City explores high-tech greenhouses for local food production

At council’s meeting on Mar. 11, delegates from the Food Charity Association of Canada presented what they described as a high-tech greenhouse initiative to provide food security for Burnaby residents. Jason O’Brien, food security coordinator, and Alastair Gregor, executive director of the association and chairman of the project, asked the city for two acres of city-owned land for the greenhouse. The delegates said they had approached the City of Vancouver to build another greenhouse and hoped to acquire land in Vancouver and Burnaby for the project. 

However, at the time of publication, information about the Food Charity Association of Canada was not readily available and it was not registered as a charity. Gregor is also CEO of Blue Gold Labs, a company that, under the project proposal, would provide some of the building materials for the greenhouses and is the only supplier of these materials in Canada, according to Gregor. 

“At Blue Gold, we have a whole plethora of water technologies, lighting technologies, greenhouse technologies that I’m bringing forward into this project,” he said. 

Gregor said the project would be funded through an annual raffle in Vancouver and Toronto and subscription boxes for people for about 30-35% of the food the greenhouses produce. “That would be enough money to pay for the greenhouse for the year, pay the employees a proper living wage, and have enough food to donate to the food hubs.” 

Gregor said the greenhouses would employ people with disabilities, people from marginalized communities, women of colour, youths, and seniors. The project would require a two-acre parcel of land in Burnaby and a similar one in Vancouver to meet provincial minimums for agricultural land. 

The councillors welcomed the idea and voted to direct city staff to look into the project’s feasibility.

A new patio for Mintara on Burnaby Mountain  

Council approved a new patio project for Mintara restaurant and event centre on Burnaby Mountain, costing $2,628,300. 

The 2,000-square-foot new patio will add 50 seats to the restaurant’s current 120 seats. According to a report submitted to council, the patio will be operational in all seasons and enclosed with glass panels. It will have a radiant floor heating system for winter use and cooling systems for the summer. The patio will include a bar and barbecue section and be fully wheelchair-accessible. In addition, a gazebo will be installed at a later stage. 

According to Mehrdad Bozorgnia, parks, recreation, and culture project manager, Mintara restaurant is open five days a week to the general public, Wednesday to Sunday, and last year, it generated $700,000 from events and $350,000 from the restaurant. 

The report said the patio construction will start in September 2024 and the gazebo in 2025. 

“The patio design has been carefully developed to complement both the existing architecture and the adjacent ‘The Playground of The Gods.’ It will enhance the Event Centre’s functionality and aesthetic appeal,” the council report said.  

$3M for a non-market housing project 

During the Mar. 11 meeting, council also approved a $3,054,700 grant from the Community Benefit Bonus Affordable Housing Reserve for S.U.C.C.E.S.S. for non-market housing on a city-owned site at 3838 Hastings St. 

According to Wendy Tse, director of community planning, the grant covers city fees, development cost charges, engineering fees, and off-site works. Tse said BC Housing funds most of the project. 

Coun. Sav Dhaliwal said the city’s contribution is higher than the contributions of the other two orders of government combined, including the value of the land and the development grants. He said this highlights the city’s commitment and support for affordable housing. 

During the meeting, council also approved $3.7M for the Deer Lake Trail Loop and pedestrian bridge. The project is expected to take 12-24 months to complete. 

This piece was made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

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