Association of Yukon Communities Questionnaire and Responses

The following list of questions and responses are from the Association of Yukon Communities Annual General Meeting in Watson Lake prior to the Roundtable. In total, we collected 29 questionnaires completed by mayors, senior municipal administrators and others from communities across Yukon. 

1. What are the most important food security related issues in your community?

 

• Transportation (i.e. Road disruptions; reliance on shipping from the South)
• Food Costs High (i.e. Healthier food seems to cost more; high transport and shipping costs)
• Limited Options/Suppliers (i.e. Less competition, associated with higher costs; risks related to transportation, particularly, road closures if there is only one grocery store)
• Limited Fresh, Local Product Availability *Especially in winter months (i.e. Reliance on heavily processed foods; less wild game accessible; home/community gardening is important)
  

2. What is a recent food security success in your community that you'd like to share? (i.e. Community Garden/Greenhouse project? Educational programs? etc.)

• Gardening & Greenhouses (i.e. Interest is growing; many successful existing projects and new ones starting)
• Local Retailers (i.e. Community stores and farmers markets available in some communities; long history of food co-ops)
• Education (i.e. Courses in gardening and greenhouse production at Yukon College)
• Public Health Initiatives (i.e. Developing a shopping list and meal planning help available; nutrition and food classes in school for grades 1-12)
• Policy Change (i.e. A community convinced wholesaler to absorb some of freight costs - food became cheaper so consumers were able to buy more)
  

3. What actions would contribute to your community members being more food secure now?  

•  Local, Affordable Fresh Food Available (i.e. Community gardens/greenhouses; fresh, locally grown/made foods in stores/markets more regularly; more food co-ops with wholesale vegetables and fruits)
• More Education (i.e. Courses and classes available around waste reduction and tips/info on gardening)
• More Support (i.e. Subsidies/bylaws/incentives for greenhouse/farming/animal husbandry; support those most in need as well as those community groups offering opportunities to improve food security; more agricultural land available and easier access to soil; invest in rideshare, cooperatives and tool sharing)
  

4. What actions would contribute to your community being more food secure in the future

• Access (i.e. Improved access to locally grown foods & local meats in restaurants and stores; develop a process for sharing locally processed or hunted foods)
• Distribution & Transport (i.e. Distribution process for those in need - include low income in free food distribution (through community gardens); lower freight and fuel costs)
• Education & Public Engagement (i.e. Encourage youth and others to to garden/reduce waste/compost; teach self-sufficiency (including information on wild foods - seasonal preparation/preservation; have ongoing discussions with residents and communities around food security; create agency or organization focusing on food security in Territory)
• Waste Management (i.e. Encouraging community compost)
• Support (i.e.More agricultural land/incentives for growing available (including greenhouse subsidies and grant funding); government investment in farm tool sharing, egg grading and abattoir capabilities)
• Innovation, Research & Partnerships (i.e. Explore ways to get food out to communities more regularly and grow locally year-round; research biomass heated compost; create partnerships and work together with municipalities, Yukon Government and First Nations on growing food and raising livestock locally)

Association of Yukon Communities:

Mayors of Dawson City, Town of Faro and City of Whitehorse founded the Association of Yukon Communities in 1974 under the name of Association of Yukon Municipalities. The Association was created to improve and unite governments at the community level to advance community ambitions, thereby increasing communities’ capacities for sustainable, strong and effective governing and improved quality of life for Yukon residents. AYC Incorporated Members include Dawson City, City of Whitehorse, Towns of Faro and Watson Lake, and Villages of Haines Junction, Carmacks, Mayo, and Teslin. Associated Members include Kluane First Nation, Tagish Local Advisory Council, Hamlet of Mount Lorne, Marsh Lake, and South Klondike.

Source: http://www.ayc-yk.ca/