Correspondence from Mayor Helps re: Provincial Universal School Food Program

Letter to Premier Horgan Regarding Universal School Food Program

March 7, 2019,

Dear Premier Horgan,

I am writing on behalf of Victoria City Council, requesting favourable consideration and resolutions of support for the provincial universal school food program.

At the February 7, 2019 Committee of the Whole Meeting, Council approved the following resolution:

WHEREAS almost 500,000 individuals in BC experience food insecurity, and Canada remains one of the only Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations without a national school food program. And, Canada’s current patchwork of school food programming reaches only a small percentage of students.

WHEREAS school food programs have been shown to increase children’s consumption of vegetables, fruits and other healthy foods and decrease the consumption of unhealthy ones; improve students’ mental health, including reductions in behavioural and emotional problems; improve cognitive skills and increase scholastic success.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM advocate to the provincial government for a Universal Healthy School Food Program that will enable all students in BC to have access to healthy meals at school, building on existing programs and including food education to serve culturally appropriate, local, sustainable food to the fullest extent possible.

We eagerly look forward to your support on this matter.

Sincerely,

Lisa Helps Victoria Mayor

cc.

• Honourable Rob Fleming, Minister of Education
• The Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) Annual Convention
• The Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) Annual Convention
• British Columbia Municipalities and Regional Districts

No.1 Centennial Square Victoria British Columbia Canada V8W 1P6 Telephone (250) 361-0200 Fax (250) 361-0348 Email mayor@victoria.ca