Vancouver Greens on food: permanent farmers markets, shared kitchens, a food hub
The Green Party of Vancouver would bring back city food policy planning, give recurring farmers markets a permanent framework, expand food recovery, add shared commercial kitchens and rooftop farms, and plan a Future Food Hub to replace aging regional food infrastructure.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT · PAGES 39 TO 40
Food Systems and Agritech: what the Platform 2026 says
The Green Party of Vancouver's food chapter runs across two pages. It covers how food reaches people in the city, from farmers markets and surplus food to the kitchens where small food businesses cook. The party links food to trade: it says farmers markets support food sovereignty, meaning local control over the food supply, in times of trade and economic turmoil.
Farmers markets get two separate promises. The Greens would restart food policy planning at the City and write a new strategy to spread independent food and farmers markets across the city. They would also replace the current mix of one-off approvals and temporary licences with a clear framework, so markets that run on a regular schedule can operate with more certainty.
The party would support the groups that collect surplus food from grocery stores, restaurants, farms and events and give it to people in need. It would encourage vertical gardens, rooftop farms and indoor hydroponics, which means growing plants in water instead of soil. The Greens would also add shared commercial kitchens where caterers and new food businesses can cook and package food.
The largest item is a Future Food Hub. The platform says the region's food distribution buildings are aging, and it would plan one shared site for wholesale distribution, local food processing, food recovery and food security. Council controls city licences, zoning and planning staff, so it could act on the farmers market, kitchen and rooftop farm items. A regional food hub would need partners outside City Hall.
8 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
Support and grow food recovery network
The Greens would strengthen and expand Vancouver's food recovery network by supporting organizations that rescue surplus food from grocery stores, restaurants, farms, institutions and events and redirect it to people in need. The party says this would cut food waste and improve access to healthy food.
- Who has the power
- City, with others The rescue work is done by independent organizations, and council can support them with city grants or space.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 39
Growing a food/farmers market strategy
The party would reinstate food policy planning at the City and develop a new strategy for spreading independent food and farmers markets, and food production, across the city. It says farmers markets support local food, small businesses and neighbourhood gathering, and a network for food sovereignty in times of trade and economic turmoil.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council decides what planning work city staff do, so it can restart food policy planning and order a new strategy.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 39
Support permanent, regularized farmers markets
The Greens would replace ad hoc approvals and temporary licensing with a clear, streamlined framework that lets recurring farmers markets operate with more certainty.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council issues business licences and sets the city's approval rules for markets.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 39
Urban food production
The party would encourage better use of limited space with vertical gardens, rooftop farms, energy-efficient indoor hydroponics and other urban agriculture in public and private developments.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council sets zoning and development conditions, which decide what can be built on roofs and in new buildings.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 39
Food innovation and commissary kitchens
The Greens would create more shared commercial kitchen space for local food manufacturing, food innovation, catering businesses and new food enterprises. The party says a stronger food economy starts with affordable places to produce, process and distribute food locally.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council controls zoning and city-owned space, which decide where shared kitchens can open.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 39
Plant-based food economy
The party would support Vancouver's leadership in plant-based foods, sustainable food production and food innovation, while growing local businesses and creating green jobs.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council decides what business support the city offers through its own staff and budget.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 40
Healthy food, healthy planet
The Greens would encourage climate-friendly food systems and support projects that improve access to affordable, sustainable and nutritious food for all residents.
- Who has the power
- City, with others Council can fund and encourage projects, and the wider food system also depends on growers, stores and other governments.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 40
Future Food Hub
The party would plan to replace and modernize aging regional food distribution infrastructure with a co-located food hub, one site that supports wholesale distribution, local food processing, food recovery, innovation and food security. The platform says a resilient city needs resilient food infrastructure.
- Who has the power
- City, with others The platform describes regional infrastructure, so the city would need partners beyond its own government to plan and build it.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 40
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about food systems and agritech
What is the Green Party of Vancouver's plan for farmers markets?
The Green Party of Vancouver would reinstate food policy planning at the City and write a new strategy to spread independent food and farmers markets across the city. It would also replace ad hoc approvals and temporary licences with a clear framework so recurring markets can operate with more certainty (platform, page 39).
What is the Vancouver Greens' Future Food Hub?
The Future Food Hub is the Vancouver Greens' plan to replace aging regional food distribution infrastructure with one shared site. It would support wholesale distribution, local food processing, food recovery, innovation and food security (platform, page 40).
Would the Green Party of Vancouver support rooftop farms?
Yes. The Green Party of Vancouver would encourage vertical gardens, rooftop farms, energy-efficient indoor hydroponics and other urban agriculture in public and private developments (platform, page 39).
What would the Vancouver Green Party do about food waste?
The Vancouver Green Party would strengthen and expand the city's food recovery network by supporting groups that collect surplus food from grocery stores, restaurants, farms, institutions and events and give it to people in need (platform, page 39).
Does the Green Party of Vancouver support commissary kitchens for food businesses?
Yes. The Green Party of Vancouver would create more shared commercial kitchen space for local food manufacturing, food innovation, catering businesses and new food enterprises (platform, page 39).
Who would have to act on the Green Party of Vancouver's food plan?
Council could restart city food policy planning, change the licensing rules for farmers markets, and set zoning for rooftop farms and shared kitchens. The Green Party of Vancouver's Future Food Hub is described as regional infrastructure, so it would need partners outside City Hall (platform, pages 39 to 40).
ON THE BALLOT
The Green Party of Vancouver candidates behind this
Sources
Every commitment on this page comes from the party's own material, marked SAYS SO ITSELF. It proves what the party says it would do. Who holds each power is our own addition, from the sources listed after it.
- Platform 2026, Green Party of Vancouver (72-page PDF, last updated September 29, 2026) SAYS SO ITSELFGreen Party of Vancouver · pages 39 to 40 · published · checked