Archived events

Food - Can we grow enough and keep it affordable?

November 15, 2022 @ Vancouver, BC

Meet the panelists

  • Lana Popham was elected MLA for Saanich South in 2009, and re-elected in 2013 and 2017. She is the Minister of Agriculture.

    Lana served as the Official Opposition spokesperson for agriculture and food, and small business and as the Official Opposition critic for tourism, arts and culture.

    Lana was raised on Quadra Island in a do-it-yourself community, where growing food, raising animals and harvesting from the sea was a way of life.

    Her interest in urban planning led her to UBC where she graduated with a degree in geography.

    In 1996, Lana made her home in Saanich South. She co-founded and operated Barking Dog Vineyard, the first certified organic vineyard on Vancouver Island. She also managed a crew of vineyard workers who took care of many vineyards on the Saanich Peninsula, and has been a strong advocate for food producers in Saanich for many years.

    Lana served on Saanich’s Planning, Transportation and Economic Development Committee and on the Peninsula Agricultural Commission. She was also president of the Vancouver Island Grape Growers Association, chair of the Certification Committee for the Islands Organic Producers Association, and a member of the Investment Agriculture Board.

    After being elected in 2009, Lana served as Opposition critic for agriculture for eight years. She travelled the province extensively, meeting with farmers, agricultural associations and food advocacy groups. She has championed numerous agricultural initiatives, including the Buy BC programme, improvements to the meat regulations and increased institutional procurement of local food.

    As the MLA for Saanich South, Lana actively supports her constituents and has organized many community meetings, gatherings, rallies and marches. She has also spearheaded successful initiatives such as safety improvements to the intersection of Pat Bay Highway and Sayward Road.

    Lana entered politics to improve the quality of life in Saanich, promote sustainable agriculture and strengthen the provincial response to climate change.

  • Sarah operates a dairy farm in Rosedale, BC alongside her husband Gene and brother in law Grant. Together, they milk 150 cows with three robots and farm 170 acres. With over a decade of dairy farming experience, Sarah has a passion for communicating about modern dairy farming with consumers, partners and policymakers, and connecting with future generations around the importance of a sustainable dairy industry. Sarah serves as BC Dairy’s Vice-Chair, is a board member on the BC Agriculture Council, serves on the Agricultural Advisory Committee for the City of Chilliwack, and has been a delegate for Agrifoods International Cooperative Ltd. since 2016. Sarah is also an advocate for autism awareness, and volunteers for the annual “Saccomaniacs Agriculture for Autism” golf tournament, which raises money for the Pacific Autism Family Network (PAFN). In addition to her role on the executive of the board, Sarah is the chair of the Market Growth committee.

  • Dan Huang-Taylor is the Executive Director of Food Banks BC, the provincial association of food banks comprising 105 members from across the province.

    Joining in the summer of 2020, Dan has led the organization through some of the sector’s most challenging periods in recent years; COVID-19, the fires and floods of 2021, and the rapidly increasing cost of living. Throughout his leadership, Food Banks BC has grown to become a critical resource in times of emergency, working closely with the Provincial Government and other provincial and national stakeholders to address urgent food security needs.

    Dan has spent the last 13 years in the non-profit sector, from front-line client support and program delivery to executive-level roles. Before Food Banks BC, he held senior leadership positions with Open Door Group and The YMCA of Greater Vancouver. Dan also sits on the Vancouver Foundation’s Systems Change Advisory Committee, supporting funding opportunities for organizations that are addressing the root causes of the most pressing issues.

    Dan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business from De Montfort University in Leicester. Originally from the UK, he moved to Canada in 2004 and now lives in Burnaby with his partner and two young daughters.

  • Dr. Frank Mitloehner is a professor and air quality specialist in cooperative extension in the Department of Animal Science at UC Davis. As such, he shares his knowledge and research, both domestically and abroad, with students, scientists, farmers and ranchers, policy makers, and the public at large. Frank is also director of the CLEAR Center, which has two cores – research and communications. The CLEAR Center brings clarity to the intersection of animal agriculture and the environment, helping our global community understand the environmental and human health impacts of livestock, so we can make informed decisions about the foods we eat and while reducing environmental impacts.

    Frank is committed to making a difference for generations to come. As part of his position with UC Davisand Cooperative Extension, he collaborates with the animal agriculture sector to create better efficiencies and mitigate pollutants. He is passionate about understanding and mitigating air emissions from livestock operations, as well as studying the implications of these emissions on the health of farm workers and neighboring communities. In addition, he is focusing on the food production challenge that will become a global issue as the world’s population grows to nearly 10 billion by 2050.

    Frank received a Master of Science degree in animal science and agricultural engineering from the University of Leipzig, Germany, and a doctoral degree in animal science from Texas Tech University. Frank was recruited by UC Davis in 2002, to fill its first-ever position focusing on the relationship between livestock and air quality.

  • Ned Bell is a well-known Canadian culinary talent who has forged a path as a chef, sustainable seafood advocate, keynote speaker and educator. As one of the country’s leading chefs, he uses his voice, outgoing personality, and indomitable spirit to stand up for the world’s lakes, oceans, rivers, in addition to hyper-local farming sustainability through brand ambassador roles. Based in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, Ned can be found at Naramata Inn as Executive Chef and partner, in Chef Ambassador roles at Ocean Wise and Buy BC, and as culinary and restaurant consultant at Hatch Hospitality Inc.

  • Glenda Luymes is a reporter at the Vancouver Sun and Province. She began her career at the Province in 2005 covering the Fraser Valley, where food production is increasingly challenged by urban development. More recently she's written about agriculture and pandemic-related labour and supply chain issues, food security and the impacts of climate change, including floods and wildfires.

  • Cherie is a 4th generation rancher and CEO of CL Ranches Ltd., a cow/calf, backgrounding and mixed grain operation located in Jumping Pound, just west of Calgary, Alberta Canada. Cherie is a Director of the Calgary Stampede and co-chair of the Government of Alberta’s Red Tape Reduction Panel for Agriculture as well as sitting on numerous post-secondary advisory boards. Cherie was also the founding chair of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and was a member of the Executive Committee for the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef as they developed global beef sustainability goals in 2021. As the mother of a 5th generation of ranchers, sustainability is something near and dear to her heart.