Dear Friends,
Councillors voted unanimously for Councillor Adriane Carr’s motion calling for City staff to look into options for long term security for community gardens, especially for older, established gardens like Cottonwood and Strathcona.
We had long line-up (27) of wonderful, eloquent speakers – gardeners of all ages from Cottonwood, Strathcona, Purple Thistle and the Environmental Youth Alliance, former Councillor Ellen Woodsworth (COPE), Celia Brauer from The False Creek Watershed Society and UBC Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Land and Food Systems Art Bomke among them. Peter Driftmier read a letter signed by 16 of Vancouver’s Neighbourhood Food Networks and Neighbourhood Food Network Coordinators.
This is a step forward for all of Vancouver’s community gardens – and for Cottonwood and Strathcona, which were recognized for their particular value to the Green City. More on what this means and what we need to do next to make the most of this opening soon!
Big thanks to all who spoke so brilliantly. And big thanks to Councillor Carr who put forward this motion and to Councillor George Affleck who seconded it.
Rose-Marie