Revelstoke City Council is calling on the federal and provincial government to address the root cause of household food insecurity, which they believe to be “lack of income and extreme material deprivation.”
In a resolution to the Union of B.C. Municipalities, city council identified food insecurity as a problem that leaves people more vulnerable to chronic conditions which leads to increased health care costs.
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They ask that the union frame household food insecurity as an income-based problem and “advocate to provincial and federal governments for evidence-based income policy solutions to food insecurity.”
This motion comes directly from Melissa Hemphill, Revelstoke food security coordinator and Anita Ely, specialist environmental health officer for Interior Health, who presented to council about the affordability of healthy eating in Revelstoke a few weeks ago.
Their presentation concluded that rather than the rising cost of food being to blame for food insecurity, poverty is to blame.
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Though they showed programs such as Community Connection’s Food Bank or Food Recovery Program, they said research shows household food insecurity cannot be fixed through food-based initiatives or charitable efforts.
“Household food insecurity is an income-based problem and needs income-based solution,” their presentation read.
The proposed resolution will be discussed at the union’s convention in September.
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