Whitehorse Daily Star

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Photo by Vince Fedoroff

FOOD RELIABILITY DISCUSSED – Norma Kassi (far left), director of indigenous collaboration for the Arctic Institute of Community-Based Research, makes a point at Wednesday’s panel discussion. Listening, from left to right, are Jonathan Bird, a food security advocate from Vancouver; Charlotte Hrenchuck of the Yukon Status Of Women Council; food security instructor gerald Haase; and Kate Mechan, who co-ordinated this week’s events.

Food security affects all, panelists agree

With “lots of dialogue” happening around the issue of food security in the territory over the past week

By Stephanie Waddell on October 23, 2014

With “lots of dialogue” happening around the issue of food security in the territory over the past week, Kate Mechan is deeming Poverty And Homelessness Action Week in the territory a success.

Mechan co-ordinated the week of events focused on the theme of food security on behalf of the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition.

The coalition will continue to draw attention to the issue of food security even as the week-long events wrap up, she said in an interview Wednesday.

Mechan spoke following one of the final events of the week – a panel discussion over the noon hour at Yukon College about food security.

Mechan moderated the lunch time session.

It featured Gerald Haase, who teaches a food security course at the college; Charlotte Hrenchuck of the Yukon Status Of Women Council; Jonathan Bird, a food security advocate from Vancouver who visited for Poverty and Homelessness Action Week; and Norma Kassi, a former NDP MLA and director of indigenous collaboration for the Arctic Institute of Community-Based Research.

Kassi’s work with the institute has involved developing food strategies for two Yukon communities.

Each speaker highlighted his or her own experience, ranging from Bird’s growing interest in gardening to the women’s centre offering the Safe Place program to women and children along with other food programs throughout the city.

It was clear a reliable food supply directly affects everyone.

“We all have a stake in food security,” Bird said.

The quartet highlighted a number of positive initiatives underway in the territory. Those include the work of the Whitehorse Food Bank, meal programs offered by a number of organizations, the Fireweed Farmer’s Market, numerous community gardens in the territory, community feasts and others.

They also argued more work is needed to connect the various resources in the community and enhance food security.

There must also be strategies on food security at local and federal levels and a need to look at the root causes of food insecurity.

“We’re applying the Band-Aids, but we need to do something to stop the hemorrhaging,” Hrenchuk said of the need to deal with the root causes of poverty and inequality, leading to hunger and the needed work of food banks.

Bird’s presentations and discussions over the past week have pointed to a food bank model that would see the banks purchase from local food producers more easily, which would in turn see money go back into the local economy.

Bird also suggested initiatives like cooking classes through a food bank.

“Suddenly you’re building skills and confidence,” Bird said of such an initiative.

Such moves can lead to greater social enterprise and see the “social economy start to hum,” he added.

Hrenchuk, meanwhile, pointed to a study done which boosted the argument for a food box program.

Under that type of program, members would set aside money from their food budget for the local produce sold at wholesale prices. The produce would then be delivered to members each week.

The program could also move into classes on gardening and other topics around food.

“It fosters a sense of community,” Hrenchuk said of the program, noting it also allows participants to stretch their budget a bit by setting aside money at the beginning of the month for food that will come throughout the month.

Such a program would require start-up funds to get off the ground.

Haase noted there are a few initiatives underway to help the food bank obtain local produce from gardens in Whitehorse.

He also spoke of the territory’s agricultural branch’s goal of having a more viable agriculture industry.

Haase also noted the potential of work being done at the Yukon Research Centre studying a new system of indoor gardening.

“That’s something that could really be advantageous in the North,” he said.

Kassi, meanwhile, spoke of the immediate action residents could take on food security, suggesting people sit down and share a meal with friends and neighbours. She also noted the need for a national food policy.

While Bird noted the federal government has started consulting industry on a possible food strategy, it appears to focus more on production for export rather than food for the Canadian population.

Mechan noted after the discussion the anti-poverty coalition will be continuing its work to improve food security in the territory.

That includes working toward the development of a community food council focused on such initiatives.

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