Some encouraging news in Canada’s ongoing battle against food insecurity came this week in the form of a new bill introduced by Vancouver Kingsway MP and federal NDP health critic Don Davies. If passed, the bill would require the minister of health to develop a national school food program for all Canadian children at little or no direct cost to children and their families.
In Calgary, the recent sale of Banded Peak Brewing to international beer giant Labatt led to some controversy after it was discovered that the Barley Belt trademark was included in the purchase. Many brewers in Calgary’s Barley Belt collective had initially looked at dropping the trademark entirely, but it appears the associated parties are currently working on a deal to transfer the trademark back.
Lastly, a pair of interesting lists made the news this week: one breaking down the spending habits of Canada’s members of Parliament and the other giving insight into what Canadians eat during the Super Bowl.
Here are six stories you might have missed in food news this week.
Vancouver MP introduces School Food Program for Children Act
Vancouver Kingsway MP and federal NDP health critic Don Davies introduced a new bill this week aimed to create a free, or close to free, nutritious lunch program for children across Canada. Davies added that close to one in six children live in a home that faces food insecurity and that he believes there is a strong correlation between nutrition and academic performance.
Head to CBC News for the full story.
Fairmont Chateau Whistler to pay $85,000 in tips to banquet employees
Earlier this week, multiple news outlets reported that in 2018, the Fairmont Chateau Whistler introduced a new tipping structure wherein banquet staff tips were used to subsidize management wages, which according to the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, was in violation of the Employment Standards Act.
The news was promptly addressed by a spokesperson for the hotel who said that although changes were made to the language of the banquet and event services contracts, at no point in time were employee gratuities impacted. The hotel, however, has agreed to pay the full $85,000 that was claimed to have been withheld as a gesture of good faith.
Check out the Vancouver Sun for more.
Calgary brewing community rally to keep Barley Belt trademark
The geographical collective of breweries (and one distillery) in Southeast Calgary known as the Barley Belt made the news this week after Banded Peak Brewing’s sale to Labatt was revealed to have included the transfer of the Barley Belt trademark. While many of the brewers associated with the Barley Belt initially looked to withdraw from the marketing tag, it was recently reported that the parties are now working to transfer the trademark to a new collective association.
Find the whole story at Live Wire Calgary.
CFIA proposes changes to how much food can be brought into Canada
The CFIA is proposing changes to the amount of food that individuals can bring back with them into Canada to better reflect the typical amount that is moved by travellers for personal use. One of the biggest changes would be to introduce limits based on specific food categories, and the government is looking for feedback from Canadians on all of the proposed changes for each category.
Head to Canada.ca to see the proposed changes and participate in the survey.
The top 10 places Canada’s Parliament claimed food-related expenses
Two weeks ago, Justin Trudeau’s visit to a Winnipeg doughnut shop caused many Canadians to take to Twitter to criticize the prime minister for purchasing expensive gourmet doughnuts instead of opting for cheaper options at Tim Hortons.
This week, a look into expense reports from the last four years revealed that Tim Hortons ranked in the top three businesses for which MPs claimed food-related expenses. Collectively, Canada’s Parliament spent a total of $116,415 at various Tim Hortons locations over the last term.
Find out which MP is spending the most and where they’re spending it at Global News.
What foods do Canadians search for most during Super Bowl
A spokesperson for Reebee--a popular tool used to find grocery store deals--released data from the last two years that depicts the top searches for Super Bowl-related food items across Canada. While many of the top searches were fairly typical game-day snacks, one of the most interesting findings was the stark contrasts between each province.
Get the whole breakdown from Global News.
