Join the Bow Valley Food Alliance for a discussion about the local Food Charter, which outlines our community’s values surrounding the foods we grow, harvest, and eat and how we can contribute, both individually and as a community, to local food sustainability.
In recent years, food movements have been gaining momentum across Canada. With a growing awareness about the need to create community-based food systems, one of the ways these movements advocate for change is through the creation of Food Charters, which outline a community’s values surrounding the foods they grow, harvest, and eat. Building on the creation of Food Charters that have been adopted by municipalities across the country, the Bow Valley Food Alliance began work on the Bow Valley Food Charter in early 2018. Central to the creation of this Charter was a series of community conversations, workshops, and take-home conversation kits available to all Bow Valley community members.
The Îyârhe Nakoda Nations of the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Wesley have been integral in contributing to the Charter process, including highlighting the relationship between the Buffalo Treaty and Bow Valley Food Charter. The Bow Valley Food Alliance is particularly grateful for the time that community members have contributed in sharing their knowledge.
Since the beginning of settlement in the Bow Valley, large household gardens were a vital food source for Canmore families, ensuring that they had food through a long winter season. The heritage garden at the Canmore NWMP Barracks continues this tradtiion and is one example of local food gardens contributing to local food sustainability. It is run by a team of volunteers and contributes its annual crop of vegetables and fruits to the Canmore Food Bank.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS
The Bow Valley Food Alliance (BVFA) is a regional organization of passionate citizens and professionals dedicated to addressing food security. BVFA addresses issues regarding access to affordable, healthy and fresh food in a coordinated way from the continental divide to the foothills along the Bow River corridor (from Lake Louise, ID9, Banff, Canmore, Exshaw, MD of Bighorn to Morley and Stoney Nakoda Nations). It is an independent non-profit society to better serve the diverse needs of this unique valley and communities. BVFA supports small and growing local food producers, ranchers and processors. BVFA encourages equitable, sustainable practices at all points of the food system. In doing so, we will strengthen the community’s connection to food and achieve a thriving, healthy, environmentally- and socially-engaged community.