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City hall lawn gets dug up for community garden

March 4th, 2009 · 15 Comments

Just when we were almost finished with the chicken jokes (related to the city plan to allow people to keep chickens for personal use in their yards), now comes this announcement from city hall that they’re digging up part of the lawn for a community garden. Here is the news release below.

City to create community garden on City Hall lawn

Vancouver – Mayor Gregor Robertson announced today that a portion of the City Hall lawn will be converted into a community garden. The idea to grow local food on the grounds of City Hall is the first ‘Quick Start’ recommendation to come from the Greenest City Action Team.

“If we want Vancouver to be a truly sustainable city, City Hall needs to lead the way,” said Mayor Robertson. “By converting part of the City Hall lawn into a community garden, Vancouver is walking the talk when it comes to producing local food.”

Today’s announcement is a symbol of the City’s commitment to develop 2010 community garden plots by 2010, as an Olympic legacy. A portion of the community garden space will be allocated to communal plots where vegetables will be grown for donation to food providers in Vancouver’s inner-city neighbourhoods.

The City will be partnering with SPEC (Society Promoting Environmental Conservation) to develop and design the garden. SPEC runs two demonstration gardens in Vancouver and works with groups who want to start their own community gardens.

“There is a huge demand from people in Vancouver to have the opportunity to grow their own food – there are waiting lists for community gardens across the city,” said Mayor Robertson. “Converting a portion of the under-used City Hall lawn for gardening is something that should have happened a long time ago for a city that likes to talk about being ‘green’.”

The idea to create a community garden at City Hall is the first ‘Quick Start’ recommendation to come from the Greenest City Action Team. The Team, which met for the first time on February 25, is focused on immediate action steps the City can take to improve its environmental performance. Members of the team include Dr. David Suzuki, Former Premier Mike Harcourt, and Vancity CEO Tamara Vrooman.

Categories: City Hall Talk

  • Kumbaya Farmer Type

    Nice!!! Way to go Gregor! Why not….seriously.

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  • not running for mayor

    I joked about this last year but I guess it’s coming to fruitation (pun intended). Instead of giving the food to inner city needy he should buy it and use it to make happy juice and the city’s proceeds can help end homeless by 2015.

    Anyone else notice the new Starwars talks at city council, this time it’s them discussing allowing females to skijump at 2010, as if city council has any ablity to sanction an olympic sport that doesn’t yet met IOC requirements. Good stuff going on at 12th and Cambie, can’t wait for the renos to start so we can get rid of the lead pipes that they’re drinking from.

  • City Hall Insider

    Maybe we can get a crop that we can roll up and smoke. Talk about a moral boost.

  • LP

    If they’re going to be planting a community garden at city hall, I would suggest they fore go the renovations with fancy new furniture in favor of bails of hay, wagon wheels, and some good old wooden benches made from recycled wood of course.

    Seriously now, it sounds more like COPE is running wild and most of council from 2002-2005 is back.

    Someone please tell these guys to stop eating the brownies – I think they were baked by Paul Haden.

  • Wagamuffin

    Speaking of another VV initiative,

    “When Chickens Go Bad”

  • SV

    Stay classy.

  • Loxy

    I’m kinda sad to be losing my reading park. For the last year, especially the past summer, I spend many a day in that mostly abandoned park for a quiet day in the middle of the city.

    It sucks for me, but good for the city.

  • hohoho

    Now all that’s missing is a chicken coop on the lawn of City Hall, along with a billboard that says “Nuclear-Free Zone.”

  • MB

    Will City Hall give themselves a tax break on this?

  • miss. placed priorities

    Will this new garden help feed the city hall staff that are losing their jobs? Or likewise, will all the other people getting laid off during the recession be taken care of as part of the Mayor’s homelessness strategy?

    One can only hope..

  • Denis

    One poster said that nobody used that bit of land but he read there. So why the noise about digging it up and using the produce ? Why the need for lawns. Waste of water, mowing is a pain.
    A few bits of garden is a start to more of the same around town. when we lived in the 4 Sisters Co-Op we build raised boxes to grow things to eat. The Manhatten Co-Op had a roof garden. It’s not rocket science

  • not running for mayor

    You’re right it’s not rocket science, that was discussed the last time Cope/Vision was in power and lead to Vancouver not supporting Star Wars.

  • jaymac

    Two good outcomes from this decision.

    First, there will be a place to use the manure that oft spreads from the 3rd floor of the hall. They can shovel it out the window along with the buckets of cash being used for pet projects and severance payouts.

    Second, in brilliant and totally predictable move, the Visionistas and COPE have turned on their allies in CUPE by taking away there rallying place for labour action. Where will they all go in the next strike?

    Cock-a-doodle-do!!

  • City Hall Insider

    We will rally around George as we always do. You must be looking out the window from inside the hall.