Our Story
Since 2005

2015

Let’s Talk Food Policy – A Regional Gathering – Table Matters co-hosts a networking event for food policy leaders from across the region and sparks a new project to develop resources for municipal policy tools

The Foodprint Challenge – 36 Residents enjoy auditing their food waste and learning how to rescue food at home

Annual Fall Forum, An Evening of Dialogue and Dinner: What’s Growing on the North Shore – leaders present new ideas to improve community capacity projects across the North Shore and participants leave inspired and excited to get involved

2014/2015

The North Shore Community Food Charter is endorsed by the City of North Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver, the District of West Vancouver, North Vancouver School District #44, West Vancouver School District #45, the Municipality of the Village of Lions Bay, Bowen Island Municipality, Squamish Nation, Tsleil-Waututh Nation and Vancouver Coastal Health

2014

Annual Fall Forum, An Evening of Dialogue and Dinner: Let’s Talk Food Rescue – Table Matters engages over 120 attendees in an awareness-building event to celebrate its first funded project: Scaling Up Food Rescue

Implementing the North Shore Community Food Charter – Table Matters and the Edible Garden Project work with municipal staff to lay the groundwork for policy changes that implement the Food Charter

2013

Annual Fall Forum, An Evening of Dialogue and Dinner – Over 150 community members enjoy dinner to celebrate and endorse the final Draft of the North Shore Community Food Charter

The North Shore Community Food Charter is presented to Congress – The North Shore Congress supports the Food Charter and directs Table Matters to approach each Council for official endorsements

2012

The Table Matters Reference Group identifies the need for a foundation policy to both build upon and provide consistency across all the North Shore municipalities – a food charter is the next step

Annual Fall Forum, An Evening of Dialogue and Dinner – Over 150 community members share dinner and facilitated dialogue to collect input needed to draft a Food Charter

Table Matters sends delegations to Municipal Councils with an outline of the North Shore Community Food Charter – feedback is incorporated into the document

Spring Forum – a draft of the North Shore Community Food Charter is presented to the community for feedback

2011

Annual Fall Forum, An Evening of Dialogue and Dinner: Urban Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems – Local elected officials and First Nations representatives participate in a panel discussion, community leaders share their ideas and all event participants brainstorm to find solutions

The Table Matters Reference Group submits suggestions to the District of North Vancouver Official Community Plan after which urban agriculture is integrated into a number of points within the updated Plan – a big success!

2010

Annual Fall Forum, Agricultural Urbanism: Great Food System Opportunities for the North Shore – The first of 5 events where all 5 North Shore Mayors share their visions for moving urban agriculture and food security forward

Following a survey of 400 residents – along with Network advocacy – the District of North Vancouver’s Official Community Plan is updated with specific wording related to urban agriculture, food security and food policy developments

Table Matters Networking Conference –  Table Matters Reference Group, made up of 20 community members, begins to meet monthly and pursue food security initiatives identified as priority strategies

2009

Advancing Urban Agriculture Grants are awarded to 13 food security projects across North Shore neighbourhoods to grow gardens, skills and networks for all ages. These grants become an annual opportunity for like-minded projects

Feeding the Future Forum with Michael Ableman (photo right) – an urban agriculture pioneer leads an educational evening and inspires action to improve food security on the North Shore

The First Annual Fall Forum, Table Matters: A Community Discussion about Food Security on the North Shore – This first event encourages North Shore governments, residents and businesses to focus on local food security issues and to come up with possible solutions

Vancouver Coastal Health Food Security Program allocates funding toward building a food security network and the North Shore Food Action Committee officially adopts the “Table Matters” moniker – membership grows to include municipal staff as well as community members

2008

Community interest in developing knowledge and capacity to improve local food systems grows while Vancouver Coastal Health focuses on providing all residents access to adequate, safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate foods that are produced in environmentally sustainable ways and are offered in a dignified manner

2006

The North Shore Food Action Committee emerges in response to CFAI – following SPARC’s North Shore food security scan, a plan is drawn up

The Edible Garden Project breaks ground thanks to a coalition of North Shore organizations funded by  UBCM and Vancouver Coastal Health’s CFAI

Food Security Core Programs Evidence Review + Food Security Model Core Program Paper support the inclusion of food security into health authority prevention measures, including Vancouver Coastal Health

2005

The Community Food Action Initiative (CFAI), the first provincial health promotion initiative in Canada to recognize and financially support community-led food security activities, becomes part of the Healthy Eating component in ActNow BC and the North Shore Table Matters Network is set