When the COVID-19 outbreak began last spring, Victoria city council directed park staff to start growing vegetable seedlings in Beacon Hill Park nurseries for people in need.
Since then, councillors say, Get Growing, Victoria has partnered with 42 community groups to distribute 81,000 plant starts to vulnerable residents who would otherwise be unable to grow their own food.
Now, council has endorsed the idea of making the project an annual program as a way to build a more resilient local food system.
Coun. Ben Isitt, who championed the initiative along with Coun. Jeremy Loveday, called it a “real success story” that highlights the partnership between city staff and community agencies.
“We’ve all heard from members of the public in terms of the degree of support for this program and how it’s one of the more inspiring examples of municipal action during the pandemic,” he said.
Mayor Lisa Helps noted previously that the project continues a city tradition of helping out when times get tough. City staff grew potatoes in Beacon Hill Park in the Great Depression and participated in the Victory gardening program during the Second World War.
This time, those eligible to receive the plant starts included people who had lost their jobs as well as seniors, at-risk youth, vulnerable families, people with disabilities and Indigenous people.
City staff offered 17 different types of vegetables and herbs as well as soil, mulch, compost, containers and education materials on gardening.
“I think this is one of the silver linings or shining lights that’s come out of the pandemic,” Helps said. “It’s received national attention. It inspired our lieutenant governor to convert a whole bunch of her lawn into food growing.”
Helps said the program required little taxpayer input for a “very, very strong and big output:” building resilience and getting food into the hands of the people who need it the most.
“And [they’ll] also have that experience of what it feels like to grow — whether you’re growing on a balcony or in a community garden or at social housing sites.”
Coun. Geoff Young was alone in opposing continuing to provide free plants to residents
“I don’t think it’s a good use of city funds,” he said. “I think it’s appropriate that we keep our parks attractive, our streets attractive.
“We expect that we will have tourists returning and we expect that we will have people able to enjoy our parks once again at some point in the future, and I think that’s where the resources of our horticultural staff should be devoted.”
Staff will report back on the results of the Get Growing, Victoria program and the implications of making it permanent before council makes a final decision.
lkines@timescolonist.com
