Episode 147. Food for thought: The Vancouver Night Market, food deserts, and organizing against poverty

Show Notes:

A cornucopia of great stories! In this episode we look at food security issues, the sounds and stories of the Vancouver Night Market, organizing against poverty in Toronto, and uncovering the Hidden Film Festival.

[1:53]

Dateline: Vancouver. 2011. The city’s landscape and skyline is rapidly changing.  Height restrictions have been removed from Vancouver’s historic Chinatown. This change is affecting, among other things, the Night Market., where Chinatown businesses and vendors take their work outdoors and sell their wares every weekend. Fast forward to 2013, and Vancouver’s Night Market is 18 years old. It is the only night market in North America, and the changes continue. Co-op Radio’s Tanya Hill is capturing the sounds and stories of the new era of the Night Market in a series of short documentaries.  Here is the first tasty report. 

[10:05]
Canada has issues - food security issues. In fact, almost 10 percent of Canadians face challenges when it comes to obtaining healthy food.  If Vancouverites can’t come to the food, one Vancouver community is taking the food to them.

[20:03]

We’ll hear from one anti-poverty activist working with a Toronto neighbourhood. They’re organizing. Not just to improve their situation but to change the system itself.

[29:14]

Movie companies and film festivals spend millions of dollars promoting their films, from ads to product tie-ins.  But what if you had a festival where that refused to disclose its film lineup? Spoiler alert:  people will line up for the show.