Food Security
Pictured Angelique Wood, Coordinator
Okanagan Similkameen Healthy Living

Wood made an extensive presentation on all the possibilities if local government gets on board with a new way of thinking about food production and preservation.

Wood talked about a three year $45 thousand study of food security in the Oliver area.

Mayor Ron Hovanes stated that it is strange that we have to revert to the past to find the solutions today and that we have become so dependent on stores to present the food and not our own gardens and backyards.

Wood says Surrey has about 7000 acres of under utilized farmland and that 6.5 billion dollars of food is consumed each year in BC.

How to tap into that that great market with our own labour and businesses taking advantage of the profit that now goes to multi-nationals.

“What we need to do is re-regionalize farming and food production…. so that – much of what we eat is grown here and not imported. That more product grown in the summer/fall and is preserved and consumed in the winter/spring.

“It is time to become more self reliant and more education is needed to do that” says Wood.

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Fairview Heritage Townsite Society

Notice of Motion filed by Director Terry Schafer, (Regional District Area C)

“Staff be instructed to bring forth a sub-lease for a 5 year term (renewable) for the Society…. effective on the anniversary date of the renewal of the present master lease.”

Both Director Schafer and Municipal Director Ron Hovanes attended a meeting of the Society on Tuesday and directors asked for a 3 year sub-lease. Director Schafer believes it should be longer to allow planning for improvements. Schafer says there may have been some confusion between the society and the district but it is time to remedy the situation.

Directors will likely get a staff report before debating the motion.

(see earlier report on Fairview Townsite)