Vancouver Food Policy Council

The Vancouver Food Policy Council works to help improve food sustainability in Vancouver, where food is:

  • Safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate
  • Affordable, available, and accessible to all
  • Produced, processed, marketed, consumed, and waste products reused or managed in a manner that is:
    • Financially viable
    • Protects the health and dignity of people
    • Minimally impacting the environment

Meeting updates

Meeting Format:

Civic Agency meetings may be in-person, electronic (as authorized by Section 14.14 of the Procedure By-law), or a hybrid of the two. Meeting agendas and minutes are posted online under the ‘Meetings’ tab below.

Virtual Meeting Platform:

Virtual meetings use Cisco WebEx Webinars (formerly Webex Events). No software download is required.

Attending Meetings:

  • To view a meeting online or listen by phone, follow instructions provided below.
  • Join link is made available at least 24 hours before the meeting.
  • For in-person attendance at City Hall, seek directions to the meeting room from Security staff. If arriving after 5:00 pm, enter via the 12th Avenue entrance by using the intercom (this entrance is equipped with a wheelchair ramp).

Note:

Unlike meetings of City Council, there is usually no public speaking option during Civic Agency meetings. Virtual attendees will be muted and unseen by meeting participants. If you wish to get in touch with a Civic Agency, please see the contact information at the bottom of this page.

Next Meeting Details:

  • Date: Thursday, November 28, 2024
  • Time: 5:30 pm
  • Location: Cascadia Room, 3rd Floor, City Hall; Virtual (Webex Webinars)
  • Meeting Password: VFPC (Dial 8372 from telephone keypad)

Joining via Webinar:

Joining by Phone (Audio Only):

  • Dial 1-604-646-8916 (Local) or 1-855-699-3239 (Canada/US Toll-Free)
  • Enter the access code followed by pound: 2772 634 2701
  • Enter numeric meeting password followed by pound: 8372

Consent - Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy:

To view or participate in meetings virtually, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information outside Canada as described below. The City of Vancouver collects your personal information in accordance with section 26(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for purposes of organizing and administering civic agency meetings. For virtual Civic Agency meetings, your contact information will be shared with the City’s web conferencing provider, Cisco WebEx. Information submitted to WebEx will be stored on servers in the United States and may be accessed in the United States or internationally for technical support purposes. If you have questions about the collection of this information, please contact the Director of Access to Information and Privacy by emailing privacy@vancouver.ca or mailing a letter to 453 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Y 1V4.

Mandate and scope

  • Supports the development of just and sustainable food systems in alignment with the Vancouver Food Charter
  • Advises Council and staff on policies and plans affecting the food system (including the Vancouver Food Strategy and others) as they are developed, implemented, and updated
  • Works collaboratively with counterparts from other civic agencies to identify opportunities for joint action on issues of mutual interest
  • Works co-operatively with external agencies and groups whose activities affect constituent communities
  • Engages in outreach to disseminate information and encourage participation from constituent communities

Meeting and administrative procedures

  • The Vancouver Food Policy Council holds six regular meetings per year, in addition to working sessions generally scheduled during intervening months throughout the year.
  • Type A Advisory Committees may, at their discretion, establish sub-committees focused on relevant topics of interest, non-members may participate in sub-committees and attend regular meetings if invited.
  • A member who is absent from more than two consecutive regular meetings without a leave of absence is deemed to have resigned.

Remuneration

  • Type A Advisory Committee members and alternate members are eligible to receive reimbursement for certain meeting-related expenses.
  • Non-member subcommittee participants are not eligible to receive reimbursement.
  • A light meal will be provided to Type A Advisory Committee members attending in-person regular meetings held over lunch or dinner hours.

Eligibility

Persons appointed to a Type A Advisory Committee shall meet the following essential criteria:

  • Not be employed by the City of Vancouver
  • Live or work in Vancouver, or have a significant body of experience with issues related to the mandate of the advisory body in Vancouver
  • Have connections to relevant communities, groups, and/or organizations in Vancouver
  • Be able to demonstrate relevant experience or knowledge, abilities, and skills related to the mandate of the advisory body
  • Be able to work in a team environment with intercultural sensitivity

Term limit

Beginning in 2019, no member of the public shall serve for more than eight consecutive years on the same Type A Advisory Committee. A former member is eligible for reappointment after one year of non-membership.

Terms of Reference 

Membership

Appointments end December 31, 2024

  • Charlyn Black
  • Leona Brown
  • Jordan Bultitude
  • Emily Burkholder
  • Robert Clark
  • Sharon Dong
  • Katherine Feng
  • Liana Glass
  • Cathy Ha
  • Bree Hayden
  • Ananya Huria
  • Michael Kurtz
  • Ash Mirnabavi
  • Michelle Reining
  • Yael Stav
  • Kae Yee Tsai
  • Lillian Yin
     

Liaisons​

  • Council Liaison: Councillor Adriane Carr
  • Park Board Liaison: Commissioner Scott Jensen
  • School Board Liaison: Trustee Preeti Faridkot (Trustee Christopher Richardson - Alternate)
  • City of Vancouver Staff Liaison: Henry Lau, Social Planner
  • Park Board Staff Liaison: Krista Voth, Environmental Stewardship Coordinator
  • Vancouver Coast Health: Vanessa Lam, Vancouver Coastal Health Liaison

Terms and Membership Composition

Persons appointed to a Type A Advisory Committee shall meet the following essential criteria:

  • Not be employed by the City of Vancouver;
  • Live or work in Vancouver, or have a significant body of experience with issues related to the mandate of the advisory body in Vancouver;
  • Have connections to relevant communities, groups, and/or organizations in Vancouver;
  • Be able to demonstrate relevant experience or knowledge, abilities and skills related to the mandate of the advisory body;
  • Be able to work in a team environment with intercultural sensitivity.

Composition:

  • 21 members of the public (quorum is a majority of appointed members);
  • The composition of members should demonstrate a balance of the following areas of expertise (including professional, volunteer, education, research, and/or lived experience):
    • Production;
    • Processing and Distribution;
    • Retail;
    • Food Security, including Financial Accessibility and Availability;
    • Food Waste;
    • Indigenous Food Sovereignty;
    • Resilience;
    • Equity, Diversity and Inclusion;
  • The composition of members shall include a minimum of 12 members who self-identify with the following lived experiences (at least two members within each category). If these criteria are not able to be met, vacancies will be held until recruitment achieves this composition:
    • Indigenous Peoples
    • 2SLGBTQ+
    • Persons of Colour/Racialized Communities
    • Persons with Disabilities
    • Older Persons and Elders (age 65+)
    • Young Adults (age 19 – 25 at time of appointment);
  • Up to 2 non-voting Council liaisons (appointed by Mayor);
  • Up to 2 non-voting staff liaisons (appointed by City Manager);
  • 1 non-voting Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioner liaison and/or staff liaison (optional);
  • 1 non-voting Vancouver School Board Trustee liaison (optional);
  • 1 non-voting Vancouver Public Library staff liaison (optional);
  • 1 non-voting Vancouver Police Department staff liaison (optional).

Length of term:

  • Term ends immediately before the first Monday after November 1 in the year of a general local election. However, no regular meeting shall be held between the last day of the nomination period and general voting day.
  • Members are appointed until December 31, 2024, at which point appointments are automatically renewable to the end of the term, and recruitment shall be conducted to fill any vacancies arising.
  • Beginning in 2019, no member of the public shall serve in more than eight consecutive years on the same Type A Advisory Committee. A former member is eligible for reappointment after one year of non-membership.

 

All regular meetings listed below are open to the public and typically take place from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at City Hall unless overwise indicated. In addition to the regular meetings, the Committee also meets several times per year for informal working sessions. These are private meetings. Please contact the Meeting Coordinator for more information.

2024 meetings, agendas, and minutes

Meeting date Agenda Minutes
January 18, 2024 Agenda Minutes
March 7, 2024 Agenda Minutes
May 16, 2024 Agenda Minutes
June 20, 2024 (Special Meeting) Agenda Minutes
July 18, 2024 Agenda Minutes
September 12, 2024 Agenda Minutes
November 28, 2024 Agenda  

2023 meetings, agendas, and minutes

Meeting date Agenda Minutes
July 27, 2023 Agenda Minutes
September 28, 2023 Agenda Minutes
November 30, 2023 Agenda Minutes

2022 meetings, agendas, and minutes

Meeting date Agenda Minutes
January 13, 2022 - WebEx Online Agenda Minutes
February 24, 2022 - WebEx Online Agenda Minutes
April 28, 2022 - WebEx Online Agenda Minutes
May 26, 2022 (Working Session) - WebEx Online N/A N/A
June 23, 2022 (Working Session) - WebEx Online Agenda N/A
July 28, 2022 - Regular Meeting Agenda Minutes
September 29, 2022 Agenda Minutes

2021 meetings, agendas, and minutes

Meeting date Agenda Minutes
January 7, 2021 - WebEx Online Agenda Minutes
April 29, 2021 - WebEx Online Agenda Minutes
September 9, 2021 - WebEx Online Agenda Minutes
November 8, 2021 (special meeting) - WebEx Online  Agenda Minutes
November 18, 2021 - WebEx Online  Agenda Minutes

2020 meetings, agendas, and minutes

Meeting date Agenda Minutes
January 9, 2020 - Town Hall Room (Ground Floor) Agenda Minutes
February 6, 2020 - Cascadia Room (3rd Floor) Agenda Minutes
March 12, 2020 - Strathcona Room (Subground) Agenda Minutes
April 9, 2020 - Strathcona Room (Subground) Cancelled Cancelled
May 7, 2020 - Strathcona Room (Subground) Cancelled Cancelled
June 4, 2020 - WebEx Online Agenda

Minutes

July 9, 2020 -  WebEx Online Agenda Minutes
August 6, 2020 - WebEx Online Cancelled Cancelled
September 10, 2020 - WebEx Online Agenda Minutes
October 15, 2020 - WebEx Online Agenda Minutes
November 12, 2020 - WebEx Online Agenda Minutes
December 3, 2020 - WebEx Online Cancelled Cancelled

2019 meetings, agendas, and minutes

Meeting date Agenda Minutes
July 11, 2019 (Town Hall Room 110)   Minutes (185 KB)
August 15, 2019 (Town Hall Room 110)   Minutes (144 KB)
September 12, 2019 (Town Hall Room 110)   Minutes (92 KB)
October 10, 2019 (Committee Room 1)   Minutes
November 7, 2019 (507 W Broadway, 5th floor, Cityscape Room)   Minutes

Visit the council's blog to learn about their latest work

Report of Activities, 2021–2022

An overview of the committee's 2022 accomplishments.
View the Committee's report (pdf)

2021-2022 Work Plan

The 2021-2022 Work Plan summarizes the high priority objectives for the committee term and establishes an action plan to achieve those objectives.

2019-2020 in review

An overview of the committee's accomplishments in 2019-2020, along with future goals. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no Council of Councils event was held.

2017 in review

An overview of the committee's 2017 accomplishments and future goals as presented at the Council of Council's on October 12, 2017.

2016 in review

An overview of the committee's 2016 accomplishments and future goals as presented at the Council of Council's on November 9, 2016.

2012-2014 term in review

An overview of the committee's closing term accomplishments and recommendations for continuation of the work was presented at the Council of Council's December 2014.

Summer 2011 to Spring 2012

The Vancouver Food Policy Council worked closely with staff on a public engagement process under the slogan, "Talk food with us". More than 2,200 people took part. Feedback was gathered through roundtable discussions, storytelling-themed public events, health and education fairs, targeted outreach to ethno-cultural communities, and social media.

Staff Contacts

Staff contact

Henry Lau
Social Planner

foodpolicy@vancouver.ca

*Contact the Staff Liaison for subject matter expertise and information on City programs, services, and initiatives.

Meeting Coordinator

Bonnie Kennett

bonnie.kennett@vancouver.ca

*Contact the Meeting Coordinator for information on meetings, schedules, agendas, minutes, correspondence, and procedure.

Resources for Civic Agency members