Finance committee  Well, you can't get much more local than actually growing food on the schoolyard farm and then getting that food into the school lunches. That would be a wonderful benefit, as I've talked about already. In terms of local growers, there are many partnerships with local farmers already.

Finance committee  Thank you for all these questions. It's really good, actually, to reflect on these impacts. In terms of indigenous programming and the impact on indigenous communities, in our experience, one school that we work with particularly is an indigenous alternative education school. We are able to engage with elders and engage youth in learning about traditional medicines and traditional foods.

Finance committee  Yes, that's something we're seeing more and more here in Vancouver. We're seeing some of the families we work with have to reduce meals or quantities of meals, and children are attending school without meals. The school food program is really important in helping families to provide full meals by providing that meal at the school, but it will also help to reduce grocery costs for families.

Finance committee  Yes, absolutely. Having a school nutrition program is a really great equalizer in the school. No matter your background, everyone is engaged, learning and having healthy meals. Whether you come from a lower economic background or a wealthy family, you can still learn so many new things about nutrition and be exposed to different foods from around the world.

Finance committee  For some of the challenges we encounter.... Oh my goodness, there are many challenges to urban farming. It's an interesting ecosystem, I suppose. When you're literally growing a farm in a very dense city, there are challenges around access and infrastructure. We're not in a rural place.

Finance committee  Yes, you're right. There are so many things we can build upon. By having the schoolyard farm, we're making use of land that is otherwise unoccupied. It's using the schoolyard as a productive space for growing food, as well as a learning space. We've seen and witnessed that all the children are so much more engaged in their lunches and cheering for kale in their lunch because they grew it themselves.

Finance committee  Thank you for your question. Yes, this support will help organizations like Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society continue our programming and potentially improve our quality and expand our reach. It will also support other programs to start from scratch and provide that infrastructure that is needed to ensure we have kitchens available and resources available in the schools to provide the school food programs.

Finance committee  Yes, absolutely. We're providing healthy food in the schools, which benefits children by meeting their nutritional needs and helping them be better able to learn and engage in school. There's also the educational component about food systems themselves and how to cook, grow and engage with our food systems.

Finance committee  This is extremely important for the health and well-being of children across the country. Many children are food-insecure across the country. About one in four children suffer food insecurity. By providing food at school, we can ensure they have the nutrition, energy and ability to learn and engage in school.

Finance committee  Good morning. On behalf of Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society, and as a member of the Coalition for Healthy School Food, I want to thank you, Mr. Chair and the committee, for inviting me to speak on the budget implementation act. I'm joining you today from Vancouver, which is on the ancestral and unceded homelands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Coast Salish peoples, where Fresh Roots has the privilege to work.