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By Adam Berls

food security

Food security investment brings mixed reactions

Mar 9, 2023 | 2:56 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — With the announcement that the provincial government will be investing $200 million dollars into food security, Victoria has said that this investment will ensure people have better access to an increased supply of affordable, local food. But will the funds do enough to support this?

The BC Agricultural Council supports the investment.

“We’ve often felt that we seem to be underrepresented in terms of government budgets. So it was really great to see the increase this year. I think more importantly, when we look at, let’s say, the needs of the province of the country going forward, I think this additional funding definitely helps.” – Stan Vander Waal, President, BC Agricultural Council

Dr. Annie Booth, a professor of environmental and sustainability studies at UNBC says that there doesn’t seem to be concrete plan on where the money is exactly going.

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“That really depends on what they’re going to do with the 200 million. It’s really a drop in the bucket given the levels of food insecurity that we’re actually seeing in the province, particularly in northern, rural, remote, indigenous communities with less ready access and safe supply.”

The government has said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food will invest in new and enhanced programs, and that they will be investing in Indigenous communities to improve local security for remote and rural communities, but Dr. Booth questions whether new programs will be needed given the track record of already existing programs.

The province has not yet said where and how the 200 million dollars will be divided, but should a 2021 flood event occur again in the near future where Northern BC could again be isolated from food deliveries, the new funding and programs will be put to the test.