In January 2020, the Food Policy Council committed to integrating into our work programming focused on systemic racism and food. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted our plans for 2020, just as it has done to everyone, everywhere. Nevertheless, the urgent need to understand how systemic racism is manifested in food systems has only been highlighted by the events of 2020…
Food Justice & the Food Policy Council Read More »
Five years ago, on December 12th, the Paris Climate Agreement came into being. It gave people hope that at long last the political leaders of countries around the world were taking climate change seriously enough to set ambitious targets that reflect the gravity of the existential threat that faces the planet. In the intervening years we have seen a few measures taken that reflect the seriousness of the crisis before us…
The next Central Kootenay Food Policy Council Meeting is happening on Monday December 14th from 1 – 2:30pm PST via Zoom. Everyone is welcome to attend. If you’re interested in attending for the first time, please contact Abra. The Zoom meeting link can be found in the Agenda.
Join us December 14th for our next Council Meeting Read More »
When I moved to the Kootenays in 1990, my first major social outing exposed me to the cannabis trade in the region. As a non-smoker, I have never indulged, but as someone working on food systems and agriculture, it was always evident to me that cannabis is inextricably linked to the food economy of our region. There is plenty of academic and anecdotal evidence that connects cannabis to countercultural influences. Perhaps it is linked to the ancient practices and cultures of the Indigenous peoples in this region, but the Kootenays has long attracted successive waves of non-conforming groups…
Cannabis & the Food Policy Council Read More »
It is everywhere and pretty much always underfoot. Soil is foundational to so much life on earth and yet is so rarely appreciated for the wonder that it is and all it contributes. December 5th is World Soil Day, which provides an opportunity reflect on and celebrate soil. According to the Soil Conservation Council of Canada, just one teaspoon of healthy soil contains more organisms than there are people on earth! That fact is mind boggling and points to the extreme complexity of this life underground. Increasingly, people are recognizing the role that healthy soils play in the battle to address the negative impacts of climate change…
Nine months in, we have all mostly become resigned to the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is almost hard to remember a time when it did not dominate our lives and all the news sources. However, in the early weeks and months of the pandemic in Canada, we were all navigating in the dark, or at least without a lot of light to shine on the right path forward. The Food Policy Council established Pandemic & Food Roundtable with the goal of supporting those involved in food systems (farmers, food processors and businesses, non-profits, local government) who live and work in the Columbia Basin to discuss our work, our challenges and to help find a path forward in this pandemic…
Navigating Uncertainty Read More »
