Food
Tofino to Fast-Food Chains: Keep Out
The District of Tofino is drafting bylaws that would throw up a nearly insurmountable series of roadblocks to discourage franchised fast-food chains hoping to do business in Canada's surfer playground.The district is considering restrictions on everything from the size and illumination of signage and cookie-cutter decor to takeout packaging, carbon footprint and use of non-local ingredients, according to chief administrative officer Bob Long.
Ten Ways to Make BC a Model for Urban Farming
The future of urban agriculture is looking up, according to some who hope a whiz-bang solution will get us past the difficult task of cities feeding themselves.
Vertical farming, or high-rise buildings filled with high-tech rooms full of crops and chickens and even cows, may be just the thing for our food future.
Or they could be the latest in a line of weakly-conceived predictions that include longevity pills and the personal jet pack.
Digging for victory: Britain's food revolution
The UK must become more self-sufficient and increase food production on a big scale to cope with dwindling global sources
Britain is to commit itself to a massive increase in domestic food production to feed the population in the next 40 years, The Independent on Sunday has learnt. The UK will announce tomorrow that it intends to "play a full part" in meeting a United Nations target of raising food production by 70 per cent by 2050.
Approval of modified corn worries activists, farmers
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has quietly approved a new genetically engineered corn with eight different insect- and weed-fighting traits, but farmer and environmental groups in Canada say the approval was rushed and environmental risks ignored.Developed through a research agreement between Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences, SmartStax corn is unique in that it "stacks" eight genetically engineered traits that will allow corn to tolerate certain weed- and insect-killing products made by the two companies.
Buy-local push prompts Ontario grocers to go independent
Dale Kropf calls it Independence Day: On July 3, his five grocery stores in southwestern Ontario ceased to be Sobeys franchises.
Corporate policies prevented him from buying local products, he says, so he joined forces with four other former Sobeys franchisees and formed the independent Hometown Grocers Co-Op.
"We feel that local food, local presence is huge in our market and we wanted to take advantage of that," Kropf says.
Toronto puts green rooftops high on public planning agenda
May 20, 2009 — Toronto's Planning and Growth Management Committee voted on May 6th to recommend mandatory green roofs on a wide range of new buildings. Toronto is on the path to becoming the only city in North America with a bylaw that both requires green roofs and establishes the construction standards for them.
Food Woes for Vancouver Seniors
This Globe and Mail article reports on the situation of seniors living in some of Vancouver's most affluent neighborhoods. As real estate prices increase, so do food prices, and those on a fixed income are having difficulty obtaining nutritious food. High food prices are compounded by inconvenient public transit and grocery stores being located too far for seniors to walk.Food Secure Communities in BC: Resource Guide for Local Governments
The BC Provincial Health Services Authority has just released this new guide, designed to help local governments create more food secure communities. According to the guide, improving food security involves integrating health, economic, ecological, and social factors.
Radio Ecoshock
Radio Ecoshock, a Vancouver-based show on co-op radio, has a website which is a compilation of talks by experts on a huge range of topics. Experts include James Howard Kunstler, Ross Gelbspan, Severn Cullis-Suzuki, George Monbiot, and Mark Jaccard among many others. Topics include food, peak oil, climate change and climate change solutions, transportation, and water.