2. Feb 19 – VFPC 2014 Workplan
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Review VFPC Goals and Policies
COV & Vancouver Food Strategy Update
Working Group updates
2014 meeting topics
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Jan 22 – A Citizens Guide to the ALR: Information and Actions
Feb 19 – VFPV 2014 Workplan
March 19 April 16
May 28
June 25
July 23
Sept 17
Oct 22
Nov 26
 Planning for planning committee members (Dave, Llana, Kim, and I
missed some)

3. 2014 Potential Meeting Topics
 How to move policy through the COV - what are the avenues and
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options for VFPC?
Youth engagement in food in Vancouver (Ilana and Zsuzsi)
Active Transportation Council and 2040 Translink Plan (Kim
Hodgson and Zsuzsi)
Urban Farming - Practices and Policy (Tara, Zsuzsi, Soul, Ed urban farmer that is getting organic certification)
Social event with VFPC and City Counsellors
Healthy food retailers and restaurants
Urban-rural continuum - Invite AAC from other nearby
municipalities to learn more about the issues they face (perhaps
from cities with large agriculture base - Surrey, Langley, etc)
Migrant workers/workers rights
Others?
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Fisheries (Ilana)

4. Vancouver Food Policy Council
presents
Information & Actions for Protecting and Enhancing BC’s
Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR)
Speakers:
* Kim Sutherland (BC Ministry of Agriculture)
* Bill Zylman (W&A Farms)
* Dr. Lenore Newman (University of Fraser Valley)
* Dr. Art Bomke
Details:
Wednesday January 22, 2014
6 pm to 8:30 pm
Town Hall meeting Room at City Hall
*Please note that after hours, you must enter City Hall via the 12th A venue entrance.
**The full meeting goes from 6-8:30pm with the theme on the ALR starting at 7pm.
@
VanFoodPolCnl
www.vancouverfoodpolicycouncil.ca

5. A Citizen’s Guide to the ALR
(1) What is the most important information that the
VFPC and our communities need to know about the
ALR?
(2) What actions can the VFPC and Citizens take to
support the ALR?
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Stakeholder groups:
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VFPC & Community Groups
Government
Farmers
Academics
Scientists

6. Dr. Lenore Newman

7. Issues
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Lack of capital for new farmers
Illegal dumping on ALR lands
BC liberal government lack of public process and public consultation
Development pressures and land speculation
The ALR is taken for granted
Climate impacts on local and global agriculture
Liquid Natural Gas (aka fracking)
Cite C located in the Peace River
The ALR is really just a land-base in reserve for future government
projects
Gateway – removed of Class A farmland for highways
We are the gateway of food transportation between North America
and China
Speculation

8. Information
 There is so much to loose!!!!
 There are many agriculture services in the lower mainland because they
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know there will be farmers in the future through the ALR (key potential
allies?)
When Surrey implemented a policy that for every acre of land removed, 2
more had to be added elsewhere, ALR exclusions dramatically decreased.
Many crops in BC are supply managed which means that the cost of food is
fixed according the cost of production. Supply management however is a
very complex issue.
Many agricultural land owners that lease their land to farmers do not want
daily activity – they want minimal disturbance
Early ALR boundaries were based on Canada Land Inventory classification.
Soils 1 = best soil, 6 bad soil, 7 no capability to grow food
2 key features of the ALR: land + CLIMATE! We have a class 1 climate.
Site C is a CLASS 1 CLIMATE
The BC Liberal government is proposing 2 types of ALR classifications.
Most costly cities in the world: London, Hong Kong and Vancouver

9. Actions
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Halt any further ALR exclusions
Launch a We heart the ALR, we heart food, we heart soil, campaign
Develop strategies to expand the ALR
Launch an ALR education campaign in schools
Talk more about the soil
Mobilize support – growers, agriculture service providers, and others!
The public must stop electing governments that support trade agreements and free enterprise
models of development
Target MLAs? Better yet! Get the local media on board.
Develop a pressure gauge to assess the urgency of issues
COV motion from October and 11 other cities have also passed motions. What is the collective
strength of motions?
Family Day
SAVE the farmers! Land will be saved if there is a viable income
Establish a fund to help new entrants to farming gain capital
Owners of farmland need to be farmers
US policy tool to preserve agriculture land  purchase/transfer of development rights
Provide farmers with a lower rate of income tax
Evaluate the ecological impacts on water salinity of removing the massey tunnel.

10. Breakout Sessions
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VFPC
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Media strategy
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Public Education: Launch a we heart the ALR campaign
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Organize organizations
Address the anti-science attitude at Fed and Provincial levels  Mobilize scientists
Policy and issues – lack of awareness
Align with businesses – government listens to businesses
Get education into schools
Government
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Fund set aside (from land speculation?)
Get involved with mentoring programs
Redevelop relationships with retailers
Science
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Use their voice
Reach out to contacts
Study idea – look at grouping small parcels into lease groups
Farmers (how to help them save themselves)
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Identify policy avenues such as motions, proclamations etc that can further address the issue
Bring in agriculture advisory groups to share their stories
Academics
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Partner with other agencies
Launch it around Valentines Day to promote local food
Policy tools
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VFPC members are trained in how to communicate to the press
VFPC develop a position statement on the ALR
Promote Residential Use Bylaw
ALC needs to stop accepting applications for non farm use
Federal Trade Agreements
Community
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Tell 5 people why the ALR matter
Rally
Outreach