FOOD SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE: CANDIDATE RESPONSES

November 17, 2011 | Timely Support Team

We recently sent a letter on behalf of the Kamloops Food Policy Council to all mayoral and council candidates regarding their stance when it comes to issues surrounding food policy and food security in the region.  We asked the following questions:

1) What do you believe are priority actions for improving and maintaining the sustainability of all aspects of Kamloops’ food system?

2) What do you see as the responsibility of municipal governments regarding food security?

3)  Please describe an action that you take or have taken to promote food security in Kamloops.

4) What procedures does the City of Kamloops currently have in place to monitor the status of our community’s food security? Do you feel that these measures are adequate?

5) What is your understanding of the following terms: food security; food sovereignty; public produce; community gardens; community kitchens; urban agriculture?

6) What is your position on the use of pesticides in agriculture?

We received responses from two of the four mayoralty candidates, and thirteen of the 24 council candidates.  Below you can find a summary – for each candidate who replied – of the responses we received for questions 1) and 2), which we found to be most informative and relevant to the candidates’ campaign in this regard.  Hence, the list below each candidate’s name highlights key points from their response, and lists the items that he or she said they believe should be city council’s priorities when it comes to food policy and food security. The candidates are listed in alphabetical order. We hope that this information will prove useful as you decide how to vote on Saturday!

Please feel free to share this information with anyone you think may be interested. (If you would like to see all the responses just as they were written, e-mail us at kamloopsfoodpolicy@gmail.com and we can send them to you.)

Happy voting!!

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Mayoral Candidates:

Brian Alexander

     “The Government’s responsibility is to serve the people’s needs, and listen to the people’s voices!”

• Move away from food distribution on the corporate world market

• Take action against anything that could be harmful to city’s residents

• Put power in the hands of residents with programs such as community gardens

Dieter Dudy

    “For us to sit idly by while members of our community have no idea where their next meal is coming from is unconscionable. As a city we need to ensure that resources are in place that address these food security issues.”

• Adopt a food security policy

• Ensure resources are in place to address food security issues

• Expand on existing programs such as Community Kitchens, Community Gardens, Food Share, and/or an agricultural plan that includes ensuring enough food is grown locally to address the needs of those who lack the resources to provide for themselves

• Adopt a succession plan in local agriculture; ‘encourage young people to get involved in local agriculture by giving them easier access to arable land and providing initiatives to mitigate the start up and subsequent operating costs’

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 Council Candidates:

Nancy Bepple

     “As a member of […] council, I voted to adopt both the social plan and the sustainability plan of the City, both of which include food security as a cornerstone.  As well, as part of the same council, I supported hiring a social plan coordinator and a sustainability coordinator.”

• Provide an affordable means for disposing of abattoir waste to make local producers more able to compete on the market

• Put pressure on the Liberal government to make food production a priority as they revise the water act

• Minimize urban sprawl by concentrating growth in higher density

• Discourage the creation of ‘hobby’ farms which divide larger parcels of land (only councillor who ‘opposed to sending a letter of support to the Agricultural Land Commission for Tranquille Farms plans to create a 115 RV park on protected agricultural land’)

• Ensure food security is clearly addressed in planning documents, as it is in the Social Plan and Sustainability Plan

Dino Bernardo

      “I believe municipal governments have a major responsibility regarding food security.  The provincial and federal governments play an important role, but we need to start this thinking and process at our level in concern for our citizens, and to put pressure on higher levels of government to implement change.”

• Create a committee to educate the public and to devise steps for change that all residents can implement

• Take responsibility to influence the decisions made by provincial and federal governments regarding food policy

• Collaborate with local experts on the topic of food security to determine the best course of action

Donovan Cavers

     “As someone who grew up on a farm I believe in an ideal world local governments should ensure that the local region is capable of supporting the nutritional needs of its population. At the very least to have, as a priority guiding principle, the concept of food security and food sovereignty when issues of all sorts arise. (especially land use and zoning)”

• Legalize backyard hens

• When water metering starts, give exemptions on water use to urban edible gardeners and farmers

• Promote community gardens – to the general public as well as in schools during children’s most exploratory stages of development

• Explore the creation of a permanent or extended season farmers market, and give true facilitation to the ones already in existence.

Ken Christian

     “…I suppose you have never done enough until you reach a degree of sustainability in food production, variety, seasonality, processing and storage capacity that matches our population.”

• Maintain and preserve agricultural land through effective land use planning and land classification systems

• Support local interest groups (ie. KFPC) and formalize their liaisons with the city council

• Make civic properties available for community gardens and edible landscaping

• Support marketing strategies year-round for local food producers

• Support community kitchens for youth, lower income earners, seniors and nutritionally marginalized groups

John DeCicco

     “I support the work of the Kamloops Food Policy Council through the Kamloops Social Planning Committee, representation at City Council and project presentations.  I also support Community Garden grants and staff liaison to work with the programs.”

• Support community gardens and farmers’ markets

• Promote the 100 Mile diet and its use in City facilities

• Support food distribution projects

Nelly Dever

     “I’ve been in the health and wellness industry for 18 years. A large component of operating Nelly’s Executive Fitness (12 years) is educating and promoting locally grown/organic foods for various health and sustainability reasons.”

• Collaborate with TNRD, KFPC, Agriculture Committee, Health and Wellness Practitioners, locally owned food suppliers, and business owners

• Educate the public – young people through schools, seniors through seniors’ facilities, and mid-aged population through the health club industry

• Focus on factual nutrition education

• Support soil conservation

Tina Lange

    “Council has a good understanding of food security and I believe as a whole that Council and City Hall have come along ways and will continue to expand their support of food security.”

• Support Kamloops Food Policy Council

John Noakes

     “Food sovereignty relies on educating our citizens on how to effectively grow food crops.  A generation ago, more people planted vegetable gardens than what takes place now.”

• Continue to expand community gardens

• Turn unused agriculturally-viable land into crop-producing land – get unemployed youth involved with growing, and use crops to benefit their families as well as the food bank and New Life Mission

• When water metering begins, give a special rate for people growing an edible garden

Chris Ortner

     “[Community gardens] promote a sense of connection and community. Kamloops has done a good job in expanding this concept, but should do more, where demand exists.”

• Ensure there is a complete and up-to-date list of local producers available to all

• Do a gap analysis between what is currently available and what could be made available in the local region

• Provide incentives and do business attraction work (ie. through Venture Kamloops) to attract new farmers interested in farming opportunities

• Follow through on recommendations of the Sustainability Plan

• Oppose removal of lands in the Agricultural Land Reserve

• Provide tax reductions on a proportional basis for properties engaged in food production

• Support local meat plants where zoning and neighbourhood conditions are acceptable

Dennis Paget

     ” I am concerned about our food supply and support local growers as much as I can.”

• Support the creation of a year-round local food market

• Be further educated on food security issues

• Encourage local growers to expand their market expectations

Peter Sharp

     “Kamloops has a great  and proud history of food production, with it’s extensive orchards, farms and ranchlands. There is no reason why we can’t enjoy a full range of safe, affordable, nutritrious and culturally acceptable food from our area.”

• Support local food producers

• Support an expanded version of the Farmers’ Market into a year-round venue

• Support initiatives of Kamloops Food Policy Council

Marg Spina

     ” I am passionate about people  receiving the good food they need to sustain their health and lives through community garden plots, urban agriculture , edible landscaping, and community kitchens which now receive perishable foods from Foodshare.   This is Canada, and we need to feed everyone.”

• Support local agricultural lands through zoning

• Create a vibrant food policy based on sustainable practices supporting local producers through farmers’ markets and allocation of space within city limits

Arjun Singh

     “I offer these responses as a starting point for continued dialogue with food security advocates in Kamloops. I am certainly willing to grow in my beliefs on this critical issue.”

• Create edible landscapes and community gardens, especially in the more fertile valley bottom

• Support community kitchens

• Support the health of farmers’ markets

• Link Venture Kamloops more into promoting a local food economy