Food safety and composting
11- How will council and mayor continue to support food security initiatives (access to healthy, local food for all, and food prepared in case of emergency). How could you support a food waste composting system on the coast to reduce greenhouse gases in the landfill and start to create compost to grow more food for our community members?
Al Anderson
So far council has not had to do much towards issue of food security initiates nor has there been any requests. I'm glad to see our community take an strong interest in local food production, gathering and manufacturing. Composting and waste collection will become a very large regional issue as we begin wastewater treatment. I'm interested in exploring the possibilities of energy production that may be possible from collecting gas from such an operation. As for emergency planning the municipality has made great improvements. I think it is everyone's responsibility to have an emergency plan and supplies in place and it is the job of government to coordinate relief in an emergency event. We must continue to resource an emergency coordinator and keep up efforts to remind people to be prepared while upgrading our municipal response through training and emergency exercises.
Andrea McQuade
I am always impressed and amazed at the number of incredible classes, seminars and instruction on offer in Tofino! From the garden and composting at Wickaninnish School to the classes regarding wild foraging, canning and preservation our food culture runs deep and rich in Tofino.
Food security is not a question unique to Tofino, but it does leapfrog an important step. I feel like we can only really talk about food security in an emergency, or composting funding etc when we can insure that our entire community has healthy food access regularly. Putting in community gardens to support our community food bank and any healthy nutrition / cooking programs would be just so amazing.
Britt Chalmers
Improving our recycling as well as composting is a key issue for me. I do not know all of the logistics of it or cost, but it is a priority for me to look into having for this town. The Nanaimo curb side pickup composting is fantastic, and I do not see why it is something we could not have here.
Chris Heisterman
coming soon
Craig Heber
More Local food means fewer trucks delivering food and is fastest growing phenomenon in US. I'd support any initiatives that reduce GHGs..Why is Council buying carbon offsets. . WHY are we not selling them ? In case of the worst, Council needs to ensure sufficient food is available stock piled so that whether winter lows or summer highs ..We must have sufficient means to survive until the outside world not affected, can reach us.
We need to be realistic, prepared and ensure provincial and federal resources utilized so that we have the maximal stockpile of supplies and medicine so all can exist until we can reestablish some transportation and goods can flow to our Town again.
Dorothy Baert
I am receptive to any program or project that furthers food security and resilience including a composing system that could potentially capture energy. There is work currently underway and opportunities are emerging through the Regional District.
Duncan McMaster
Economically I can only foresee a food waste composting system if managed and operated by the ACRD (who manage the landfill & garbage pickup) rather than the Municipality. I estimate that this would cost homeowners an extra $15-20 per month.Â
I would support the Municipality providing compost bins at a subsidized to homeowners (similar to the scheme to transition to low flush toilets).
I believe any affordable housing development should have space for a Community garden.
Eric Kingsley
Food security is tricky being at the end of the road and all… That’s only true if we continue to work with the current centralized system. Food is shiped in from the distributor to our town. On the other hand if we decentralize a little and produced food locally we would be in a much stronger position. A great many of us are fishers and gardeners and foragers and hunters. This area is abundant in life and we have the know how to manage these resources. With the right strategies, Tofino could develop a series of greenhouses or community gardens all over town. Not only an opportunity for developing food security, this would encourage community fellowship and could even be a great chance to entwine some arts and culture into the project.Â
I have dreamed about an efficient and well managed composting system for Tofino since I arrived. However I feel like it would be better to have a private business managing this system and not the district.
Jarmo Venalainen
I suspect that we have a lot of, still good food in our community as a consequence of normal shelf life management and operations in food stores and our many restaurants. I would support any activity which provides a way to utilize this resource for the benefit of those who need it. Emergency food is a different issue. It can be managed on the basis where individual residents are responsible, or one where we set up a community resource or storehouse. I’m open to both techniques and would look for an interested party or parties to investigate our options and costs and then would ask the community how they would like to proceed with regards the use of their own tax dollars in this regard.
On the topic of composting, I would look for, again, interested parties to investigate how other remote communities have succeeded or not succeeded in managing personal and/or community composting. Personally, I suspect that we might have interested animals and or predators which we may need to deal with.
Jason Brown
I have not done enough research into this subject but I love the idea of having a district composting system and would be happy to learn more about any initiative and would support any feasible proposal.
Josie Osborne
Food security is a serious issue on Vancouver Island and even more so in west coast rural communities, where we bring in far more food than we grow and produce. We must continue to support the work being done by non-profits and social enterprises in the region (like the Tofino-Ucluelet Culinary Guild and the Tofino Community Food Initiative) and continue to support their partnerships with Tofino’s Emergency Preparedness program (e.g., fish canning workshops). Throwing organic waste into the landfill is a lost opportunity, and it is a practice that has to change – we are one of the last regional district’s in BC to do this. Thankfully, in 2018, the ACRD received a multi-million dollar grant from the federal government to undertake organics diversion at the West Coast Landfill. While the exact form of composting or diversion isn’t yet established, there will be a lot of opportunity for the region’s communities to weigh in (starting Winter/Spring 2019).
Stephanie Hugues
There is a lot of amazing work done to date to address food security on the coast. I believe it is our individual, civic responsibility to grow our own food when/where possible. I will support indigenous and non-indigenous food security projects that increase our food security, and provide locally grown and harvested nourishment for community members. That support includes composting initiatives, community greenhouses, community gardens, etc..
Stephen Ashton
I would like to see community gardens open up in all of our neighbourhoods. I recently built 2 composters at my home and make my own soil for my large vegetable garden.  This should be available for all residents.
Tom Stere
no answer