At first, I didn’t think St. Albert had a Fish Street. Then I remembered good old Sturgeon Road. I truly don’t know if this harkens to St. Albert’s historic food system, but I’m thinking of old English villages where Fish Street and Meat Street indicated the provisions once distributed there.
Either way, St. Albert’s roots are firmly established in the rich soil of the Sturgeon River Valley thanks to Father Lacombe. He arrived here after limited success growing food at the oblate’s Lac St. Anne settlement. The soil here proved to be much better suited to the agriculture he envisioned to sustain his mission.
So how is our food sovereignty faring in 2016? Many of us watch with concern as the gorgeous topsoil is stripped off surrounding farmland and a subdivision is built in its place. Urban sprawl, I live there, you too? Meanwhile, as the decades pass, municipalities seem to be allocating less green space for potential food growing in community gardens or food forests.
Do we have a plan? A quick Google search and an email to the City give no indication of a municipal food policy in St. Albert. The Toronto Food Policy Council explains they are “working to ensure access to healthy, affordable, sustainable and culturally acceptable food.” Like many modern cities, St. Albert doesn’t appear worried about a lack of land to grow food locally. We feel secure with a smattering of grocery stores throughout our city. Most people don’t realize these stores have about three days worth of food on their shelves. What happens if we experience a food shock – an interruption in the delivery of food from afar as in the 2013 High River flood that held up Safeway trucks? What if the interruption was prolonged?
There are many reasons to think seriously and have discussions on this subject. A healthy local food system offers a multitude of benefits: • Economically, buying local food puts money into our economy and reduces the need to invest tax dollars to attract other businesses. • Every tax dollar collected from residential developments, costs $1.81 in services and infrastructure out of the public purse. Every tax dollar collected from agricultural land only requires $0.70 in infrastructure spending (The Fiscal Implications of Land Use Study for Red Deer County, 2006). • Safety gains are made as we make connections to local growers or members of community gardens and begin to look out for each other. • Health improves as we eat food that is fresher and more nutritious. • Use of harmful chemicals drops as we pay closer attention to food production methods. • Taking an active role in growing food offers us physical activity that enhances our health. • Our carbon footprint generally shrinks as food transportation distances drop off. • Green space provides habitat and corridors for wildlife and benefits our physical and mental well-being. • Education of our citizens (including school children) on food production and preservation ensures that our community becomes more resilient.
A municipal food policy is important on so many levels. Embracing our agricultural roots, and taking back responsibility for our food system will nourish us as our hometown, St. Albert, grows into the future.
Jill Cunningham grew up in St Albert, has a Bachelor of Education from University of Alberta and is passionate about nature, the environment, and building community.
