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Deconstructing Dinner

Homeland (Food) Security

Podcast: 'Deconstructing Dinner' features sustainability strategist Richard Balfour.

Jon Steinman 1 Dec 2008TheTyee.ca

Jon Steinman is producer and host of Kootenay Co-op Radio's program Deconstructing Dinner. A new podcast with notes is posted here every Friday afternoon. All Deconstructing Dinner podcasts can be found here.

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[Editor's note: This is a summary of a podcast you can download or listen to from this page.]

What if governments and citizens were to prepare for global warming the way militaries prepare for war?

At a food security conference in Nelson, Richard Balfour, director of the Metro Vancouver Planning Coalition, explored this question with some frightening wartime-like scenarios of what British Columbia might be like in the year 2014.

He asked delegates to envision a future where gas shortages have isolated cities from any outside food supply and mass migration to warmer coastal climates strains what meager resources are available.

"Re-localization becomes the important thing for survival," said Balfour. "All of us are going to learn to farm more. We have to. We don't have any choice."

On this episode hear recordings from Balfour's speech and those of other keynote speakers who addressed the need to redesign and redefine communities around regional resource management and food production.

Deconstructing Dinner hopes that the recordings, episodes and resources posted on the conference page will help people across the country who want to create a socially and environmentally responsible food system.

Guests

Justin Roller, fuel cell engineer, Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation, National Research Council Canada (Vancouver, B.C.) -- Justin's presentation was titled "Canada and the Coming Energy Transition." Justin introduced the conference by outlining the current balance between global energy supplies and demand. He is currently a masters candidate in mechanical engineering at the University of British Columbia.

Richard Balfour, director, Metro Vancouver Planning Coalition (Vancouver, B.C.) - Richard is a Vancouver-based architect who acts as director for both the Metro Vancouver Planning Coalition and the New City Institute. He recently published the book Strategic Sustainable Planning, A Civil Defense Manual for Cultural Survival. Richard recognizes the many threats facing our current way of life. Through a freedom of information request, Richard was responsible for the release of a B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands report titled, BC's Food Self Reliance: Can BC farmers feed our growing population?. The final conclusion of the report was that B.C. currently produces only 48 per cent of the food consumed within the province.

Alex Atamanenko, MP B.C. Southern Interior/NDP Agriculture Critic, New Democratic Party of Canada (Castlegar, B.C.) -- Elected as Member of Parliament for British Columbia Southern Interior in 2006 and 2008, Alex is the opposition critic for the Ministry of Agriculture and Agri-Food. Alex was born in New Westminster, and was educated at the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto.

Corky Evans, MLA Nelson-Creston/NDP Opposition Critic for Agriculture and Lands, New Democratic Party of British Columbia (Winlaw, B.C.) -- Corky Evans was elected as the MLA for Nelson Creston in 1991, and 1996. He was once again elected to represent his constituents on May 17, 2005. Corky has served as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries.

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