The Town has a new planning initiative called Food Secure Oliver. It’s a concept that’s still in flux and the Town will be basing its draft on a community forum this Thursday.
“Food security is basically a part of every community,” said Casey Hamilton from CLH Nutrition Consulting, who’s facilitating community engagement. “It’s one of the things that contributes towards a healthy, thriving, vibrant community.”
There are a number of aspects in which a community can strengthen its food security. It can mean connecting the produce of local farmers with local restaurants; having enough food stored away in the community in the event of a natural disaster; and ensuring the food bank has healthy levels of product.
“We want to look at it more broadly – were the foods we’re eating grown sustainably? And how are they being distributed?” Hamilton said. “The environmental effect and how food taps into the local economy. It’s all interconnected at a broad level.”
Hamilton is one of two consultants that have been hired by the Town to gauge the community’s attitude. They’re inviting everybody from Oliver and electoral Area C to the Community Centre to share their thoughts.
“The point is to bring community members together to talk about food, food security and what it means to them.”
When asked how Oliver’s food security fares against other communities, Hamilton said it’s not something that’s easily measurable.
“Maybe we need to talk about recording info,” she said.
There’s no database to find out the percentage of people who still have the ability to cook at home, but Hamilton said it seems like generational knowledge of cooking and preservation are going by the wayside – and the pros and cons should be analyzed.
“The point of it isn’t to change people’s habits, the point is to make the community healthy and thriving for everybody whether they’re using the food bank or not. But the community gets to decide the priorities.”
Hamilton said the initiative will test the community’s appetite for more do-it-yourself agriculture.
“Agriculture can be quite a beautiful thing,” she said. “People gardening; getting their hands dirty and reconnecting with the earth.”
Asked what hurdles prevent local produce from making its way into local restaurants and grocery stores – a concept that seems like it should naturally be the path of least resistance – Hamilton said consumers simply need to speak up.
“Typically in many communities, there hasn’t been a demand for it. The more people that ask the more likely they are to bring it in.”
The community planning forum happens between 2 and 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 24 at the Oliver Community Centre. There will be refreshments and the event is free, but guests are asked to RSVP online at https://goo.gl/Y7INLJ.
By Dan Walton
