Welcome to the B.C. and Alberta Food System Policy Database

This database is a centralized resource for planners, policy makers, community advocates, local organizations and the policy curious to search for policy precedents and to better understand how local government policy in B.C. and Alberta is addressing local food systems. Search by a range of characteristics to find food system policies that have been adopted by local governments across B.C and Alberta. For more information about using the database and how it was developed see How to use the Database. 

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Institute for Sustainable Food Systems
Displaying 51 - 60 of 268 Results
Topics
Sub Topics

City of Camrose Land Use Bylaw #2929-17

Topic(s): Urban Agriculture

Sub-topic(s): institutional development, urban gardens/orchard

Document Type: Zoning Bylaw | Year: 2017

View policy:  HTML PDF

Topic Subtopic Policy or Policy Excerpt Document Location
urban agriculture;

community gardens/orchards;

institutional development;

 Permitted Uses for Institutional, parks, and airport district include community gardens 17.1.2

 

City of Calgary Community Standards Bylaw #5M2004

Topic(s): Waste Management

Sub-topic(s): composting

Document Type: Regulatory Bylaw | Year: 2016

View policy:  HTML PDF

Topic Subtopic Policy or Policy Excerpt Document Location
waste management; compost; Regulation of Composting - Prohibitions 25. (1) No owner or occupier of a Premises shall place or allow to be placed cat feces, dog feces, animal parts or animal meat on a Composting pile or in a Composting container on the Premises. (2) No owner or occupier of a Premises shall allow an Open Composting Pile on the Premises within ten (10) metres of an adjacent dwelling house, measured from the nearest part of the Open Composting Pile to the nearest part of the adjacent dwelling house. (3) Every owner or occupier who allows a Composting container or Composting pile to remain on a Premises must ensure that it is maintained in such a manner that it does not become a nuisance by: (a) creating offensive odours; or (b) attracting pests 25

 

City of Calgary Municipal Development Plan

Topic(s): Education, Food Processing, Storage & Distribution, Food Production, Urban Agriculture, Waste Management, Water Management

Sub-topic(s): community food system education, composting, food distribution, stormwater management, urban gardens/orchard

Year: 2009

View policy:  HTML PDF

Topic Subtopic Policy or Policy Excerpt Document Location

urban agriculture;

 urban gardens/orchard; Parks, open spaces and outdoor recreation h. Ensure sufficient community open space provision in Inner City and Established Areas by maintaining a minimum of 2.0 hectares of open space per 1,000 residents. Calculations should be applied to logical community clusters where parks and recreation amenities are accessible and shared between communities. Community open space includes areas dedicated for schools; community centres; playfields; outdoor performance spaces; community gardens; and habitat areas that offer public amenity. 2.3.4 h

urban agriculture;

food production;

 urban gardens/orchard; Complete communities Objective: Foster distinctive, complete communities with a strong sense of place. Communities should be planned according to the following criteria for complete communities and provide spaces for community gardens and local food production 2.2.4 b (vii)
food processing, storage & distribution; food distribution; Goods movement Objective: To recognize the important economic role of goods movement by providing a safe, efficient and connective goods movement network that supports the Calgary International Airport, the Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific (CP) intermodal facilities, transportation and distribution districts and goods movement routes, while also minimizing impacts on surrounding communities 3.4

food production;

 

 Future Greenfield Area Future Greenfield Areas are those large land areas in the city identified for future urban development that do not have an approved ASP in place. Planning for these areas should identify Activity Centres and/or Corridors that provide for a variety of housing types, opportunities for daily needs within walking distance to residential communities, and centres for transit access. Supporting the land use pattern is a street network that connects residents, jobs and commercial services through direct automobile, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian routes. The overall community design should integrate natural area protection within the open space and green infrastructure systems. Land use policies a. Future Greenfield Areas should: iv. Allow for local food production. 3.6.2 a (iv)

water management;

urban agriculture;

education;

waste management;

composting;

stormwater management;

community food system education;

 Green infrastructure Objective: Connect green infrastructure throughout the urban fabric b. Identify and protect strategic parcels, blocks, and corridors that increase ecosystem connectivity, provide opportunities for source control of stormwater infiltration, promote food production and composting, and encourage play and learning. 2.6.1 b

urban agriculture;

water management;

stormwater management;

urban gardens/orchard;

 Alternative Use Open Space Alternative Use Open Space (AUOS) consists of land acquired by The City, through dedication or otherwise, for purposes other than those of Recreational and Environmental Open Space such as plazas, utility corridors, urban agriculture, community gardens and stormwater management facilities. AUOS is planned to be functionally connected with the broader open space network and meet the objectives of MDP sections 2.3.4 (“Parks, open spaces and outdoor recreation”) and 2.6.1 (“Green infrastructure”), and is directed by the policies therein. 1. Planning for Acquired Alternative Use Open Space a. Lands should be functionally connected to other open space via green infrastructure. b. Lands should be used, in part, to establish buffers to help maintain the ecological function of protected EOS. c. Lands should be planned and designed to support stormwater management, while not negatively affecting public use of the area. d. Impervious surfaces and compacted soils should be minimized to allow stormwater to soak into the ground and replenish ground water supplies. volume 2: section 3.4.3 (pg 36)

 

City of Airdrie Municipal Development Plan

Topic(s): Development and Productive use of Agricultural Land

Year: 2014

View policy:  HTML PDF

Topic Subtopic Policy or Policy Excerpt Document Location
development and productive use of agricultural land;   Agricultural Lands The City shall limit the fragmentation of agricultural land in future growth areas and protect productive agricultural lands from being removed from production prematurely by managing growth and infrastructure improvements in a responsible manner. 2.19

 

City of Airdrie Land Use Bylaw B-01/2016

Topic(s): Development and Productive use of Agricultural Land, Food Processing, Storage & Distribution, Food Production

Sub-topic(s): food processing, livestock, urban gardens/orchard, zoning

Document Type: Zoning Bylaw | Year: 2016

View policy:  HTML PDF

Topic Subtopic Policy or Policy Excerpt Document Location

protection and productive use of agricultural land;

food production;

food processing, storage and distribution;

livestock;


food processing;

 Agricultural Operations (1) An Agricultural Operation may incorporate, at the discretion of the Development Authority, the use of land or a building for the upgrading of a product for distribution or for sale that is originally produced in an agricultural operation. (2) Any livestock that is kept on site in association with an Agricultural Operation use shall be maintained in accordance with the requirements and standards outlined under Section 7.16 (Keeping of Livestock). 6.3
urban agriculture;

urban gardens/orchards;

zoning;

 Community Gardens Community gardens shall be subject to a Development Permit and are considered a permitted use in all districts provided that the following requirements are met: (1) The total area which may be under cultivation on any given parcel does not exceed more than 600m² in area except where the lot size is greater than 2,400m², in which case the area occupied by an urban food garden shall be at the discretion of the Development Authority; (2) Production is limited to the growing and harvesting of fruits, vegetables and edible plants. Limited cultivation of flowers and other ornamental plants may be permitted at the discretion of the Development Authority; (3) There is no creation of noise, dust, vibration, odour, smoke, glare, fire hazard, or any other hazard or nuisance, to any greater or more frequent extent than that usually experienced in the applicable zone under normal circumstances. 6.7
       

 

Town of High River Urban Chicken Bylaw

Topic(s): Food Production, Urban Agriculture

Sub-topic(s): beekeeping/apiculture, livestock

Document Type: Regulatory Bylaw | Year: 2016

View policy:  HTML PDF

A bylaw to regulate and provide guidelines for residents to keep chickens within the corporate boundaroes of the Town of High River.

Town of High River Urban Chicken Bylaw

Document Type: Regulatory Bylaw

A bylaw to regulate and provide guidleines for the keeping of chickens within the corporate boundaries of the Town of High River. See document for details.

City of Edmonton Municipal Development Plan

Topic Subtopic Policy/Policy Excerpt Document Location
       
       
       

 

City of Powell River Animal Control Bylaw NO. 1979, 2003

Topic(s): Food Production, Urban Agriculture

Sub-topic(s): livestock, urban chickens

Region: Powell River | Document Type: Regulatory Bylaw | Year: consolidated 2012

View policy:  HTML PDF

Topic Subtopic Policy or Policy Excerpt Document Location

urban agriculture;

 

 livestock; A person may keep any animal in the City, other than dogs, cats, rabbits or poultry: a) on an A1 and A2 zoned parcel under City of Powell River Zoning Bylaw 2100, 2006, when a minimum 0.4 hectares (1 acre) of land is provided for each animal; b) on a RA1 zoned parcel under City of Powell River Zoning Bylaw 2100, 2006, when a minimum 0.2 hectares (0.5 acres) of land is provided for each animal; and c) on a RA1, A1 or A2 zoned parcel under City of Powell River Zoning Bylaw 2100, 2006, an additional animal may be kept for each additional 0.2 hectares (0.5 acres) of land.5 

29

urban agriculture;

food production;

livestock;

urban chickens;

 A person may keep in the City: a) up to 12 poultry, none of which may be a rooster, or 20 rabbits on a RA1 zoned parcel under City of Powell River Zoning Bylaw 2100, 2006, where the lot area is less than 0.2 hectares (0.5 acres); b) up to 24 poultry, one of which may be a rooster, or 50 rabbits, on a RA1, A1 or A2 zoned parcel under City of Powell River Zoning Bylaw 2100, 2006; and c) up to three poultry, none of which may be a rooster, on a R1, R2 and R3 zoned parcel under City of Powell River Zoning Bylaw 2100, 2006.6  30

urban agriculture;

food production;

livestock;

urban chickens;

 A person keeping poultry and rabbits pursuant to section 30 shall keep the poultry and rabbits in appropriate enclosures that: a) provide adequate weather protection; b) prevent the poultry and rabbits from wandering into neighbouring properties; c) provide protection from natural predators; d) are located within the rear yard of the property; and e) are not less than 0.9 metres from a property line. 31

 

Metro Vancouver Regional Food System Strategy & Action Plan

Topic(s): Development and Productive use of Agricultural Land, Economic Development, Education, Food Processing, Storage & Distribution, Food Production, Food Sales, Access & Procurement, Nutrition and Public Health, Policy Partnerships, Advocacy & Development, Urban Agriculture, Waste Management, Wildlife/Environmental/Pest Management

Sub-topic(s): ALR, aquaculture, climate change and greenhouse gases, community food system education, emergency preparedness, food distribution, food processing, food recovery/gleaning/donation, food storage, local food culture, local procurement, new entrants to farming, urban farm, wildlife and ecosystem management

Region: Metro Vancouver | Document Type: Food Strategy | Year: 2011

View policy:  HTML PDF

 

Topic

 Subtopic Policy or Policy Excerpt Document Location Language Rating 
food production;
development and productive use of agricultural land;		 ALR; Protect agricultural land for
food production		 1.1  
wildlife/environmental/pest management; aquaculture;
wildlife and ecosystem management;		 Restore fish habitat and
protect sustainable sources of seafood		 1.2  
food production;
development and productive use of agricultural land;		   Enable expansion of agricultural production 1.3  
food production; new entrans to farming; Invest in a new generation of food producers 1.4  
food production;
urban agriculture;		 urban farm; Expand commercial food production in urban areas 1.5  
food processing, storage and distribution;
economic development;		 food processing;
food storage;
food distribution;		 Increase the capacity to process, warehouse and distribute local foods 2.1  

food sales, access and procurement;

economic development;

 local procurement; Include local foods in the purchasing policies of large public institutions 2.2  

food sales, access and procurement;

economic development;

   Increase direct marketing opportunities for local foods 2.3  
economic development;   Further develop value chains within the food sector 2.4  
policy partnerships, advocacy and development;   Review government policies and programs to ensure they enable the expansion of the local food sector 2.5  
nutrition and public health;   Enable residents to make healthy food choices 3.1  
education; community food systems education; Communicate how food choices support sustainability 3.2  
education; community food systems education; Enhance food literacy and skills in schools 3.3  
education; local food culture; Celebrate the taste of local foods and the diversity of cuisines 3.4  
food sales, access and procurement;
nutrition and public health;		 community food systems education; Improve access to nutritious food among vulnerable groups 4.1  
food production;
urban agriculture;		   Encourage urban agriculture 4.2  
food sales, access and procurement;
waste management;		 food recovery/gleaning/donation; Enable non-profit organizations to recover nutritious food 4.3  
wildlife/environmental/pest management; wildlife and ecosystem management; Protect and Enhance Ecosystem Goods and Services 5.1  
waste management;   Reduce waste in the food system 5.2  
wildlife/environmental/pest management; wildlife and ecosystem management; Facilitate adoption of environmentally sustainable practices 5.3  
  climate change and greenhouse gases; emergency preparedness; Prepare for the impacts of climate change 5.4  

 

Metro Vancouver's Regional Food System Action Plan adopted in 2016, outlines the actions that actions that local governments are planning to undertake in the next 3-5 years to advance implementation of the Regional Food System Strategy.

Download Metro Vancouver's Regional Food System Action Plan. 

See Metro Vancouver's website for more details.