City of Vancouver Food Strategy

Topic(s): Economic Development, Education, Food Processing, Storage & Distribution, Food Production, Food Sales, Access & Procurement, Land Access, Nutrition and Public Health, Urban Agriculture, Waste Management

Sub-topic(s): local procurement, food distribution, edible landscaping, composting, urban chickens, mobile/street food vending, beekeeping/apiculture, urban farm, pilot project, pollinators, grocery stores, farm retail/farm gate sales, community kitchen, community food system education, commercial development, livestock, farmers' markets, residential development, urban gardens/orchard

Region: Metro Vancouver | Document Type: Food Strategy | Year: 2013

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Topic Sub-topic Policy or Policy Excerpt Document Location Language Rating

urban agriculture;

land access;

 urban gardens/orchard; Explore opportunities to improve security of tenure for community gardens and community orchards on city property.  1.1  
urban agriculture; urban gardens/orchard;  Improve accessibility and clarity of application processes for creating or participating in community gardens and community orchards,  particularly for under-represented ethno-cultural communities.  1.2  

urban agriculture;

education;

urban gardens/orchard;

community food system education;

 Encourage community garden models which promote community  development opportunities with local schools, Neighbourhood Houses, and other local organizations as part of their education programming.  1.3 *
urban agriculture; urban gardens/orchards; Enhance funding partnerships to support the creation, operation, improvement and capacity building opportunities for community gardens and community orchards. 1.5  
urban agriculture; urban gardens/orchard; Work with the Association of Community Garden Coordinators to implement strategies that will reduce community garden waiting lists  and to improve access for ethno-cultural communities.  1.8  
urban agriculture;

urban farm;

farm retail/farm gate sales;

 Explore possibilities for urban farmers to sell produce directly from an urban farm (farm gate sales) with appropriate limitations and  mitigation strategies. 1.11  

urban agriculture;

food processing, storage and distribution;

food distribution;

urban farm;

farmers' markets;

 Enable alternative food retail and distribution models for urban farming produce such as community food markets, food distribution hubs and pre-approved Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) distribution sites in locations such as community centres, neighbourhood houses and schools.  1.12 *
 

edible landscaping;

commercial development;

institutional development;

residential development;

 Promote edible landscaping as an alternative to ornamental or flowering plants in residential, commercial, institutional and parks landscaping plans.  1.18  
urban agriculture;

urban gardens/orchard;

edible landscaping;

 Increase the planting of food-bearing trees when planting new trees in parks and on other civic lands, and encourage community stewardship of those trees. 1.19 *

food production;

education;

urban agriculture;

beekeeping/apiculture;

pollinators;

community food system education;

livestock; 

 Support public education programs on pollinator bees, honeybees and beekeeping in response to community demand and interest. 1.22 *

food production;

education;

urban agriculture;

urban chickens;

community food system education;

livestock; 

 Support public education programs on backyard hens in response to community demand and interest. 1.25 *
food processing, storage and distribution; food distribution; Support businesses and social enterprises involved in processing and distribution of healthy, local and sustainable food within Vancouver and connect to local agricultural producers in the region. 2.4 *
food sales, access and procurement; local procurement; Explore opportunities to increase the percentage of local and sustainable food purchased by City and  school facilities as a way to support local farmers and producers.  2.6  
food sales, access and procurement; local procurement; Explore opportunities to increase the percentage of local and sustainable food purchased by Park facilities including community centres and concessions in parks and beaches.  2.7  
food sales, access and procurement; local procurement; Examine opportunities for aggregation of local and sustainable food purchasing among neighbourhood houses, smaller community centres  and childcare centres. 2.8  
food sales, access and procurement;

community kitchen;

residential development;

 Encourage installation of community kitchens or retrofit existing kitchens in new developments, social housing  sites or City facilities.  2.9 *
food sales, access and procurement; farmers' markets; Explore opportunities to support farmers markets on Park Board sites with electricity and water where appropriate.  3.5  
food sales, access and procurement; farmers' markets; Establish community food markets as a permitted use and streamline application process.  3.9 *

food sales, access and procurement;

nutrition and public health;

 farmers' markets; Encourage integration of community food markets into Vancouver School Board programming as part of healthy food options for youth and families.  3.10 *
food sales, access and procurement; farmers' markets; Incorporate community food markets into community centre programming. 3.11 *

food sales, access and procurement;

nutrition and public health;

mobile/street food vending; 

pilot project;

grocery stores;

 Test pilot programs that improve access to healthy food in neighbourhoods (e.g. healthy corner stores, pop-up grocery stores or mobile green grocers). 3.14 *
food sales, access and procurement; mobile/street food vending; Explore options to enable street food vending on private property.   3.16  
food sales, access and procurement;

local procurement;

mobile/street food vending;

 Encourage street food vendors to source local and sustainable ingredients in their menus, and require vendors to use reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging.  3.18 *

food sales, access and procurement;

economic development;

 mobile/street food vending; Encourage street food vending as an economic development opportunity for low-income groups 3.19 *
waste management;   Develop strategies to reduce food packaging in City facilities. 4.2 *
waste management; composting; Ensure that food composting is available in City facilities, and that dishes and food packaging are reusable, recyclable or compostable.  4.3 *
waste management; composting; Support community composting model. 4.6  

 

Supplementary Information

 

Municipal Planner Interview with the City of Vancouver Re: City of Vancouver's Food Strategy

After over a decade of food policy and planning initiatives, the City of Vancouver developed a Food Strategy to establish a coordinated approach to food systems planning.

Policy Development

In 2003, Council approved a motion to develop a “just and sustainable food system for the City of Vancouver”. The motion spurred the formation of Vancouver’s Food Policy Council (a citizen advisory group on food policy issues) as well as the creation of two planning positions to focus on food systems. Subsequently, a number of food-related policy and programs took root between 2003 and 2013. Some of these include the development of urban chicken keeping and beekeeping guidelines, grants to support neighbourhood food networks, street food program expansion, a kitchen scrap collection program, Vancouver’s Food Charter, and the Greenest City Action Plan. The latter two policies, which called for a coordinated strategy to focus the City’s efforts surrounding food systems, ultimately paved the way for the creation of the Food Strategy.

Consultation

Both internal and public engagement were priorities during the development of the Food Strategy.

These included broad engagement efforts with the general public as well as targeted engagement with specific community groups such as urban farmers, community organizations, cultural groups and youth.

Internally, the planning department reached out to many city managerial divisions, including Real-Estate, Parks, Finance, Sustainability, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation and others to increase bureaucratic capacity for the project and foster cross-departmental cooperation.

Policy Adoption

The magnitude and range of ideas that were proposed by the draft plan complicated the adoption process, necessitating numerous iterations and a strategic evaluation of the contents against the local government’s capacity and jurisdiction. Applying such a pragmatic approach to refining the document was deemed necessary for the Food Strategy to be useful and achievable.

Policy Implementation

Vancouver’s dedicated staff planning positions have been key to implementing the Food Strategy since its adoption in 2013. It was reported that an ongoing challenge in implementing the Strategy has been adapting and accounting for emerging topics in food systems planning. Examples of these emerging themes include school food programs, indigenous food systems and the relationship between food security and income security.

Policy Outcomes and Recommendations

The Food Strategy has resulted in the creation and implementation of a multitude of policies and projects that are helping Vancouver move toward a just and sustainable food system. Some of these outcomes include:

Given the descriptive nature of the Food Strategy goals, it was reported that monitoring impact is an ongoing challenge. The Food Strategy provides directives, but not measurable goals, and therefore presents a challenge in evaluating progress. While annual reviews are conducted, it was reported that further monitoring could be beneficial.

 

References

City of Vancouver, Department of Social Policy, personal communication, November 2016.

 

City of Pitt Meadows Zoning Bylaw No. 2505, 2011

Topic(s): Development and Productive use of Agricultural Land, Economic Development, Food Production, Food Sales, Access & Procurement, Urban - Agriculture Conflict & Edge Planning, Waste Management, Wildlife/Environmental/Pest Management

Sub-topic(s): agri-tourism, agricultural industry services, buffer at agricultural edge, composting, farm diversification, farm retail/farm gate sales, home occupation/home based businesses, livestock, recreational use of agricultural land, residential development, wildlife and ecosystem management, zoning

Region: Metro Vancouver | Document Type: Zoning Bylaw | Year: 2011

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Topic Sub-topic Policy or Policy Excerpt Document Location
development and productive use of agricultural land; home occupation/home based businesses;

Home‐Based Businesses

...xi. In the case of home‐based businesses in the Agricultural Land Reserve, be limited to a floor area of 100 sq m...

 5.3 a (xi)
development and productive use of agricultural land; residential development;

Additional Farm House  

An additional farm house shall be permitted in the A‐1 and A‐2 zones subject to the following conditions:

a) The farm operation within which the lot on which the additional farm house is located is no less than 8 ha in total area, and all of the lots comprising the farm operation are contiguous.

b) The lot upon which the additional farm house is located is within the Agricultural Land Reserve and classified as a “farm” under the Assessment Act.

c) The additional farm house contains only one dwelling unit provided the total number of dwelling units, excluding migrant farm‐worker housing, does not exceed two dwelling units per farm operation.

d) Despite subsection 5.9 c), where the farm operation is greater than 40 ha in area, two additional farm houses may be located on a lot, provided that the total number of dwelling units, excluding migrant farm‐worker housing, does not exceed three dwelling units per farm operation....See document for additional regulations for additional farm house.

 5.9
development and productive use of agricultural land; farm worker housing;

Migrant Farm‐Worker Housing

a) The accommodation of migrant farm workers shall only be permitted on lots within the Agricultural Land Reserve if the following conditions are met:

i. The lot upon which the accommodation is located is classified as a “farm” under the Assessment Act and is primarily used for berry or horticultural operations.

ii. The farm operation on which the migrant farm workers are employed has an area of at least 8 ha and all of the lots comprising the farm operation are contiguous.

iii. The accommodation is located on a lot with an area of at least 4.05 ha.

iv. The accommodation is located on a lot that is serviced by a public road and has adequate services and utilities to support the accommodation....See document for additional regulation for migrant farm worker housing.

 5.10
food sales, access and procurement; farm retail/gate sales;

Farm Retail Sales and Winery / Brewery / Distillery / Meadery or Cider Lounges  

a) The total combined indoor and outdoor retail sales area for farm retail sales shall not exceed 300 sq m where all of the products offered for sale are not produced on the farm operation on which the retail sales are taking place and at least 50% of any retail sales area must be used for the sale of farm products produced on the farm operation on which the retail sales are taking place....See document for additional regulations for far mertail sales and winery/brewery/distillery/meadery/cidery lounges.

 5.11
food production; livestock;

Keeping of Swine 

The keeping of swine

a) shall not be conducted on a lot with an area of less than 16.0 ha;

b) shall not be conducted unless a manure storage facility is provided with sufficient capacity to contain all manure generated from the swine operation over a period of at least four months;

c) shall not be conducted unless a mechanical ventilation system is provided for all buildings and structures housing swine;

d) and the storage of manure derived from the keeping of swine shall not be conducted in any building, structure, facility, or enclosure that is within 500 m of the Urban Area boundary as shown on Schedule F of this bylaw;

 e) shall be permitted on lots with areas of less than 16.0 ha for the owner’s or occupier’s consumption only, provided that no more than six swine, including weaners, shall be kept at any time.

 5.12
urban-agriculture conflict and edge planning; buffer at agricultural edge;

Specifications for Landscaping Buffers

...b) A landscape buffer is required for all land abutting the Agricultural Land Reserve, regardless of zone, according to the Landscape Buffer Specifications of the Agricultural Land Commission.

c) All required landscape buffer areas shall be watered by a fully automatic irrigation system that is installed and operated so as to avoid run‐off onto sidewalks, roads, or parking areas.

 6.4 (b) (c)
development and productive use of agricultural land; siting and coverage;

See document for siting and coverage regulations for buildings and structures in General Agriculture Zone (A1).

8.1.5-8.1.8;
waste management; composting;

The area used for composting of livestock wastes shall not exceed 465 sq m per farm operation.

 8.1.10 (c)
development and productive use of agricultural land; residential development;

Accessory farm residential buildings shall

i. not contain a kitchen or any habitable space;

ii. be limited to one washroom with a maximum floor area of 10 sq m, which must not contain a bathtub and which must be located on the ground floor;  

iii. if designed and used for the storage or parking of vehicles on the ground floor, be designed and constructed with access to

 the ground floor being limited to one door, which must provide access to and through the vehicle storage or parking area;

 the upper storey being limited to the interior of the building.

 8.1.10 (d)
food sales, access and procurement; farm retail/gate sales; Farm retail sales are permitted provided that a minimum of 50% of the products are produced in the farm operation of which the lot on which the retail sales occur forms a part. 8.1.10 (g)
food processing, storage and distribution; food processing; Processing and sales of farm and animal products are permitted, provided that a minimum of 50% of the products are produced in the farm operation of which the lot on which the processing and sales occur forms a part. 8.1.10 (h)
economic development;

agricultural industry services;

farm diversification;

Agricultural and Farm Industrial

The intent of the Agricultural and Farm Industrial (A‐3) Zone is to enhance the economic viability of farming and promote investment and diversification of the agricultural industry in Pitt Meadows with regulations consistent with the provisions of the Agricultural Land Commission Act and regulations. See document for regulations for Agricultural and Farm Industrial Zone (A3).

 8.3
 

recreational use of agricultural land;

zoning;

Agricultural and Golf Course

This intent of the Agricultural and Golf Course (A‐4) Zone is to permit the use of lands within the Agricultural Land Reserve for existing golf course uses and compatible accessory uses and agriculture. See document for regulations for Agricultural and Golf Course Zone (A4).

 8.4
wildlife/pest/environmental management; wildlife and ecosystem management;

Agricultural and Wildlife Management

The intent of the Agricultural and Wildlife Management (A‐5) Zone is to protect the farming areas of the municipality and support and acknowledge efforts to accommodate and foster wildlife with regulations consistent with the provisions of the Agricultural Land Commission Act and regulations. See document for regulations for Agricultural and Wildlife Management Zone (A5).

 8.5

 

Note: Regulations above are cited from the General Agriculture Zone (A1). See document for regulations for Large-Lot Agriculture Zone (A2).

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