Authors: Krista Macaulay & Lindsay Harris

Fall is often a time of transition and change. Just as the weather shifts and the trees around us begin to shed their leaves, so do our lives and daily structures alter and adapt. Schedules become more rigid with kids back to school and vacations coming to an end. Shorts and sandals go back in the closet, while coats and toques come out with the crisp morning air. Berry season closes out for the great pumpkin king’s arrival. With so much change in the air, it feels fitting that our municipal elections happen in fall.

While municipal elections do not receive the same attention as federal or provincial elections, they are the best way that individuals can bring change to their communities and everyday life. Our school trustees, council, and mayor make decisions that affect our schools, our community services, and city plans. Local government is the true key to actionable change for Kamloops.

At the Kamloops Food Policy Council, we have brought together members of our network to form a policy advocacy group leading up to fall’s municipal election. This Food and the City group has been collaborating on areas of change for our city. Using food as a lens to explore relevant civic issues and food as a lever for transformative social change, the Food and the City group has created a number of powerful discussions and policy recommendations. As Andrea Magarini and Andrea Calori of the book “Food and the Cities” write:

“Food is a fundamental component of a city that is inseparable from citizens’ basic rights and needs, individual lifestyles and cultures, the socio-economic structure, and the city’s relationship with the surrounding environment . . . These trends go well beyond the need to feed cities, calling into question our perspectives on how to think about cities as a whole.”

Food is how we connect and engage with the land, our community, our traditions, and each other. Because food impacts all areas of our lives, it can act as a lever through which we can create transformative changes! At the Kamloops Food Policy Council, we know that strong local food systems can help us get to more affordable housing, walkable neighbourhoods, stronger local economics, spaces for safety and belonging and more!

The Food and the City group has endeavoured over the past 4 months, creating 7 in-depth blog posts on key topics. Through much research, discussion, and collaborative writing we have produced the following posts and subsequent policy recommendations (in no particular order):

1. Sustainable Development & Affordable Housing
2. Public Spaces & the Commons
3. Planning for People, Not Cars
4. Healthy Ecosystems & Pesticide Use
5. Community Safety 
6. Decolonizing the Municipality
7. Community Food Security

Each post can be found on our webpage: www.kamloopsfoodpolicycouncil.com/food-and-the-city and includes an in-depth analysis of the topic with policy recommendations for our current and future leaders! These recommendations provide key directions for positive growth, change, and development in all areas of life for Kamloopsians.

The Food and the City Group also speaks to the ability of citizens to participate in elections in their city. So often it can feel like we are disconnected from our municipal government and the decisions that take place in City Hall. This project seeks to display that advocacy matters and citizens can participate in municipal elections beyond pencilling in their candidates of choice. Whether it is those who have joined the Food and the City Group to research and write on specific issues, or those from our wider network who came together to help create communications material and spread the word!  On the evening of Tuesday September 13, we hosted a DIY Flyer Making Event to create awareness of the project and craft some fun posters to share around our community! This project has truly been an exciting example of how citizens – such as you and I – can participate in a deeper way in municipal elections.

Volunteers creating art around the 7 Food and the City topics.

Together we can create positive change. Together we can build community and partnerships that advocate for a stronger, happier, healthier, and more resilient Kamloops! 

Be sure to check out our list of topics and recommendations: www.kamloopsfoodpolicycouncil.com/food-and-the-city

If you want to get involved in developing and implementing policy with us, or if you’re a local government candidate and want to support any of these policies in your platform or to discuss further, please reach out to us: lindsay@tapestryevaluation.com

The Kamloops Food Policy Council has launched a series on food and the city to explore a number of deeper civic discussions leading up to our municipal election. As the late urban planner and Canadian food advocate Wayne Roberts wrote, “food is a lever.” Food is how we connect to the land, our communities, and our traditions. And because food is so impactful in all our lives, it is a useful lever through which we can create transformative changes in other areas. Strong local food systems can help us get to more affordable housing, walkable neighbourhoods, stronger local economies, spaces for safety and belonging, and more. 

Subscribe here to stay in the loop about our ongoing food and the city posts!

Decolonizing the Municipality 

Over the last few years, decolonizing relationships has been increasingly urgent, as Indigenous communities have been faced with rising up as society grapples with the uncovering of the bodies of children at residential schools, Missing and Murdered Indigenous People and the disproportionate rates of health epidemics in Indigenous communities. The Kamloops Food Policy Council acknowledges that there is no food security without Indigenous Food Sovereignty, and we wanted to get to the root of the health and wealth divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, literally, starting at the ground level, with the land.  

The Kamloops Food Policy Council hosted a book club on the Yellowhead Institute’s Land Back paper, in spring 2022. The Land Back paper uses consent as the central touchstone for the restoration of Indigenous jurisdiction over the land. So, as we face a municipal election amidst ongoing reckoning with the colonial history of this land, we want to ask, what role can the municipality play in decolonization? 

One of the most important things to understand is the chain of events that occurred because of an incorrect assumption made by the first settlers that there were no Indigenous laws. They made this erroneous assumption because Indigenous laws were in oral stories, and not written on paper at the time of contact. As a result, British colonists applied their own laws, and in doing so claimed the vast majority of what is now known as Canada as crown land. While Indigenous law still remains in tacts and unbroken, crown land inhibits control and decision making powers by Indigenous people within their territories. 

Right now, in BC, crown land comprises 94% of the province, while Indigenous reserve land makes up only 0.4%. Across the entire country, Indigenous reserve land represents only 0.02% of the land base. Just take a minute to let these numbers sink in. Less than half of 1% of the land is under the jurisdiction of the Indigenous populations who stewarded and cared for this land from time out of mind, until the time of contact with settlers. 

[Map of Crown Land in City of Kamloops Boundaries]

Although crown land often looks barren and empty on a map, every square metre is affected by mining, logging, drilling or the associated impacts to the watersheds and wildlife. The extraction of resources from crown land is the core of the economy. Which means that Canada’s economy relies on the ongoing alienation of Indigenous people from their land. Indigenous people have experienced this forceful removal from the land over time through laws prohibiting Indigenous people from leaving reserves, residential schools, the 60s scoop, incarceration, and many other direct and indirect ways. This land alienation has left Indigenous communities in poverty and it reinforces the cycle, as multiple coinciding crises prevent Indigenous people from pursuing the restoration of their rights and title to the land (Land Back, 2019). We might think of the chain of events looking like this: 

Colonists assumption about the absence of Indigenous law > Creation of crown land and private land holdings using British laws > Removal of Indigenous jurisdiction over land > Widespread natural resource extraction benefitting settlers > Requirement for continued Indigenous land alienation for economic purposes > Overlapping Indigenous crises > Continued land alienation and natural resource extraction. 

So back to the original question: what role can a municipality play in decolonization? There are significant decolonial actions that are within the realm of power that a local government has that can help to redress the harm that has occurred. 

Starting with reconciling the false assumption about the absence of Indigenous Laws that occurred at contact, the first policy recommendation is for the municipality to formally recognize oral and written Indigenous law. One instance where this already occurred was during the review process for the AJAX mine, where Indigenous communities in the Kamloops area formed the group Stk’emlúpsemc te Secwépemc Nation (SSN) and used Indigenous laws to determine that they did not consent to the creation of a mine in the proposed area. The City of Kamloops subsequently also opposed the project. It would be valuable to continue and deepen this commitment to accepting Indigenous decisions, directives and resolutions when it comes to regional issues. 

The second recommendation is to look for opportunities to transition government land to Indigenous control. The City of Kamloops has already supported an addition to reserve application by Tk’emlups te Secwépemc, and there are more opportunities to directly transfer municipal land to the Secwépemc nation. The return of ancestral lands within municipal boundaries to Indigenous communities has been done across our province including in Mission in 2021, in Merritt in 2020, and in Vancouver in 2014. 

The third recommendation is for the City to support the advancement of education around Secwépemc histories, stories, and laws. It is important for education both within the school district, and in the broader citizenship of Kamloops to be focused on Secwépemc specific information and that this education includes a decolonial lens. It is equally as important for non-Indigenous people in Kamloops to explore their own ancestry and its land-based connections. The more we can see ourselves as humans in connection with the land, the more responsive we will be as a society to the restoration of Indigenous jurisdiction over this land. 

The fourth recommendation is to advance land back practices within the municipality by: 

• Making decolonization public by hosting a series of dialogues intended for citizens in partnership with TteS, similar to Victoria’s Reconciliation Dialogues 
• Launching a program to rename places in Kamloops to their Secwépemc name, similar to Haida initiatives that resulted in the renaming of Queen Charlotte to Daajing Giids
• Implementing a voluntary or suggest land taxation system that would flow to Secwepemc communities, similar to Victoria’s initiative with Reciprocity Trust 

The City of Kamloops has already shown a strong commitment to decolonizing the municipality through the creation of an action plan that outlines how it is addressing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action. This has laid a solid foundation for advancing Land Back initiatives. With the election around the corner we have an opportunity to renew and deepen our commitment, as citizens and as a local government to the restitution of Indigenous rights and title and the restoration of human relationships with each other and with the land.   

KFPC’s Recommendations for Decolonizing the Municipality 

• Formally recognize oral and written Indigenous law, and comply with Indigenous decisions, directives and resolutions when it comes to shared regional issues
• Pursue opportunities to transition government land to Indigenous control
• Support Secwépemc-specific education, curriculum and citizen reflection and learning 
• Implement and promote municipal Land Back practices such as decolonization dialogues, a Secwépemc renaming program, and voluntary land taxes

KFPC is a mostly settler led organization engaged in the ongoing practice of decolonizing our practices. We are part of a learning journey and this blog article reflects some highlights from our recent Land Back book club as well as conversations with Indigenous partners and local Indigenous led-organizations, who we are grateful for discussions and idea sharing with. We expect this to be an ongoing learning journey and that our recommendations for increasing Indigenous Food Sovereignty, as well as Indigenous jurisdiction as a part of municipal action will evolve over time. 

The Kamloops Food Policy Council has launched a series on food and the city to explore a number of deeper civic discussions leading up to our municipal election. As the late urban planner and Canadian food advocate Wayne Roberts wrote, “food is a lever.” Food is how we connect to the land, our communities, and our traditions. And because food is so impactful in all our lives, it is a useful lever through which we can create transformative changes in other areas. Strong local food systems can help us get to more affordable housing, walkable neighbourhoods, stronger local economies, spaces for safety and belonging, and more. 

Subscribe here to stay in the loop about our ongoing food and the city posts!

Healthy Ecosystems and Pesticide Use in Kamloops

When seasons shift, the changes in our natural world invite themselves to be noticed. The mornings become cooler and the days get shorter as the sun tucks away at an earlier hour. Our gardens race to put out their last fruits. Summer fades and transitions are also marked by the beginning of the school year, celebrations at fall fairs, storing camping gear and bathing suits, and getting back into our day-to-day routines. What I value most about this shift, is gaining some time to reflect on the teachings the summer bustle has offered me. This summer, for both personal and professional reasons, I have been thinking a lot about my connection to this place I call home – Tk’emlúps – and how I can foster a stronger relationship of reciprocity with the land.

What is Ecological Value?
The word ecology comes from the Greek oikos, “home, dwelling place” and -logia, “study of” or “knowing of”. From this etymological breakdown, woven back together, we can roughly define ecology as: the study of our home. For me, this study revolves around an exploration of the interconnectedness in both the human and the more-than-human worlds. The term value comes from Latin “valere” and means to be strong or to be worth. Yet, the word holds more complexity. Our individual values come from a collection of personal worldviews. Together, our worldviews and values help guide what we end up proclaiming as important and worthy of our energy and time. As a collective, our values stem from a myriad of factors: past and present politics, cultural and familial practices (inclusive of religion and ethnicity), and societal expectations. As active citizens of community we must be cognizant of what shapes the value systems in which we find belonging and meaning.

Why is Ecological Value Important?
As inhabitants on this land, and inherent stewards, it is vital that we gain clarity on how we value our home places. Because, no matter how we spend time on this land, whether it be through sports, outdoor adventuring, or gardening, we need to be aware of when we have taken too much without ample reciprocity. When we fail to take into consideration the worth of our land, as with any other relationship we fail to nurture, it will become apparent that something has shifted. Climatic changes and loss of species biodiversity are two examples of relational imbalances. Our ecological system naturally self-regulates and it will return to some level of healthy balance unless our actions interrupt this process.

Caption: Butler Urban Farm, July 2022. Credit: KFPC

Small Changes Matter
As I navigate a more harmonious relationship with this land, I have tried to become more aware of the small places where I can tend to it. It becomes overwhelming when I recognize the cumulative human impacts on this planet, and therefore, as a coping tool and perhaps as a means to feel constructive, I hone in on the achievable. I focus on the small, and mighty, changes that I can make as a community member.

As I become more informed on pesticide practices within the City of Kamloops, I see an opportunity for me to once again consider and clarify my personal values. I live, learn, and love on this land. I also advocate for a city that honours healthy spaces for me to continue to do so.

Replacing Pesticide Use with Healthier Ecosystems
When we talk about healthy spaces, we are referring to the land we live on, the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the spaces we inhabit or visit. A healthy city encourages and fosters healthy spaces and healthy lifestyles. Pesticides are a controversial topic. They help us deal with and manage pests of all kinds, but they also cause a wide variety of negative effects for people and our environment, ranging from immediate to severe. Are pesticides encouraging an investment in the ecological value of our land, or are they continuing to promote a colonial mindset that seeks to control the land we live on, rather than live in harmony with it?

Through a spatial analysis of pesticide spraying in Kamloops, we have visually mapped where our City is spraying. Click here to view our interactive story map and learn more about current pesticide use on public lands in the City of Kamloops. You’ll also find additional research about types of pesticides, why they are used, and the negative effects they can have.

Link to the Story Map: https://arcg.is/0yzObL

While this information can be intimidating, knowledge is power. Truly seeing where our City is spraying helps us better understand the risks and potential side effects of pesticides on our health, and the health of children, pets and wildlife, and the natural world. It also prompts us to imagine what else is possible: healthy ecosystems, full of life, where people, plants and pollinators can thrive.

KFPC Policy Recommendations for Investing in the Ecological Value of Public Lands
We are recommending the City of Kamloops consider the following strategies to invest in healthy ecosystems on public lands, and reduce the need for pesticide use:

• Engage citizens in the development of an Integrated Pest Management Plan and increase the transparency of the City’s pest management practices and reporting;
• Transition more city land to higher ecological values and healthier ecosystems;
  • Adopt more edible landscaping on city lands, including fruit and nut trees and perennial bushes and shrubs, and engage community organizations and neighborhood associations to ensure these areas are well maintained;
  • Replace current landscaping strategies such as manicured annual plantings, mown grass boulevards and hardscaping with native plant bioswales;
  • Transition to a Natural Asset Management approach across all public works operations in Kamloops;
• Incorporate more alternative methods to control invasive species; and
• Implement a complete ban on the use of Glyphosate and 2,4-D on all city lands, including spot applications.