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Amy
Robertson
Amy
was the President of BCARA from 1995-7. She and her
husband, Gregor, owned and operated what is now Glen
Valley Organic Farm in Mt. Lehman, B.C. They raised
certified organic chicken, turkey, and fallow venison
in the beginning, but changed to growing fruits and
vegetables after 4 years. They combined their efforts
with 6 other farms to create "Better Choice Organics",
and trucked produce into Vancouver three times a week.
Amy also helped form "Langley Organic Growers"
another growers co-op which serviced markets such as
Trout Lake and Mission, where she had a weekly stall.
After moving to Cortes Island in 1998, she was president
of the Linnaea Farm Society located on one of BC's largest
land trusts. There they ran an elementary school, an
8 month permaculture school, a market garden and a green
and black smithing shop, along with raising a variety
of livestock. She has recently moved to Vancouver and
has reconnected with the farm in the valley where she
leads school tours.
Amy,Gregor, and their three children live near Nat Bailey
Stadium where Amy hopes to have an active role in the
Wednesday market. |
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Andrea Reimer
Andrea Reimer is the Executive Director of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, Canada's largest membership-based wilderness preservation
organization. A passionate supporter of sustainable community economic development Andrea volunteers with a number of community organizations and currently sits as a director of CCEC Credit Union and Labour Environmental
Alliance Society. She is a former elected trustee on the Vancouver School Board and vocal advocate on food policy issues in the public school system.
Why do I love the Farmers Market? This is the farmer who grows the wheat, this is the baker that bakes the bread, these are a people who eat the bread. Providing a space for these straightforward interactions is fundamental for a vibrant and healthy communities. |
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Liz
Whitton
Liz
Whitton is a farmer's daughter who, in spite of being
a city dweller for many years, likes to be connected
to the land. She is proud of her herb garden and before
her life became too busy, she grew vegetables as well.
She thinks it is very important for city dwellers to
be connected to the growers of their food and is adamant
about buying locally grown food - preferably organic.
She encourages food stores to buy locally and to invite
the producers in to their stores to meet the customers.
Her ultimate goal is to achieve a permanent year round
market in a location that is accessible to people from
all over Vancouver. This would help sustain the organic
farmers with dependable year round income while reducing
economic impact of our community's dependence upon imported
food while also reducing the environmental impact of
agri-business and long distance transportation.
"Visiting food markets is always a major attraction
for me when visiting other cities. I lived in downtown
Toronto for 20 years and it was a family tradition to
spend Saturday mornings at the St. Lawrence Market,
one of Toronto's great cultural institutions which has
been in continual existence for almost 175 years and
has a special indoor hall for local farmers in addition
to the commercial food merchants."
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