation Centre Kitchen Big enough to support value-added food processing Certified • 50% of Food eaten locally is grown locally • 100% of potatoes eaten in Sea to Sky corridor grown locally: MacDonald’s and Whistler Blackcomb use Pemberton Potatoes! • Education System (Brenda) Local Food into High Schools Apprenticeships Cafeteria course at school that provides: • Train young people re food service industries • Nutritious Food o Jamie Oliver (UK) – healthy food! • Squamish High School has started to work on this • Certified Way to donate perishable food • Community Kitchen

81 Other Dreams/Ideas that emerged while mapping or chatting • Marketing Food to local community/Sea to Sky Corridor • Educating Kids/others re how to farm • Farmers Market • Chef’s come to Pemberton – food awareness • Good Gathering Down Below (Three lower Bands) Coming together to play, eat, honour, share stories and music, vs. for funeral • Farm to Plate – full income stream to farmers and first nations so more money stays in the community.\ • Summer Programs – so kids have access to nutritious food/enough to eat when school is out. • Inviting people to meet WWOOFers one evening/week (Across the Creek Farms) – so youths and kids can meet people from around the world who have a passion for food and growing food in a sustainable way. Guitars, music, passionate conversation about farming.

Challenges/Gaps/Needs • Marketing Pemberton Farmers/Farming Identity, while preserving farming • Education on how to produce more on small amount of land • Marketing products from farms, especially small farms. Five acres can produce 100 harvest boxes weekly • Farming isn’t valued • Education re food (security) • Health certified kitchen

82 L. Proceedings of the Open Space Event

Community Food Action Initiative Sea to Sky Corridor

Food on EVERY Table Open Space Event

Proceedings

May 30-31, 2006

May 30 Participants: Caroline Ashekian, Jane Balance, Donna Bent, Shannon Brown, Jeanne Cameron, Karen Clarke, Adam Hart, Dietrich Jordan, Geraldine Joseph, Karen Kay, Jen Leigh, Dania Matiation, Sandra Midtal, Bruce Miller, Lisa Richardson, Marissa Schiesser, Erin Stewart, Lydia Szymanski, Lois Wynne.

May 30 Participants: Peter Ackhurst, Jane Balance, Karen Clarke, Mary Freskin, Dietrich Jordan, Geraldine Joseph, Karen Kay, Roxanna Kuurne, Bruce Miller, Nancy Norman, Lydia Szymanski, Dan Wilson

M. Squamish Homeless Survey

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