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Downtown WinnipegCommunity Food Assessment

Downtown Winnipeg Community Food Assessment

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The Downtown Community Food Assessment was completed in 2013 by Food Matters Manitoba

in partnership with several downtown individuals, agencies, and businesses. Funding for this project was provided by The Winnipeg Foundation.


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Table of ContentsExecutive Summary ................................................................................................................................ 4

Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 6

Methodology and Objectives ............................................................................................................. 8

Downtown Development – A Brief History ................................................................................... 9

Living Downtown ..................................................................................................................................10

Downtown Food Economy ................................................................................................................15

Community Food Resources .............................................................................................................20

Food Access .............................................................................................................................................23

Health and Nutrition ............................................................................................................................28

Aboriginal Peoples and Food ............................................................................................................30

Newcomers and Food ..........................................................................................................................31

Schools and Food ..................................................................................................................................33

Seniors and Food ...................................................................................................................................36

The Downtown Vision ..........................................................................................................................38

Appendix A: Downtown CFA Advisory Committee ..................................................................40

Appendix B: Key Informant Interviews & Focus Groups ..........................................................41

Appendix C: Neighbourhood Profiles ............................................................................................42

Appendix D: Food Retail Inventory .................................................................................................43

Appendix E: Community Food Resources ....................................................................................45

Appendix F: School Proximity to Fast Food & Convenience Stores ....................................48

Appendix G: Summary of Recommendations ............................................................................51

References ................................................................................................................................................54

Executive SummaryWith the closure of three grocery stores in the past two years, the food landscape of downtown Winnipeg has changed dramatically. Access to healthy, affordable foods has plunged, forcing downtown residents to rely on stores with fewer healthy options, pay more for food, and travel long distances to access the food they need.

Ironically, this reduction in services for people living downtown is occurring at the same time that several new downtown residential developments are underway. More people will be living downtown, but without access to the basic essential service provided by a full-service grocery store. Downtown residents, students, and workers spend $350 million on groceries annually. Yet, due to the lack of grocery

stores, 80 to 85% - nearly $300 million - is lost to large supermarkets outside the downtown area (Kaufmann, 2013). Seniors, those with limited mobility, and families have been particularly affected by the closure of grocery stores and the reduced access to food.

Downtown’s food challenges go well beyond geographic considerations. Many people downtown live with limited incomes and face economic barriers to accessing food. As a consequence, hunger and poor nutrition are an unfortunate reality for some downtown residents. In fact, downtown is categorized as a “least healthy” neighbourhood in Winnipeg (Fransoo et al., 2011).1 Aboriginal community members face multiple

KEY OPPORTUNITIES

1. Geographic Food Access: Improve access to fresh, healthy and affordable food through the establishment of a full-service grocery store downtown

2. Economic Food Access: Increase the minimum wage, employment and income assistance rates to ensure that every individual has an adequate income to be able to afford basic necessities, such as food, housing, clothing, and transportation

3. Food Skills & Training: Promote universal access to food skills and knowledge by providing classes on how to prepare healthy, low-cost meals

4. Aboriginal Peoples: Provide food programming for youth that integrates traditional Aboriginal recipes and food into classes and snack programs

5. Newcomers: Provide opportunities for newcomers to take food handlers’ training and certification with appropriate EAL learning techniques

6. Schools: Allocate a portion of green space for growing a garden, allowing children to experience first-hand where their food comes from and how it grows

1 The designation of being a “least healthy” neighbourhood is based on the rates of premature mortality, meaning death before the age of 75.


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barriers to accessing healthy food and are at a higher risk for many diet-related diseases. Newcomers deal with huge adjustments in nourishment and food culture upon their arrival to Canada, and although downtown has a large number of ethnic food retailers and restaurants, the foods that people know from back home are often hard to access, expensive or not available.

Many families and individuals downtown have developed an increased dependence on processed foods and fast foods as a result of busy schedules and trying to find quick and easy ways to eat meals. As a result, many residents are losing their connection to food and the idea of cooking from scratch is intimidating. However, there is a desire to transition towards a healthier diet that will positively contribute to increased energy, improved mood and a reduced risk of diet-related chronic illness. While community conversations have brought to light the complex issues associated with behavior change, there is an interest in collaborating to generate community led solutions through experiential learning and education around nutrition and food skills.

During this community food assessment downtown residents talked about a positive vision for Downtown - a vision of community food security - where all downtown residents can “obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes community self-reliance and social justice” (Hamm & Bellows, 2003, 37). This will require addressing the key issues of geographic food access, economic access to food, and equipping downtown residents with food

skills and opportunities to use them. What happens downtown does not just affect those that live there. Every day, nearly one in five Winnipeggers lives, works, or studies downtown. Consequently, food issues downtown affect Winnipeggers who live across the city.

This community food assessment provides a foundation on which to build the vision of community food security outlined by the downtown community. Many stakeholders have a role in achieving this vision, including all levels of government, health care providers, schools, the private sector, and the non-profit community. The recommendations found in this report are based on a multitude of consultations and reports dedicated to the wellbeing of the downtown community. The time has now come to stop consulting and take action by implementing the recommendations found in this report and thereby addressing the issues of food insecurity in downtown Winnipeg.

Introduction


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Downtown is a hub of activity where Winnipeggers gather to work, study, and enjoy social activities. In fact, on weekdays 17% of Winnipeg lives, works, or studies downtown. In this way downtown is different than other neighbourhoods, having a variety of stakeholders with competing needs, but who are similarly affected by its development. Downtown is considered a destination, not a home, to most Winnipeggers – a perception that has affected the food landscape as restaurants are prioritized over food retail. Yet in recent years residential developments have been proposed

and are under construction, increasing the demand for more food retail in the downtown area. This increased demand combined with the closure of three grocery stores over the past two years has exacerbated the challenges associated with food access downtown.

The residents of downtown Winnipeg are facing more barriers as they attempt to access healthy and affordable food. For many, losing access to nearby grocery stores means a lower quality of life, reduced availability of healthy food, and more time and money spent

on transportation. Additionally, many residents of downtown are vulnerable to rising food prices, the result of which has meant that healthy foods are no longer as affordable. Food access, in short, whether caused by geography or economics is one of the major challenges in Winnipeg’s downtown.

Winnipeggers have become aware of the “food desert”2 that exists downtown, but food concerns expressed by downtown residents go beyond food access. One of the other key issues that emerged from the assessment was a need for additional

2 Food deserts are neighbourhoods where residents have little or no access to grocery stores and restaurants that provide healthy, affordable, fresh food.


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food skills and knowledge. Many people living downtown have challenges preparing healthy food. Others have food skills, but are trying to adapt them to a new country and context.

Downtown is fortunate to have a large non-profit and community organization presence to meet the unique barriers faced by residents. However, downtown’s increasingly diverse population has meant new challenges for community and governmental organizations. Additionally, a number of residents are unfamiliar with services and supports that are available to them.

The communities that comprise Winnipeg’s downtown are diverse. From the high-rise towers of Portage and Main to the primarily residential neighbourhoods of Spence and West Broadway, Downtown encompasses a variety of neighbourhoods, each with unique demographics and socioeconomics. Despite this diversity, three key issues were repeatedly highlighted throughout the community food assessment. These three issues were:

1. Geographic Food Access

2. Economic Food Access

3. Food Skills & Training

The downtown envisioned by the participants in this community food assessment is a welcoming community that is enriched by the food cultures and traditions of downtown residents; a place that is not only meant for work or play but

also a place to live; a place where all can access a grocery store and buy healthy foods for their families; a place where

people can experience a connection to others through community programs, food businesses, and in celebration.

Figure 1: Downtown Boundaries

Methodology and Objectives


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For the purposes of this report, downtown Winnipeg is defined using the boundaries of the City of Winnipeg’s East Downtown cluster, which consists of 16 neighbourhoods (See Figure 1 above). These boundaries were chosen because these neighbourhoods have been the most affected by recent grocery store closures and they are the neighbourhoods that would most likely be understood to be “Downtown”. Many of these neighbourhoods have large populations of people with food access challenges due to income and other barriers.

Through community consultation and background research, the community food assessment process involved indentifying existing resources and assets, assessing barriers and challenges, and developing community solutions.

Food Matters Manitoba received funding from the Winnipeg Foundation to conduct this community food assessment. Several methods of community engagement were used:

• A Downtown Community Food Assessment Advisory Committee was established and comprised a diversity of stakeholders with expertise and interest in food security issues downtown (See Appendix A for a full list of committee members);

• Consultations were conducted with over 300 community members in the form of focus groups, individual interviews, a community food forum, presentations, and dialogue

with neighbourhood residential councils (See Appendix B for a complete list of consultations). These included:

- Four neighbourhood council meetings.

- 11 focus groups held with 85 individuals who included seniors, Aboriginal peoples, newcomers, single mothers, community workers, students, downtown residents, and young professionals. The number of participants per consultation ranged from five to 12.

- 19 semi-structured interviews conducted with 15 different organizations.

- Community Food Forum held on April 30th, 2013 in Portage Place with 115 community members in attendance. A key demographic involved in this event was seniors.

• Statistical and policy data on various elements of the food and economic system in Downtown were reviewed and utilized;

• Resources, services and food access points were mapped using input from community mapping activities, internet searches, and a Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping tool.

ObjectivesThe Advisory Committee of the Downtown Community Food Assessment worked alongside the Project Coordinator to ensure that the food assessment focused on the key food issues determined by downtown residents and organizations:

• Increase community awareness of and participation in food-related projects;

• Help articulate a vision of what the needs are within the community;

• Help set priorities and goals to improve the local food system;

• Identify potential partners, community resources, opportunities, barriers, and challenges;

• Build new and stronger networks, partnerships and coalitions within the community;

• Provide data that can be used in future proposals and reports; and

• Provide support for the implementation of projects and programs identified by the community.


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Downtown Development – A Brief HistoryPortage Avenue was once one of Canada’s great downtown boulevards, filled with bustling office buildings, restaurants, retail stores and movie theatres. By the 1960s, however, suburban development was beginning to draw business and public attention away from Downtown. The result was a long series of revitalization efforts intended to enhance Downtown as a place to live, work, and visit. For example, over the last several decades commercial retail opportunities have been created through large development projects such as Winnipeg Square, Eaton Place (now Cityplace), Portage Place Shopping Centre, and The Forks Market.

More recently, in July 2011, the City of Winnipeg approved a plan, OurWinnipeg, to guide the development of the city over the next 25 years. The plan includes a specific vision for the downtown. Through OurWinnipeg, Downtown was divided into four zones:

• University zone surrounding the University of Winnipeg campus;

• Retail zone encompassing Portage Place and The Bay;

• Sports, hospitality and entertainment district (SHED) incorporating the MTS Centre and the Convention Centre; and

• Commercial zone near the corner of Portage and Main.

Political focus and financial resources have been used to achieve this vision, with signs of additional development, including expansions of the University

of Winnipeg campus and the Winnipeg Convention Centre, as well as new hotel and office complexes. This development has resulted in mixed reactions from downtown residents. For example, one focus group participant suggested that downtown development should “bolster a sense of community and increase services” for existing residents rather than focus on downtown as an entertainment or commercial district. Several resident groups expressed similar concerns, feeling that marketing campaigns and public funding has been geared towards attracting new residents, rather than meeting the needs of existing residents.

Residential growth has been an increasing focus in downtown Winnipeg. One of the main goals of downtown population densification is the hope that the area will be more appealing for retail grocery stores and other food businesses. According to the Downtown Winnipeg Biz report, 2010-2012 Downtown Trends: Downtown Winnipeg Market Research, there have been 893 housing units constructed downtown since 2005, with plans for 366 more. The residential development includes condos (369 units), rental properties (248 units), an assisted living complex (42 units), University of Winnipeg student residences (168 units), and seniors housing (48 units). It was anticipated that between 2006 and 2011, the population of downtown would grow between 13.5% and 22.5%, with growth focused in the Exchange District, Broadway-Assiniboine, The Forks, Civic Centre, and South Portage (Downtown Winnipeg Biz, 2012b).

“It’s hard to keep up with all of these changes going on Downtown. My biggest concern is who are these changes really benefiting? Us, as residents, or people who visit Downtown?”

-Downtown Resident

Living Downtown


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Downtown Winnipeg is a rapidly evolving community that includes students, young and established professionals, families, newcomers, and seniors. Downtown has an area of 6.3 km2 and a population of 29,960 people living in thirteen neighbourhoods.

Figure 2: Downtown Resident Age Distribution

There are many different reasons why people have decided to make Downtown home. The top two reasons for living Downtown according to the Downtown Resident Survey were the ability to walk to work and the close proximity to shops and restaurants.

Downtown has a high percentage of people under the age of 40 (see Figure 2). Young professionals have decided to relocate so they can walk and bike to work, while also having easy access

to entertainment, festivals and a rich arts and culture scene. One young professional who found employment downtown expressed his strong desire for community connectedness and being able to live in a neighbourhood that supported walking as the main mode of transportation. He said, “I value the ability to walk to work and for all of my shopping needs. After I graduated and found work Downtown, I felt living in the community could offer me the amenities that fit my lifestyle.”

Students who live Downtown and attend the University of Winnipeg and Red River College are in close proximity to their academic institutions and have easy access to many public transportation routes. A student attending the University of Winnipeg highlighted the benefits of reduced transportation costs now that she lives downtown, “as a student on a limited budget I moved closer to the University so I could reduce my transportation costs and save money.”

For many newcomers, downtown not only provides the convenience of a central location but is also an area that already has established supportive resources and presents opportunities to connect with familiar cultures and traditions. As a result, the percentage of downtown residents who are visible minorities is more than double the City of Winnipeg - 33% downtown compared to 16% in Winnipeg (Downtown Winnipeg Biz, 2010).

For seniors it is important that there are essential amenities close by, allowing them to remain healthy and independent. One retired senior commented on living downtown, “I relocated downtown

because I was encouraged to and told there would be easy access to all my needs within walking distance including a grocery store, pharmacy, and activities. My independence is very important to me, and the fact that I am on a fixed income influences where I shop and what I can buy.”

People have moved downtown for many reasons, but one of the main themes that emerged from the research is that Downtown is a community that complements their lifestyle and allows the freedom to walk, bike, wheel, or take public transportation. One of the biggest gaps identified was the lack of food retailers that sell healthy, fresh and affordable food options that meet the diverse dietary needs and daily routines of downtown residents.

Neighbourhood ProfilesOf the 17 neighbourhoods downtown, four of these – Civic Centre, The Forks, Portage and Main, and Legislature – are neighbourhoods most associated with commercial and government services. This section will focus on the 13 residential neighbourhoods that make up the downtown (see Figure 3 below). These neighbourhoods are diverse, with unique socioeconomic and demographic compositions. Consequently, the opportunities, existing resources, and challenges experienced by these communities are diverse and distinctive. A summary of key characteristics can be found in Appendix C.

Armstrong PointArmstrong Point, often referred to as ‘The Gates’, is an affluent neighbourhood with a small population of 360. It has the second highest average income

0 - 19 years of age = 21%

20 - 39 years of age = 37%

40 - 64 years of age = 30%

65 + years of age = 12%

21%12%

30%

37%


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and household ownership in the downtown area, and no low-income families. Car ownership in Armstrong Point is the highest of all the Downtown neighbourhoods.

Armstrong Point is not home to any food businesses but is in close proximity to restaurants and a full-service grocery store in West Broadway. Additionally, due to the high average income and high level of car ownership, Armstrong Point residents often leave downtown to do their grocery shopping.

Broadway-AssiniboineBroadway-Assiniboine is located in the southernmost part of Downtown and is one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods. The neighbourhood is largely made up of young, highly educated professionals, and two-thirds of the population lives in single-person households (compared to one-third for the Winnipeg as a whole).

Restaurants and convenience stores dominate the food economy of Broadway-Assiniboine. The majority of these restaurants are located along Broadway. There are no full-service grocery stores in Broadway-Assiniboine, although many residents frequent the Family Foods located in South Portage. Additionally, since the population is relatively affluent, young, and mobile, people in this neighbourhood often frequent stores outside the downtown area to do their grocery shopping.

CentennialEconomic access to food is a key concern in the Centennial neighbourhood, which has the highest percentage of single-parent families (56%), the highest unemployment level, and the lowest education level downtown (53% of people have less than a Grade 9 education). The neighbourhood also has the largest Aboriginal population of all the downtown neighbourhoods at 45%.

Figure 3: Map of East Downtown

CENTRAl NEIGhBOURhOODS DEvElOPMENT CORPORATION (CNDC)CNDC works closely with Centennial, West Alexander, and Central Park neighbourhoods. Community Development Coordinators work with the community and residents’ associations to address housing, safety, recreation, and education priorities. The organization puts out a quarterly newsletter, Central Citizen, which highlights events and programs downtown.

KNOx UNITED ChURChOne of the key community facilities in Central Park is Knox United Church, which plays a variety of roles in the community and provides space for many community classes and organizations. One such organization is the Central Park Women’s Resource Centre, which strives to incorporate food and nutrition in many of its programs. The centre has created and sells a cookbook with recipes from all over the world, highlighting the diversity and wealth of knowledge in the community.

Knox Community Kitchen opened in June 2013 and is accessible 24-hours a day in order to enable low-income individuals to start up businesses in food production and catering. It also provides established and growing food entrepreneurs with kitchen rental space. These fees help with operating and maintenance costs.

Living Downtown


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Since the closure of Riediger’s Supermarket, there have been no stores within the neighbourhood that sell fresh food. Families prefer to shop at large, discount grocery stores like Superstore and Walmart so they can stretch their budget further. Many rely on rides from family members, meaning that sometimes they can only go once a month. In these cases they choose to stock up on canned goods, frozen and processed foods that will last until they can arrange to go shopping again.

Central ParkCentral Park is home to one of the largest urban parks in Winnipeg, also named Central Park, and is a gathering place for many families living in the community. There is a strong sense of cultural identity in the community. Of all the refugees who come to Winnipeg, 70% live downtown, and many of these live in and around the Central Park area. The growing African population (20% of the neighbourhood) has created a strong sense of community and culture with events like World Refugee Day and Canada Day celebrations bringing neighbours together.

Many families from the area now shop at Giant Tiger and Dollarama on a regular basis. There are three convenience stores located within the community: Mac’s, Mass, and Teddy’s. Ethnic stores in and near the neighbourhood cater to the diverse needs of the community’s newcomer population.

China Town China Town is home to the highest proportion of Chinese people downtown. A variety of resources serve the local Chinese community, including

the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and Community Centre, a centre for arts and learning, and the only Chinese-language library in Manitoba. Residents in China Town have the lowest average income and the second highest senior population downtown.

China Town’s food economy is rooted in the community’s culture. The neighbourhood is home to numerous specialty stores and restaurants, making it a destination for Winnipeggers from across the city.

Colony Colony has a relatively small population of 715 and over 50% of residents are between the ages of 20 to 34. Centred around the University of Winnipeg, many of the residents are post-secondary students living in a handful of high-rise apartment buildings. The population is also more diverse than the city as a whole, as 32% of the population identifies as a visible minority (compared to 16% in Winnipeg).

Colony once had excellent access to a retail grocery store due to its close proximity to the former downtown Zellers location. This closure has meant that residents have had to travel substantially further to access food. As few residents have vehicles, this usually means that people are shopping using public transit. There are a variety of restaurants and cafeterias available in the neighbourhood, most of which are connected to the University of Winnipeg or who cater primarily to the student market.

Exchange District In recent years, an increasing number of people are moving into the Exchange

District as warehouse buildings are renovated for residential condo development. This population tends to be young professionals. The majority of residents are between the age of 25 and 45. The neighbourhood also has the highest percentage of home owners and the highest average family income downtown.

There are numerous restaurants and bakeries located in the Exchange District, with a few of them serving local ingredients produced in Manitoba. These restaurants cater not only to local residents, but also to the large commuter population and tourists who come for arts and cultural events. There was one small grocer in the Exchange District, Sacco & Vanzetti’s Grocery and Deli, which was part of the cooperative that also ran the Mondragon Bookstore & Coffeehouse; however the grocer and restaurant closed in January of 2014. The Exchange District is far from any full-service grocery stores.

SIlOAM MISSIONIn 2005 Siloam Mission moved to its new location at 300 Princess Street, which is in the Logan C.P.R. neighbourhood. The organization has grown from offering meals and clothing to also providing employment training, art therapy, computer training. It is also home to Hannah’s Place Emergency Shelter and Saul Sair Health Centre. Siloam offers 3 hot meals a day, 365 days a year. These meals are all made with donations from the community.


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logan C.P.R.Logan C.P.R., with a population of 300 people, has the smallest population of all the residential neighbourhoods in the downtown area. This is partly due to its location next to the Canadian Pacific Railway’s switching yards. There is a small amount of residential housing along Patrick and Laura Streets located in the west end of the neighbourhood that dates back to the first decade of the 20th century. According to the 2006 Census, residents are fairly young, with seniors comprising only 6% of the population. Aboriginal peoples make up 18% of the population.

There are very few stores in Logan C.P.R., and most are located on the boundaries of the neighbourhood - along McPhillips Street and Logan Avenue – making them harder to reach by walking. The lack of amenities in the neighbourhood may explain why over 75% of the population drives a personal vehicle or uses public transit as their main mode of transportation.

Portage-ElliceBordered by Ellice to the North, Portage to the South, Notre Dame on the East and Colony on the West, Portage-Ellice is home to several apartment buildings and retirement complexes. The neighbourhood has experienced a 29% increase in population in the past decade and is home to the highest percentage of residents older than 65. More recently, new residential development has occurred at Portage Avenue and Smith Street and the new Glasshouse Skylofts condo development is currently being built at Portage and Donald.

Portage Place Mall is located within Portage-Ellice giving residents close access to downtown’s skywalk, which provides year-round indoor access to many of downtown’s amenities. Previously, this included easy access to the Zellers grocery store and its closure has resulted in a significant reduction in food access for many Portage-Ellice residents. Portage Place Mall is also home to a food court with 15 fast food restaurants.

SpenceSpence is a fast growing community. The community has experienced a 13% growth in the past decade and has the highest percentage of children and youth downtown (38%). The community is largely made up of young families, which is reflected in the variety of community services available in the neighbourhood.

A Safeway store is located just west of the Spence neighbourhood, providing

the closest access to a full service grocery store. The neighbourhood is also served by several convenience stores

SPENCE NEIGhBOURhOOD ASSOCIATIONThe Spence Neighbourhood Association has a strong connection with the community. Their mandate is to work with the community on revitalization and renewal projects. The key areas of focus are community connecting, holistic housing, community economic development, environment and open spaces, and youth and families. While food is not one of their main goals, it is indirectly linked to many of the existing programs. Their work with food involves community gardening, snack programs, and health and nutrition resources.

West End Biz at the corner of Portage & langside.

Living Downtown


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and family-owned restaurants. These businesses cater to the neighbourhood’s diverse population.

South Portage South Portage is located between Portage Avenue and Broadway, Main Street and Memorial Boulevard. Residents enjoy walking as the most common transportation method (34%), which is more than five times the Winnipeg average (6%). The average employment income is lower than Winnipeg, but one of the highest Downtown at $24,856.

South Portage receives many visitors on a daily basis for a variety of attractions. The neighbourhood is the home to the Millennium Library, the Winnipeg Convention Centre, Law Courts and the MTS Centre as well as quite a few office buildings and hotels. It also includes Winnipeg’s public transit hub located at the Graham Avenue Transit Mall.

The food economy in South Portage caters to the commuter population, with large numbers of restaurants open particularly for breakfast and lunch. A Family Foods located at Donald and Broadway is a small grocery store that serves many downtown residents.

West Alexander West Alexander has high rates of unemployment (14%) and single-parent families (36%), two demographics often associated with food insecurity. In the past decade, West Alexander has experienced a decrease in its overall population. However, the number of recent immigrants is increasing, with the majority of newcomers coming from the Philippines. West Alexander

has the highest Filipino population downtown (22%).

West Alexander is one of the larger geographic neighbourhoods downtown. It has also been one of the neighbourhoods most affected by the recent grocery store closures. Extra Foods and Riediger’s Supermarket, both located in Centennial neighbourhood and now closed, served the West Alexander neighbourhood. Similar to other downtown neighbourhoods, community members travel long distances to access affordable food in large grocery stores outside the community.

West BroadwayWest Broadway is a young community, with twice the percentage of residents between the ages of 20 and 35 compared to Winnipeg. In 2006, the percentage of low-income families in West Broadway was nearly five times that of the Winnipeg average (52% compared

with 11%, respectively). While there is no quantitative data to substantiate, community members noted that the West Broadway neighbourhood has changed significantly over the past few years and likely has a lower percentage of low-income families than it did in 2006.

The Food Fare located on the western edge of West Broadway is a small but full service grocery store. The neighbourhood is also home to Pal’s Supermarket, a handful of convenience stores, and many popular restaurants and coffee shops along Sherbrook that attract an array of customers and people from the neighbourhood and all over the city. One of these restaurant owners commented on why they chose Sherbrook: “There’s a real sense of community here. We wanted a place that had a true, neighbourhood feeling.”

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS IN WEST BROADWAY:There are quite a few exciting initiatives underway in West Broadway.

• The West Broadway Development Corporation offers programs including the Good Food Box, community gardening, kids cooking programs, and Soup Bee, which is a social enterprise.

• The five-year West Broadway Neighbourhood Renewal Program focuses on goal areas that include community social development, housing and accommodation, increasing income and power for well-being, community spaces and environment, and safety. The development and execution of the plan are ongoing with the West Broadway Community Organization acting as steward of the plan. Over 500 people have contributed to date.

• Klinic Community Centre offers nutrition counseling for residents in the area. • Wolseley Family Place hosts cooking classes, nutrition workshops and provides

resources and guidance.


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Downtown Food Economy

Downtown Winnipeg’s food economy is substantially different than any other neighbourhood in the city. Every day downtown Winnipeg’s population swells as 70,000 commute downtown to work and 16,000 come to study at post-secondary education institutions (Downtown Winnipeg Biz, 2012a). On weekdays 17% of Winnipeg lives, works, or studies downtown.

These commuters are an important part of downtown’s food economy, eating at restaurants or purchasing snacks and beverages. In addition to the 86,000 commuters and students and 30,000 residents, there are over 130,000 people within a seven minute drive of downtown, and over 13.5 million visits are made to downtown each year to participate in sports, cultural, and entertainment

events (Downtown Winnipeg Biz, 2012a). As a result, the downtown restaurant industry is thriving, with over 30 new food businesses opening Downtown in the past five years, ranging from small sushi joints to upscale pubs.

Food Retail There are 80 food retail stores scattered throughout Downtown.3 This number

3 The stores were surveyed using an online search and followed up with phone calls for verification.

West End Biz.

University of Manitoba student surveying downtown grocery stores.



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includes small grocers, specialty and ethnic food stores, convenience stores, larger multi-purpose stores with some groceries - mostly non-perishable items – bakeries, and a farmers’ market (see Appendix D for full list). Convenience stores are the most common store type in downtown. While the number of food retail outlets is quite high, the food items available can differ substantially in terms of type, quantity, quality, and price. Grocery store maps have been developed by community organizations to provide a guide to help residents locate the closest stores in their neighbourhood. The Winnipeg Biz Downtown, Exchange District, and West End, along with CentreVenture have developed one such resource, mapping 26 stores.4

University of Manitoba students surveyed nineteen stores including small grocers, convenience stores, and specialty stores. The study provided a small sample of the food items being offered in some downtown stores.

Of the stores surveyed:

• Only 30% of the stores carried fresh meat products;

• 37% of stores surveyed carried between one to three types of fruit, while 26% carried seven or more;

• 37% carried seven vegetables or more, while 16% of stores surveyed carried between one to three types of vegetables; and

• The most common produce available included those with longer shelf lives, such as potatoes, carrots and onions. Bananas and apples were the most common fruit.

The study’s findings indicate that there are not a lot of fresh food products available in downtown stores. Selection is also limited and inconsistent. For example, one of the stores surveyed only carried onions – no other fruits or vegetables were available. The survey also indicated that the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables varied among stores. Table 1 shows the quality of fresh produce found in the 19 stores surveyed.

While most stores carry good quality produce, the lack of selection sends many downtown residents outside of downtown to larger full-service grocery stores for their grocery shopping. As Kaufmann (2013) reports, the loss of grocery sales to stores outside of the

downtown area is 80 – 85% of the approximate $350 million spent by downtown residents, students, and workers. The Downtown Winnipeg Biz, through their Downtown Residents Survey (2010), found that the most popular grocery store visited outside of the downtown area by downtown residents was Superstore (61% of respondents reported visiting frequently). Safeway and Sobey’s followed closely behind at 59% and 42%, respectively.

Development of a Downtown Grocery Store In the past two years, three grocery stores – Zellers, Riediger’s, and Extra Foods - have closed and created pockets where downtown residents have very limited access to fresh and healthy food items (see Food Access section below). In response to growing concerns from local residents, CentreVenture Development Corporation, an organization that facilitates downtown development, along with The Forks

4 The map, “Central Winnipeg Grocery Stores” can be found at http://timetolivehere.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/grocery_store_map_mar_2013.pdf

Quality of Fresh Produce Found in Stores

Number of Stores Surveyed for Fresh Fruit

Number of Stores Surveyed for Fresh vegetables

None Sold 3 2

Poor Quality - All or most of fruit is brown, bruised, over-ripe, wilted

3 2

Mixed (More Poor Quality) 2 3

Mixed (More Good Quality) 6 7

Good Quality - All or most of the fruit is very fresh, no soft spots, excellent colour

5 5

Total Number of Stores 19 19

Table 1: Number of Stores with Quality of Fresh Fruit & vegetables


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North Portage Partnership, The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, The Exchange District BIZ, and The West End BIZ funded a downtown grocery store feasibility analysis.5

The feasibility study indicated that a grocery store would likely not be established without incentives to attract a grocer to the downtown neighbourhood. It also suggested that in order to be economically feasible, a store would require a minimum of 10,000 square feet. At the same time, the study also indicated that a large supermarket would not be feasible due to capital requirements and the cost of accessing a large space. The study identified that an ideal location would be near Portage Place Mall or between Carlton Street and the University of Winnipeg. Although it also cautioned that one grocery store would probably not satisfy the needs of all downtown residents for a nearby store.

Based on the recommendations from this report, the next steps for CentreVenture are assisting with the recruitment of a potential grocery business downtown. There have been discussions about a new grocery store opening within other mixed-use developments in the Exchange District and South Portage neighbourhoods, although neither of these developments have identified a grocer or begun construction so it is unlikely that a store will open for several years.

It should be noted that only in the case of Riediger’s, was a lack of sales

the reason for closing the store. Nick Riediger Jr. expressed this reality to the Winnipeg Free Press (2012), “I don’t think there was one year where our sales went up, for 20 years. But the cost of business never goes down. And the longer we stayed open, the deeper we were

sinking. I couldn’t live with bankruptcy. I couldn’t live if I did that to our creditors.” In the case of Zellers, Kaufmann (2013) states that “there are no indications that Zellers’ closure was a result of a lack of business”. Similarly, Extra Foods is understood to have closed for reasons

5 The Downtown Grocery Store Feasibility Analysis was contracted out to Peter Kaufmann, a former grocery store owner.

DOWNTOWNERS GROCERY STORE COAlITIONThe main goal of the Downtowners Grocery Store Coalition was to investigate the possibility of recruiting a grocery store to open in the downtown community, more specifically to replace the closure of Zellers. Some of the steps taken as a result of the group were:

1. A letter campaign that included over 900 personalized and signed letters to municipal and provincial political leaders and representatives as well as the Downtown Biz.

2. An open letter to the Executive Policy Committee of the City of Winnipeg.3. A meeting with representatives from the Federated Co-op4. The Downtown Biz, West End Biz, and the Exchange Biz circulated surveys to

assess and better understand the needs of downtown residents in the form of surveys, as well as to assess the possibility of opening a full service grocery store.

Family Foods located at Broadway & Donald.



18

other than low profit margins or leakage (i.e. high theft rates).

Farmers’ MarketsFarmers’ markets provide another venue for food retail downtown where food and prepared goods are sold directly from a farmer or producer. There are two farmers’ markets located within downtown, one at Manitoba Hydro Place at Edmonton St. and Graham Ave. and the other in West Broadway at 669 Broadway. During the winter months, the Good Food Club runs an indoor mini-market at 185 Young Street. There are also four farmers’ markets located in bordering neighbourhoods including: Gas Station Arts Centre Village Market (River Ave. and Osborne St.), Neechi

Commons Farmers’ Market (Main St. and Euclid Ave.), Health Sciences Centre Farmers’ Market (Pearl St. and McDermott Ave.) and Wolseley Farmers’ Market (980 Palmerston Ave.).

The Downtown Biz organized a Downtown Farmers Market which launched in June 2013 and occurred weekly outside of the Manitoba Hydro Building. The market hosted over 20 local venders selling fruit, vegetables, baking, crafts and prepared goods. While there was an overwhelmingly positive response and many downtown workers were able to enjoy the summer sun and purchase fresh local goods, one downtown resident commented that “the Downtown Farmers’ Market is a great idea, but hours are limited and the food items are very expensive when you are on a fixed income.” The plan is

to grow the Downtown Farmers Market to meet the needs of both downtown workers and residents. The market is reopening in June 2014.

Downtown Dining There are over 230 restaurants and fast food locations throughout Downtown. Many of the food venues are concentrated in five large food courts. These spaces include The Forks Market, CanWest Place Food Court, Winnipeg Square, City Place Mall and Portage Place Mall and function as popular gathering places for downtown workers and residents.

The Downtown Winnipeg Biz and Exchange Biz have created up-to-date on-line directories of restaurants located in the Downtown Core and Exchange District.6 Table 2 provides a summary

DOWNTOWN WINNIPEG BIzThe Downtown Biz supports 1,400 downtown businesses, many of which are food businesses and has been a key supporter of the development of a downtown grocery store since the recent grocery store closures. The organization conducts surveys, market research, and works with community partners to better understand the needs of downtown residents and workers. They have developed restaurant and grocery shopping resources to help guide residents and visitors downtown. One of the initiatives that started in the summer of 2013 was the Downtown Farmers’ Market located at Manitoba Hydro Place.

6 Downtown Winnipeg Biz “Discover Dining” be found at http://downtownwinnipegbiz.com/find-a-business/ and a directory of restaurants located in The

Exchange District can be found at http://www.exchangedistrict.org/explore-the-exchange/restaurants/

zellers was one of three full-service grocery stores to close in recent years.


19

of downtown dining based on the Downtown and Exchange Biz directories at the time of writing.

The estimated total household food expenditure for downtown is $103 million per year7, though the proportion of this amount that is spent on food in the downtown area is not known. What is known is that of the $350 million spent on groceries by downtown residents, students, and downtown workers, only an estimated 15-20% is spent in the downtown area (Kaufmann, 2013). The Downtown Winnipeg Biz has also identified a few trends through their Downtown Residents Survey (2010) and Downtown Workers Survey (2009) that included questions about grocery shopping and dining habits.

• When asked, “What products or services do you want to see downtown?” food (including grocery and restaurants) was the highest reported at 41%;

• 18% of downtown residents purchased dinner from a restaurant once a week;

• During the workday, coffee and snacks are the most frequently purchased food items, though they make up a small percentage of retail sales;

• Over half of respondents reported shopping on their lunch break;

• Less than half of all workers reported coming back downtown on evenings and weekends more than once a month. The most popular reasons to come back were for shopping (35% more than once a month) and to visit a restaurant (33%); and

• 79% of the respondents listed coffee shops, cafeterias and cafés as the type of restaurant they most visited Downtown.

The frequency of food purchases dropped off considerably when examining after-work habits. For example, after-work drinks, take-home meals and dinner were bought weekly by less than 10% of the commuter sample (Downtown Winnipeg Biz, 2010). As one downtown employee said as part of the community food assessment, “usually I don’t have any reason to stay downtown after I am done work. Occasionally my work colleagues and I will plan drinks or dinner but we will often bus home to get our vehicles because bus routes stop

operating in our neighbourhoods after 7:00pm.”

Downtown dining is constantly evolving to meet the preferences of the community as a whole. Many neighbourhoods have family owned and operated restaurants that provide cultural experiences through food and music.

There is interest from some downtown residents to learn how to start their own food business and/or receive training so that they can get jobs in the food industry. This is especially true for many newcomers who come to Winnipeg with food knowledge and traditional recipes to share. Unfortunately many of these individuals struggle with the complex steps of launching a food business and do not have the funds to get the training or startup materials and supplies required.

7 This figure was calculated using the Province of Manitoba’s (2009) average weekly household spending on food for Winnipeg and 2006 Census Data for

Winnipeg’s Downtown East Neighbourhood Cluster. The calculation is: ($126 x 52) x 15,670 households = $102,669,840

Asian 33

Bakery 3

Cafés, Cafeterias, Deli’s 61

Casual 24

Contemporary 30

East Indian 7

Fine Dining 10

Juice Bar 3

Pubs 8

Fast Food and Sweets 57

TOTAl 236

Table 2: Summary of Restaurant Types

Community Food Resources


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Downtown has emergency meal programs that offer free or subsidized hot meals on a daily basis; food banks that provide food assistance; schools that have breakfast, snack, or lunch programs; community gardens that allot space for growing food; community kitchens used for meal programming and business start-ups; and organizations dedicated to providing nutrition education and food skills. Appendix E provides a complete list of these community resources.

Food ProvisionHunger is a major issue in Manitoba. According to the 2013 Hunger Count, 60,229

Manitobans accessed food banks in the month of March 2013, 45% of these being children. Winnipeg Harvest (2014) has indicated that seniors and refugees have more than doubled their food bank use since 2010. The organization also indicated that one-third of families experiencing hunger are dual income families – often labeled ‘the working poor’. Low-income families make up 37% of all working families in the downtown area (City of Winnipeg, 2006). While statistics of emergency food provision do not exist for downtown in particular, the area is home to a large number of food banks, reflecting an elevated level of need in this community.

There are eight organizations that provide food assistance and free meal programs: Agape Table, Calvary Temple, Lighthouse Mission, Salvation Army, Siloam Mission, Sunshine House, Union Gospel Mission, and West Broadway Ministry.

Downtown residents identified barriers such as the stigma associated with accepting charity, physical and mental health, safety, and the cost or difficulty accessing transportation to food assistance programs. Some focus group participants also commented that food from charitable sources did not address key dietary issues. One said, “I’m a

Community feedback from the 2013 Community Food Forum.


21

diabetic and not supposed to have sugar. All the food they give me is full of sugar and stuff I’m not supposed to eat.”

There were also conversations about the importance of including capacity building components in food programs to further support individuals. For example, in addition to providing food hampers through their food bank and free community meals, the Agape Table offers programming for children, as well as adults, that includes both nutrition education and food skills building.

As mentioned, many of the schools located in the downtown area have food programming to combat hunger and enhance food skills. These programs will be discussed below in the section on Schools and Food.

Community GardeningThere are a variety of community gardens downtown including those owned and operated by the city, those run by community organizations on private or public land, or school-based gardens. Currently there are twenty-one community garden sites downtown. Some of these are in high demand and have waiting lists, like those in West Broadway, while others have vacant plots.

The number of home gardens and balcony plots are not known in downtown. There have been requests from downtown residents to identify possible gardening spaces in people’s backyards to create additional opportunities to grow food. IRCOM, for example, assists with connecting newcomer families with yards that they can use to grow food during the summer months. There is interest to expand this

program in order for more families to participate. However, a lack of funding is the biggest barrier to expansion.

Community Kitchens There are five certified community kitchens downtown. Community kitchens serve a variety of purposes and operate very differently. Knox Community Kitchen, for example, opened in June 2013 and is accessible 24-hours a day in order to enable low-income individuals to start up businesses in food production and provide much “needed kitchen rental space to established and growing food entrepreneurs whose rental fees contribute to the operating costs and overall sustainability of the organization” (Knox Community Kitchen, 2013). Other kitchens located Downtown, such as those at Rossbrook House, Freight House Recreation Centre, West Broadway Development Corporation and Wolseley Family Centre, are used for specific

meal and snack programs and are not accessible to the general public.

Healthy Eating and Nutrition Education There are over thirty programs that operate in the downtown community that focus on healthy eating and nutrition education. Many of these programs are run out of schools, faith centres, community health centres, and resource centres. The majority of these programs are geared towards demographic groups that face specific challenges. These groups include mothers, newcomers, Aboriginal peoples, youth, and seniors.

There is one Downtown Public Health Dietitian funded through the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA). This

AGAPE TABlEEstablished in 1980 to serve hot meals to people in need, Agape Table has grown to provide more than emergency food. The organization is a community nutrition centre that has numerous services providing free and subsidized meals and groceries, as well as programming for both children and adults. Agape Table for Kids is a program for preschoolers and their families, providing a space to gather, play games, learn about nutrition and share a healthy snack. Families also receive nutritious, weekly food provisions for each preschooler enrolled in the program. Agape Table for Adults is a breakfast program that incorporates nutrition education and information on healthy living.

WINNIPEG hARvESTWinnipeg Harvest is the main food bank that distributes food to all of the food banks downtown. Many food banks also rely on public donations of food and money. Faith-based food banks rely on their congregation for support. In the past year, Winnipeg Harvest has experienced an 86% increase in donations from 2012 to 2013, while the number of people accessing the food bank increased 14%. This translates into $9 more being spent on each food bank user in 2013 (Canadian Revenue Agency, 2014).



22

position promotes healthy eating though presentations, public awareness, and capacity building. The Public Health Dietitian is also involved with programs like Healthy Start for Mom and Me, and Healthy Baby. There is also a Primary Care Dietitian who works specifically with residents providing one-on-one support on nutrition and food issues. Additionally, the WRHA funds a Community Facilitator Downtown who brings community development expertise to issues of health by supporting community capacity building initiatives, bringing groups together through various networking opportunities and connecting community to resources.

SeniorsThere are a variety of community programs and resources for seniors in the downtown area but accessing them can be challenging due to mobility, transportation and cost. Some seniors enjoy growing food, but knowledge about access to green space was mixed. Two of the retirement complexes have indoor greenhouses where food and plants can be grown all year round. One senior shared her experience: “We have a small greenhouse at Fred Douglas where we can grow herbs, vegetables and flowers twelve months of the year. In the summer it would be nice to plant a garden outside but I don’t have the foggiest idea of how I would go about doing that.”

There were no cooking classes identified that were specific to seniors living downtown. For seniors who have cooking and food knowledge, this was

not considered a priority. However, for many seniors that have never learned how to cook, the majority of who are widowed men, it is difficult to make this transition. The result is a higher reliance on restaurants and ready-to-eat meals, most of which are higher in sodium, sugar and fat. A diet of this nature has a very low nutritional value and can lead to a decreased health status and increased risk of nutrient deficiencies.

There are ten citywide meal delivery programs that sell frozen meals that can be either microwaved, or by request, are oven safe, prices per meal range

from $5.00 to $10.00 plus an additional delivery fee.8 Retirement complexes hold monthly potlucks or community suppers and there are three congregate meal programs available downtown that provide affordable and hot, nutritious meals that cost $3.50, five days a week.9

Unmet NeedsDespite the variety and amount of food resources available to downtown residents, there are still unmet needs in the community. This community food assessment found that some focus group participants did not feel they qualified for or belonged in existing programs,

“I know there are programs in the community, but I don’t really feel like I belong there. They are directed at young families and newcomers. I don’t really fit.” There are also community residents who access some community programs but are facing other challenges that limit their participation or their ability to implement what they have learned. In these instances, nutrition is not always a priority, as one focus group participant articulated, “There are many barriers we face that are related to food but that’s not at the top of my list. Making sure my bills are paid and I have a roof over my head is.” In some cases ensuring people know of the food resources that are available to them can help. In other cases, community organizations may need to broaden the scope of their programming to ensure all feel welcome.

8 The Seniors’ Resource Network provides a list of all grocery and meal delivery programs on their website http://seniors.cimnet.ca/cim/19.dhtm

9 The WRHA provides a list of all congregate meal programs that can be found at http://www.wrha.mb.ca/community/seniors/files/resCMP.pdf

“I know there are programs in the community, but I don’t really feel like I belong there. They are directed at young families and newcomers. I don’t really fit.”

- Downtown Resident


23

Food AccessTwo of the key issues identified by this community food assessment were geographic food access and economic food access. All downtown residents have experienced increased distances to full-service grocery stores over the past couple of years. In addition to this, some downtown residents face economic challenges, such as unemployment or low-incomes that limit access to fresh, healthy food.

Distance to Grocery StoresAccess to affordable healthy food was identified as the top priority for downtown residents. With the closure of three grocery stores downtown – Extra Foods, Riediger’s Supermarket, and Zellers – in recent years, downtown has gone from having relatively good food access to very poor food access. As one senior explained, “We would like to see another grocery store downtown. Now that Zellers is gone we have had to make so many adjustments: transportation, budget, what we buy and when.”

With the closure of the three grocery stores, the food access landscape has changed dramatically. The average downtown resident now lives 1.2 km away from a grocery store, an increase of 400 metres since 2011. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA, 2009) defines a walkable distance as one kilometer or less, while the Region of Waterloo Public Health department (2004) defines ‘walkability’ to be within 450 metres. These measures indicate that for many downtown residents, living within walking distance of a grocery store is no longer an option.

There is no data available for the city as a whole, but Food Matters Manitoba used these same measures for the St.

Vital Community Food Assessment in 2012. Comparisons between St. Vital and Downtown for the year 2011 show that downtown residents had enjoyed closer access to grocery stores than residents in St. Vital. However, by 2013, this had reversed and St Vital residents had more access to retail grocery stores.

Not surprisingly, these changes have affected the neighbourhoods in close proximity to the closed stores the most. Some examples include:

• Colony: The average distance to a grocery store increased from 210m to 1.4km

• Portage-Ellice: The average distance increased from 430m to 1.1km as a result of the Zellers closing.

• West Alexander: The average distance to a grocery store increased

from 890m to 1.58km. This neighbourhood was once home to both Riediger’s and Extra Foods.

Now, many downtown residents do their grocery shopping outside of downtown. According to focus group participants, people travel from downtown, often on public transit, to grocery stores such as Superstore, Sobeys, Walmart, and Safeway. The need to shop at these large, externally owned big box grocery stores siphons money out of the community. The lack of a full-service grocery store downtown means lost opportunities for employment and community economic development in the community.

Additionally, there are barriers associated with public transit, including difficult access due to physical disabilities and travelling with small children, and safety. These barriers make getting to the nearest affordable full-service grocery

01020304050607080

2011

% of residentswithin 1km ofgrocery store

% of residentswithin 450m ofgrocery store

% within 1km ofgrocery store

% within 450m ofgrocery store

2012

Downtown 2011

Downtown 2013

St. Vital

01020304050607080

“Since Zellers closed I have to take the bus to the nearest full-service grocery store. It costs more so I can’t go as often. I also can’t carry very many groceries at a time so it has become quite a challenge trying to get everything I need.”

-Downtown Resident

Figure 4: Proximity of Residents to Grocery Stores in Downtown and St. vital

Food Access


24

store particularly difficult for low-income individuals, seniors, and those with disabilities. Table 3 provides a summary of the average distances by neighbourhood.

According to the 2006 Census, 77% of people drive to work or are a passenger in Winnipeg, but in the downtown area only 30% of people use a vehicle to get to work. With regard to alternate modes of transportation, 28% of downtown residents take public transit

compared to 14% of Winnipeggers. Similarly, 38% of downtown residents walk to work, as compared to 6% of Winnipeggers. As such, Downtown’s food access challenges are compounded by relatively low rates of vehicle use. While the mode of commuting may not entirely capture vehicle ownership, it does demonstrate that car use is much

lower downtown than the rest of the city. As a result, changes in food access affect people downtown significantly. Many downtown residents are reluctant to shop outside of their immediate neighbourhood due to transportation barriers, physical limitations, and time constraints.

One downtown resident shared their experience, “Having limited access to other forms of transportation besides walking and minimal room in my budget for the bus, I have to walk most places. This means I plan all my shopping closest to my apartment. I often have to sacrifice nutritious food options for the cheapest.”

Downtown residents make food choices that are not solely based on food access, personal preference and transportation but also on environmental factors such as availability and affordability. Research has shown that closer proximity to a grocery store has been associated with higher fruit and vegetable intake as

well as better diet among low-income households (Cummins & Macintyre, 2006). Therefore the reduction in food access in the downtown area has had direct consequences for residents who are trying to achieve a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Food Affordability and IncomeThe Public Health Agency of Canada recognizes that one of the major reasons food insecurity exists is due to low income and financial insecurity (Health Canada, 2007). There are a variety of factors that influence the ways in which individuals and families purchase food; these include income, education, and housing. A frequent comment from downtown community workers related to the strong connection between income and access to healthy, quality foods and food skills and knowledge.

Income Downtown income levels range from low-income to high-income and

Neighbourhood Average Distance

2011

Average Distance

2013

Change (+ -)

Colony 0.21 1.40 +1.19

Portage – Ellice 0.43 1.10 +0.67

Centennial 0.45 1.56 +1.11

Spence 0.57 0.65 +0.08

West Broadway 0.62 0.82 +0.20

Armstrong Point 0.70 0.70 0

Central Park 0.76 0.95 +0.19

West Alexander 0.89 1.58 +0.69

China Town – Exchange District 1.10 1.10 0

South Portage 1.10 1.79 +0.69

Broadway - Assiniboine 1.40 1.69 +0.29

All Neighbourhoods 0.82 1.23 +0.41

Table 3: Average Distance to a Grocery Store by Neighbourhood (Kilometres)

RIEDIGER’S SUPERMARKETRiediger’s Supermarket was a family owned and operated store that opened in 1938 and became an important part of the Centennial neighbourhood. The store regularly contributed to community events and supported the local food bank.

The store closed its doors in 2013 after operating for 75 years as it was increasingly difficult for a small, independent grocer in the neighbourhood to remain viable.


25

are significantly different between neighbourhoods (see Table 4). Overall, however, statistics show higher numbers of low-income households and unemployment rates in downtown than the City of Winnipeg. The downtown average ($23,847) and median ($18,802) incomes are lower than Winnipeg as a whole and the unemployment rate for people 25 years or older is 11%, compared to 3.9% in the City of Winnipeg. Ultimately, more than 11,000 people live in low-income households downtown and are consequently at a higher risk for food insecurity and diet related disease.

The Market Basket Measure (MBM) is one way to determine the threshold income that a reference family consisting of two adults (ages 25-49) and two children (ages 9 and 13) would need to purchase goods to maintain a: “modest, basic standard of living.”10 The costs included in this threshold amount are: a nutritious diet (as defined by the Nutritious Food Basket), clothing, footwear, shelter (cost of a two or three bedroom unit including utilities), transportation costs and other necessary expenses.

According to the MBM, the threshold amount needed for a family of four in 2005 in Winnipeg was $24,415. However, the average household income for downtown Winnipeg was $23,847 and the median was $18,802, both of which are below the amount identified by the MBM – 98% and 77%, respectively, of the threshold amount (City of Winnipeg, 2006). This indicates that there are individuals and families unable to afford the basic necessities required to achieve a basic standard of living.

Nutritious Food BasketThe Nutritious Food Basket is a protocol for measuring the affordability of food. It measures the cost of nutritious and healthy eating and uses food costing to “monitor both the affordability and accessibility of foods by relating the cost of the food basket to individual/family incomes” (Burns, et al., 2010, 7). In contrast to the MBM, the Nutritious Food Basket considers food costs only. This detailed and standardized protocol consists of surveying retail stores and determining the cost and availability of nutritious foods by neighbourhood.

A Manitoba study conducted in 2011, The Cost of Eating According to the ‘Nutritious Food Basket’ (Rand et al., 2012), included 70 stores across Winnipeg. In Downtown, the researchers surveyed nine stores: two full service stores and seven other stores. The cost of purchasing food was very similar between downtown and the rest of Winnipeg. Food costs for families

Neighbourhoods Average Income

Exchange District $48,665

Armstrong Point $40,632

Portage-Ellice $29,531

Broadway-Assiniboine $27,863

Colony $23,825

South Portage $22,181

West Alexander $20,047

Logan-C.P.R $18,517

West Broadway $17,767

Central Park $16,848

Spence $16,512

Centennial $15,750

China Town $15,481

Downtown $23,847

Winnipeg $33,457

Table 4: Average Income in Downtown NeighbourhoodsSource: City of Winnipeg (2006)

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GEOGRAPhIC FOOD ACCESS

1. The City of Winnipeg, in partnership with Centre Venture, the Downtown Winnipeg Biz, and private sector can improve access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food through the establishment of a full-service grocery store downtown.

2. Community organizations can establish a year-round fresh food market that prioritizes local food sources and vendors.

3. The City of Winnipeg, in partnership with community organizations, food retailers, and the Downtown Winnipeg Biz can develop a Healthy Corner Store initiative based on existing models in North America to increase access to fresh, healthy food.

4. Winnipeg Transit can expand existing routes in order to include stops at grocery stores.

5. Grocery stores can expand existing shuttles and increase awareness of the services available.

10 The Market Basket Measure was designed by a diverse group of federal, provincial and territorial officials in 1997 and was thoroughly updated in 2010.

Food Access


26

and individuals living downtown were calculated as:

• A family of four spends $189.61 weekly and $821.63 monthly

• A single mother with two children spends $143.25 weekly and $620.75 monthly

• A single male spends 63.81 weekly and $276.53 monthly

However, neither of the full-service stores surveyed in the downtown area in 2011 are open today. The result is that the cost of food has likely increased, either as people rely on convenience stores for more of their food, or as people are forced to pay more for transportation to reach full-service stores. This sentiment was echoed in comments made by focus group and interview participants. One focus group participant stated that “fresh produce in corner stores can be expensive and it’s not really fresh.”

When calculating the costs of eating healthy, many studies (including Manitoba’s Nutritious Food Basket) do

not include the costs of transportation. For some families and individuals, transportation in the form of a bus, taxi or delivery service can account for between 10 to 30% of a grocery budget. For individuals on a fixed income or receiving employment assistance this means less money is available to purchase food. When discussing these limitations, one community member commented, “I have to shop at the very cheapest place. If I’m not careful, we go hungry.”

Milk Prices Milk is one of the basic staples that all, particularly young families, rely on for a healthy diet. As part of this assessment, 24 stores were surveyed to find the average price of a two litre container of 2% milk. Prices ranged from $2.85 to $5.99, with an average price of $3.58. Five of the food stores surveyed (21%) did not carry milk.

When compared with prices elsewhere the price of milk in downtown stores is high. A sample was done of major stores outside the downtown area. Of the

three stores included (the three stores outside the downtown most frequently identified in focus groups), the average price of milk was $3.17, or 13% less than downtown. Interestingly, downtown’s milk prices were higher than other inner city neighbourhoods. In 2014, Food Matters Manitoba sampled the average price of milk in the North End, finding a two litre milk container cost on average $3.34 in the North End, 7% less than downtown.

There is a maximum legal price for selling one litre cartons of milk, but no limits on other sized containers. In the recent past, downtown stores were found to be selling one litre containers of milk for more than the maximum price outlined by law. In a 2013 investigation on milk prices downtown, CBC found that downtown stores were selling one litre milk for as high as $2.09, far above the $1.60 maximum. These high prices hurt low-income families the most, as David Northcott, Executive Director of Winnipeg Harvest explained, “We’re worried about throwing away pennies

Average Rental Rates

Bachelor 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3 Bedroom +

Total

Centennial $589 (+11.3%)

$729(+5.2%)

$987(+10.9%)

$1,068(+25.6%)

$764(+6.9%)

Midland $530 (+8.2%)

$608(+6.9%)

$725(+0.8%)

$773(n/a)

$623(+5.2%)

Winnipeg $578 (+9.7%)

$750(+6.5%)

$969(+6.4%)

$1,180(+14.9%)

$836(+6.8%)

Source: Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (2013, Fall)

Table 5: Average Rental in Downtown Winnipeg, 2013 +Change since 201211

11 Using the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s zones, downtown Winnipeg fits primarily into the Centennial zone with a portion of the Midland

zone. Source: CMHC Rental Market Report: Winnipeg CMA


27

and stuff. Families in this city are worried about saving pennies” (CBC, 2013).

housingOne of the key concerns expressed by several downtown residents was the price of housing. A single mother of two children shared what she faces on a monthly basis: “I work full-time, some weeks more. After I pay the rent and bills I have just enough money left over for 3 weeks worth of food in a month. So I depend on food banks to make sure my kids have food on the table.” Whereas food is a flexible expense, rent is not. Consequently, the cost of housing has an immediate impact on the ability of people to buy the food they need.

Rental rates downtown have risen quickly. Over the past year, for example, the rental rate for a three-bedroom apartment downtown rose by 25%. In particular, rental rates have risen rapidly in the Centennial zone, which comprises a large part of downtown. Additionally, because income is lower downtown than the city average, residents are using a larger portion of their resources on accommodation, meaning that they have less to spend on food.

Winnipeg’s vacancy rates, known to be some of the lowest in Canada, have remained below 2% for over ten years. According to the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg (2013) this is below a healthy level and disproportionately affects people on social assistance. Low vacancy rates can also significantly affect students, youth, seniors, and the working poor.

The homeless PopulationThe homeless population is particularly

vulnerable to food insecurity and the number of homeless people in Canada is increasing. Many homeless people are concentrated in the inner city but it is difficult to know how many exist because they are not included in statistics data.

Homeless people are not in a position to store or prepare food and therefore rely on meals available at emergency shelters and drop-in centers. According to the 2011 Winnipeg Street Healthy Report, 42.5% of homeless people are between the ages of 25 to 49 and over 70% are men. One-third of individuals interviewed through that study stated they were not eating enough food and were hungry on a daily basis. Meal programs at shelters are required to feed a large number of people and those with health concerns are left with no choice. This presents additional health risks to those living with diabetes, hypertension and high blood pressure.

There are six organizations identified in downtown that provide daily hot meals to the community and do not

require any paperwork, so homeless people are welcome to attend. These include Agape Table, Lighthouse Mission, Siloam Mission, Sunshine House, Union Gospel Mission, and West Broadway Ministry. Siloam Mission also operates as a shelter. The Salvation Army Booth Centre provides meals for up to 250 men and women as part of their residential services. The organization also operates a Community Response Vehicle that regularly provides hot meals to people on the streets of Winnipeg.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ECONOMIC FOOD ACCESS 1. The Province of Manitoba can increase employment and income assistance

rates to ensure that every individual has an adequate income in order to be able to afford basic necessities such as food, housing, clothing and transportation.

2. The Province of Manitoba can increase minimum wage in order to ensure that working individuals have an adequate income in order to be able to afford basic necessities such as food, housing, clothing and transportation.

3. The City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba can encourage the development of housing that is affordable and meets the needs of the population of Winnipeg.

4. Community organizations, schools, faith-based centres, and community centres can promote access to healthy, fresh, affordable food by becoming a drop-off location for a Good Food Box program, which provides low-cost fruit and vegetables on a bi-weekly basis.

TOP hEAlTh CONCERNS CITED BY RESIDENTS IN CENTENNIAl, CENTRAl PARK, AND WEST AlExANDER NEIGhBOURhOODS

1. High incidences of diet related chronic diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension.

2. Lack of nutrition knowledge and food skills limits the ability to prepare and eat healthy foods.

3. Lack of accessible and affordable healthy food options.

Health and Nutrition


28

Managing and preventing chronic illness was a major concern for residents in every downtown neighbourhood. Since overall health is greatly influenced by nutrition, there was a lot of discussion about making healthier food choices and learning how to prepare healthy meals on a limited budget. Nutritious food intake, and ultimately health, is closely connected with broader issues such as access, affordability, and food skills. For example, one mother made a comment that many others agreed with, “I can’t afford to look at nutritional information. I buy the cheapest food so I can feed my family.” The reality is that many families are forced to make choices between a limited food budget and access to healthy food options.

Food-related health issues affect people on multiple levels. Individuals and families deal with the immediate consequences of disease. At a societal level, the cost of treatment for diet-related diseases is high. A recent report, Making the Case for Primary Prevention: An Economic Analysis of Risk Factors in Manitoba, stated that in Manitoba alone, direct and indirect costs related to obesity and being overweight are $762.3 million annually (Krueger, 2010).

Downtown is considered to be a “least healthy” neighbourhood in Winnipeg (Fransoo, et al. 2011).12 The community has a higher proportion of residents living with diabetes than the City of Winnipeg average, 10.3% and 8.2% respectively (Metge, et al., 2009). The disease is more prevalent with specific groups, namely Aboriginal peoples, and with lower income populations.

The WRHA (2009) indicates that East Downtown has a higher incidence of diabetes than West Downtown. It also

noted an increase of 25% between 1998 and 2006 in diabetes treatment among Downtown residents, which indicates

12 The designation of being a “least healthy” neighbourhood is based on the rates of premature mortality, meaning death before the age of 75.

Convenience stores often stock produce with longer shelf lives, such as onions. Bananas and apples are the most common fruit.


29

a rise in diabetes rates or increased numbers of residents seeking treatment.

Inadequate nutrition is a factor in the development and treatment of diet-related diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and osteoporosis. One focus group participant expressed her frustration about her children’s health, “I don’t have enough money for good food so my children aren’t healthy. They get colds and the flu all the time. I have to buy cold medicine for them which leaves me even less money for food.”

Community Food SecurityCommunity food security is “a situation in which all community residents obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes community self-reliance and social justice” (Hamm & Bellows, 2003, 37). Food insecurity indicates a lack of access to nutritious food in sufficient quantities and of appropriate quality to maintain good health. Those living in food insecurity have increased stress levels due to the challenges associated with accessing food for their families. One downtown resident expressed how stressful it is for her, knowing that the food she eats and feeds her family are contributing to their poor health, but she can’t afford

to choose differently. She shared that sometimes she uses food banks to supplement dry goods so she can afford to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables.

Nutrition EducationMany downtown residents would like to make lifestyle and behavioral changes and want to consume a healthier diet. A community health worker commented that, “Nutrition education plays a large role in the treatment of many diseases. The good news is that eating healthy, fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains can be used as part of the treatment plan for some chronic diseases.” Similarly, focusing on nutrition when treating mental health conditions has shown positive outcomes. According to the Dietitians of Canada (2012), “Many nutrition initiatives that Registered Dietitians help facilitate support mental health by enhancing social inclusion, self-reliance, self- determination, food security, healthy body image, and reducing health and social inequities.” However, as the same community health worker also noted, “The other side of that story is a large majority of the families that could benefit from healthy eating are not able to afford that kind of diet.”

A collaborative effort is needed to create an environment that enables downtown residents to access, afford, prepare and eat healthy foods. Focus group participants emphasized the need for experiential learning. As one participant surmised, “It’s one thing to learn about eating healthy, but it’s a completely different experience getting into a kitchen and really getting to know how to work with different foods” Food programming not only provides people with new skills it also is a way to

socialize and make connections within the community. Additionally, acquiring food skills can lead to new job and entrepreneurial opportunities. There are some programs dedicated to food skills in the downtown area, these can be found in Appendix E.

“When you are dealing with multiple family crises and barely have enough energy to get food on the table, it becomes a question of survival and the easiest choices are foods that take little time or thought.”

- Community Health Worker

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FOOD SKIllS & TRAINING 1. Community organizations

can promote universal access to food skills and knowledge by providing classes on how to prepare healthy, low-cost meals.

2. Community organizations, in partnership with the WRHA, can provide healthy eating information at community events and food markets.

3. Community organizations can provide information and programming to allow people to make the most of emergency food provisions.

Aboriginal Peoples and Food


30

Winnipeg, with 68,380 Aboriginal people, has the largest Aboriginal population of any city in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2006). Aboriginal peoples make up 17.4% of the Downtown population – a proportion higher than the rest of Winnipeg (10%). Although there is limited information about the health status of Aboriginal people in downtown Winnipeg, across Canada Aboriginal people have been shown to have higher rates of food insecurity and higher rates of chronic diseases, such as diabetes (De Schutter, 2012).

Through community discussions and focus groups some factors that influence eating behaviours and habits were discussed. Cost of food, availability of food and the ease of processed foods were the top factors identified that influenced dietary behaviours and shopping habits. Centennial was one of the neighbourhoods hardest hit by grocery store closures, and nearly half of the neighbourhood identifies as having Aboriginal ancestry (City of Winnipeg, 2006).

Cultural identity and food was indicated in a few focus groups as an area that many Aboriginal peoples are interested in learning more about. One suggestion discussed was encouraging schools in the community to include Aboriginal teachings of food and health in classes. In this way, children could share what

they are learning about and generate opportunities for discussion and positive behaviour change. This also led to the discussion of traditional foods. One participant said that, “If my children start asking to try new foods and are interested in learning about traditions it will give me the motivation I need to start making a better effort to include it in our diet.” While traditional foods and

knowledge can be hard to access in the middle of a major urban centre, Food Matters Manitoba now has a resource guide to help find traditional Aboriginal foods in Winnipeg.13

Some parents in the focus groups suggested that community meal sharing would be an activity they would like to have access to. However, a lack of kitchen facilities was seen as a barrier to group cooking and meal sharing. School kitchen spaces were identified as a possible location where programs and events are already taking place. One parent commented, “Many of us visit the parent room on a regular basis. If there was a proper kitchen facility in the school, we could take turns shopping, cooking meals, and sharing about what new phases are kids are going through. We could even plan so we could go home with leftovers for our families.”

“I don’t own a car and between work and the kids I only have the time to shop at a discount grocery store like Superstore once a month. I stockpile the items that can last the longest like canned and frozen goods. If I choose to buy fresh vegetables or fruit I have to sacrifice something else so I don’t go over my budget. My number one priority is making sure I have enough food to last the month. Quantity over quality.”

- Focus Group Participant

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ABORIGINAl PEOPlES AND FOOD1. Schools can incorporate more Aboriginal teachings of food and health in

schools.2. Community organizations that provide food programming for youth can

integrate traditional Aboriginal recipes and food into snack programs and classes.

3. Community organizations, school parent rooms, and other institutions can facilitate shared cooking and meal events for adults.

13 The resource guide was developed based upon store visits in Winter 2014 and is subject to change. The guide can be found on Food Matters Manitoba’s

website at http://www.foodmattersmanitoba.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/TradFood-Guide_online.pdf


31

Newcomers and FoodDowntown is home to a large newcomer population in Winnipeg and the number grows every year. When immigrants settle in Winnipeg, they often settle in specific neighbourhoods where immigrant communities already exist. For example, in Central Park 43% of residents are immigrants, 56% of whom arrived within the last five years (City of Winnipeg, 2006).

There are opportunities and challenges to the cultural richness found downtown. One community worker commented that, “recent newcomers will travel from South Winnipeg [to downtown] to join Baby and Me support groups. These groups are such an important part of adjusting to Winnipeg and being able to share stories about their home countries.” Some of the challenges newcomers experience are adapting to the new environment: learning how to shop in North American style grocery stores; learning how to grow food varieties from their home countries that are not currently available in Winnipeg; and finding meaningful employment in a food related job.

The large number of newcomers to downtown has meant that there are several services and organizations that work with newcomers on a variety of topics related to settlement. In addition to literacy programming, employment and asset building services, many organizations provide healthy lifestyle education and nutrition services. Most organizations also provide life skills training, which includes helping newcomers adjust to a new shopping environment. The main programs and organizations that work with newcomers in the downtown area are Manitoba

START; Helping Hands Resource Centre for Immigrants; Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba (IRCOM); Immigrant Centre Manitoba Inc.; Immigrant Women’s Association of Manitoba; and Winnipeg Central Park Women’s Resource Centre Inc.

Grocery ShoppingCanadian stores are set up in a way that many immigrants find challenging to adapt to. The shopping experience is very different and can be overwhelming. Many newcomers come to Winnipeg with extensive cooking skills and food knowledge but are unable to find the ingredients required to prepare these dishes due to cost and availability. Many of the products in ethnic stores are imported and are too expensive for many newcomers, especially the fresh food items. Even accessing common fruits and vegetables can be very difficult. In addition, the availability of culturally appropriate food sources largely depends on the size of the population. Smaller newcomer groups have increased difficulty accessing culturally appropriate food because of the smaller demand for these products. There are over 20 specialty stores and/or small grocers that provide cultural food in the downtown area (See Appendix D).

School LunchesPreparing school lunches can be as difficult as navigating a new shopping environment. Understanding rules around what foods children are allowed to bring into the school and preparing foods that will actually be eaten when kids get to school are two hurdles that newcomer parents must overcome. While newcomer children

like to eat traditional foods, they do not necessarily like to do so in the classroom. In fact, a recent report on newcomer wellness in Manitoba, Healthy Lifestyles for Newcomers in Manitoba, found that children prefer to eat foods similar to their Canadian counterparts. The reasons for this include a lack of microwaves for heating up traditional dishes and peer pressure to conform to a Canadian diet. While the Welcome Place Life Skills Training program provides newcomer parents with information on lunch preparation and provides all children with a lunch kit, the report indicates that newcomer children would be more likely eat the traditional (and often healthy) foods their parents pack for them if microwaves were more readily available and schools encouraged more food diversity in the classroom.

GardeningSome downtown newcomers enjoy gardening if they have the opportunity. The chance to produce food that they cannot purchase anywhere in Winnipeg is only one of the many benefits. Through focus groups, newcomers have shared that gardening is a way to get physical activity, meet neighbours, practice speaking English, and learn new skills. One focus group participant shared that “growing food from my country has been such a wonderful experience. A taste from home brings

“I didn’t have to buy tomatoes because we share. All different people gardening they share with you if you meet in the same place and the same time you can pick up some stuff.”

– Rainbow Community Garden Participant

Newcomers and Food


32

so much joy and warm feelings for me and my family.” Projects, such as IRCOM’s Newcomer Greening Initiative enable newcomers to grow food from all over the world on the building’s large balcony space. The project has been a huge success and has been expanding ever since its launch in 2007. Unfortunately, not every family that wants to start a garden is able to access space. In focus groups, women mentioned that they would like to start a garden but do not know where to get a plot from, “I would plant a garden so I could grow fresh food to feed my family. But I don’t know where to start.” There are now some downtown homeowners who are providing their backyards to newcomer families for the purposes of growing food; however the cost of equipment needed to tend to the gardens is a barrier prohibiting many from acting on this opportunity.

Some newcomers who live Downtown travel to Winnipeg South to use the Rainbow Community Gardens located at University of Manitoba and St. Vital, gardens developed by the Immigrants Integration and Farming Worker Co-op Ltd. In fact, most Rainbow gardeners live in downtown Winnipeg, although there are some gardeners living in other parts of the city as well (Food Matters Manitoba, 2013). Some of these newcomers are so committed to the garden that in lieu of other modes of transportation, they walk from downtown to the south-end of the city. The organization cannot meet the demand for garden space, which demonstrates the strong interest among newcomers in food production. Many of the benefits associated with community gardening that were mentioned by Rainbow gardeners were similar to those found in this community food assessment

(mentioned above). However, these gardeners also mentioned the economic savings that gardening provides: “I didn’t have to buy tomatoes because we share. All different people gardening they share with you if you meet in the same place and the same time you can pick up some stuff” (5) and the improvements to mental health, with another gardener saying, “sometimes I’m worried about everything here. We are new here and have to think about how to do everything. But here, I can just garden” (7).

Food Skills Training and CertificationNewcomers come to Canada with a wide variety of skills, but they don’t always transfer directly to the Canadian job market. There was a lot of interest in food skills and safety training that would be transferable to the food industry. For example, food handler certification

helps people access jobs in restaurants or start their own businesses in food production. However, many individuals stated that they could not afford the cost of training and even if they could the format of training programs can be difficult for people for who are learning English. Newcomers who are interested in starting their own food businesses expressed that it is too complicated and that they didn’t understand all of the rules and regulations. Some of these barriers can be overcome by providing food handler certification over a longer period of time (for example, two days) so that newcomers have more time to process the English content. There is also a resource for EAL teachers that can help newcomers learn to talk about food and food skills in English called the Healthy Eating Toolkit: A Resource for Teaching English as an Additional Language. This resource has a module on food safety.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEWCOMERS & FOOD1. Community organizations can partner with community kitchens to provide

the opportunity for newcomers to take food handlers’ training and certification with appropriate EAL learning techniques.

2. Downtown residents, in partnership with community organizations can initiate and promote garden tool libraries to enable newcomers to garden in downtown backyards.

3. Community organizations can model IRCOM’s balcony growing initiative by teaching container growing to newcomers who have balconies in other apartment buildings.

4. Schools can encourage students to bring ethnically diverse foods for lunch and ensure that there are provisions to allow foods to be heated.

5. Community organizations, in partnership with newcomers, can initiate and promote buying clubs for popular cultural food products that could be purchased in bulk and divided among families at a lower cost than regular retail prices.

6. Community organizations can partner with local businesses to create opportunities for employment, training, and mentorship in the food sector.


33

Schools and Food

Children and youth were a major topic of discussion in the community. Parents were quite concerned about the health and well-being of their kids as they face higher risks of developing diet related issues and are losing touch with where food comes from. The role of schools in providing healthy food options and teaching food skills and knowledge was acknowledged to be instrumental in ensuring that children and youth are provided the best building blocks for success.

Food ProvisionOne of the major concerns shared by parents, teachers and community

workers is that children and youth are not consuming enough nutritious and quality food, which impacts their ability to develop and learn. Through community conversations, many families are struggling to send their children to school with lunches that meet their nutritional needs. Hunger has a huge impact on a child’s ability to learn and function. One parent with tears in her eyes commented that “sometimes things aren’t there to pack a lunch for my kids.”

Not receiving adequate daily food intake prevents children from reaching their full potential in the classroom and in life. Some teachers keep granola bars for

the children who they can identify are struggling with schoolwork because of hunger. One teacher commented, “It’s not a solution, but for many children it helps them get through the day and increases their ability to participate.”

All of the downtown schools provide at least one breakfast, lunch and/or snack program that is funded through either the Winnipeg School Division or grant programs. All of the schools felt they needed more support for their programs in the form of expertise and finances in order to offer healthier options in their lunch, snack and breakfast programs. There is no universal provincial or

The Portage Place Mall food court is within a 15-20 walk of most downtown schools.

Schools and Food


34

federal nutrition program that financially supports breakfast, lunch or snack programs in Winnipeg schools. However, the Province of Manitoba provides a Healthy School Grant to schools, which can be directed towards healthy eating. In addition, grant programs like the Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba, Nourishing Potential, and Breakfast for Learning provide funds to help schools run meal programs.

In addition to schools, there are after-school programs that include a healthy snack and offer nutrition bingo to teach the importance of eating healthy. The Boys and Girls Club runs these programs out of Sister McNamara School in Central Park and Freight House Recreation Centre that is located in the Centennial neighbourhood.

Food Skills and KnowledgeIn Manitoba there are nutrition education outcomes for every grade, from kindergarten to grade six, as well as grades eight, ten, and twelve. Nutrition education is taught in all these grades with lesson suggestions from the Province. The Winnipeg School Division offers a half-day workshop based on Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide to elementary and secondary teachers. The workshop provides teachers with supportive resources to help them with lessons, available in both English and French. This workshop is co-facilitated by the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba. The Winnipeg School Division has also developed a parent booklet on healthy foods, Make the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice: Information for Parents/Guardians,

which is distributed to all families with children enrolled in kindergarten to grade eight. If requested, parent education sessions are offered. There is also an abundance of resources available on the Province of Manitoba’s website, Manitoba Healthy Schools.

The importance of teaching children and youth where food comes from and how to prepare and cook healthy options was emphasized by parents. Many parents believe very strongly that their children should be learning how to cook from scratch and prepare healthy meals. One parent stated that, “I want my children to know the basics of cooking and eating healthy but I don’t have the time to be able to teach them.”

Developing school gardens are a great way to teach children where food comes from. Dufferin, Sister MacNamara, Victoria-Albert, and Hugh John MacDonald schools all have gardens. The school gardens are supported by parents and community members and have produced food that has been used in the school nutrition programs and some has been sold to raise money.

Healthy Food ZonesOften schools are surrounded by fast food restaurants and convenience stores, this is especially the case in the United States. Using the same measures of ‘walkability’ that were introduced above – 1km and 450m – the distance to fast food restaurants and convenience stores was measured for Winnipeg’s downtown schools. The results indicate that all schools are within walking distance of one or more convenience stores. Fast food restaurants were also just as easily accessible for most schools,

Schools Number of Fast Food

Restaurants within 450m

Number of Convenience Store within

450m

Number of Fast Food

Restaurants within 1km

Number of Convenience Store within

Public Schools

Dufferin 3 1 6 4

Hugh John MacDonald

4 2 8 7

Pinkham 0 0 5 3

Sacré-Coeur 4 2 9 5

Sister MacNamara

1 5 25 10

Victoria-Albert 3 1 30 7

Private Schools

Balmoral Hall 2 0 13 4

Hosanna Christian

4 1 12 8

West Gate Mennonite Collegiate

0 0 16 4

Table 6: Proximity of Fast Food Restaurants and Convenience Stores to Schools


35

with seven of the nine schools having one or more fast food outlets within 450m. It should also be noted that all schools – except Pinkham School – are within a 10 to 20 minute walk of Portage Place Mall, which has 15 fast food outlets within its food court.

Table 6 presents a summary of the results and Appendix F provides a detailed list of fast food outlets and convenience stores within walking distance of each school. Additionally, many downtown students attend high school at Gordon Bell High School which is close to numerous fast food restaurants but has not been included in the table below because it is just outside the downtown neighbourhood.

Easy access to these retail outlets can have negative impacts on the health of children and youth, though findings in Canada are mixed in this opinion. Health Canada’s recent report, Measuring the Food Environment in Canada, compiles several studies regarding geographic food access to

fast food and food retail outlets. In the case of two such studies, Seliske, Pickett, Boyce, and Janssen (2009) found that greater exposure to food retailers lowered the risk of students being overweight, while an Ontario study (Leatherdale, Pouliou, Church, & Hobinm, 2011) “found that there was a significant interaction between grade and the number of fast food retailers and grocery stores within one kilometre of a student’s school.” In Quebec, where students have a relatively high access to fast food, Bergeron and Reyburn, (2010) warn that the proximity of schools to fast food outlets and convenience stores

may offset the Quebec government’s healthy school food policies.

While the findings are mixed, there is increasing evidence to support healthy corner store initiatives and healthy school zones – areas surrounding schools where fast food restaurants are prohibited from locating.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SChOOlS & FOOD1. Schools can allocate a portion of their green space to growing a garden,

allowing children to experience first-hand where their food comes from and how it grows.

2. The Province can increase support for breakfast, lunch, and snack programs in schools through the provision of expertise and finance.

3. Schools and community organizations can work together to provide new food skills through after-school programming and classes.

4. The City of Winnipeg can work with schools to implement zoning by-laws that encourage Healthy Schools Zones.

5. Community organizations can work with food retails outlets in close proximity to schools to ensure stores carry healthy, affordable food options.

6. Community organizations can create a resource guide that provides schools with information on how to provide healthy options for eating and learning about food.

Dufferin School Community Garden.

Seniors and Food


36

Many seniors who participated in this community food assessment stated that they decided to move downtown because of access to important amenities, including retail stores. One downtown resident stated, “A lot of us are living downtown because the city asked us to move down here. They asked us to move because all of the amenities were here, including a grocery store. The grocery store is gone, and basically the city doesn’t seem to think there is a responsibility to the City itself.” While the senior population downtown is actually relatively small, in the Portage-Ellice neighbourhood,

there are three retirement or 55+ living complexes and 36% of the population is over the age of 65 - nearly three times the Winnipeg average - and has the fourth highest proportion of all Winnipeg neighbourhoods. The senior population is also large in China Town (23%). Seniors face specific challenges related to isolation, transportation, and fixed incomes.

IsolationA particular challenge faced disproportionately by seniors downtown is living alone. The proportion of senior citizens in downtown that live alone is

48%, which is the highest in Winnipeg (WRHA, 2005). Research suggests that living alone can put seniors at higher risk for food insecurity and nutrient deficiencies because the motivation to cook and prepare food for themselves is low (Lee & Frongillo, 2001). Seniors have the time and want to be able to walk and shop for a few items at a time, multiple times a week. Grocery shopping was identified as not only a retail activity but also a social activity. With the closure of Zellers, the main grocery shopping destination for the majority of seniors, many residents are now relying on nearby convenience stores, which

Participants at the Community Food Forum in Portage Place Mall.


37

have limited variety and quality of fresh and healthy food options. The indoor skywalk system that connects The Bay to the intersection of Portage and Main was identified as an important asset for increased mobility, especially during rainy days and the winter season.

There has been significant involvement from downtown seniors advocating for the development of a centrally located downtown grocery store to replace Zellers. The Downtowners Grocery Store Coalition is largely supported by seniors who have spent hundreds of volunteer hours engaging residents, organizing community meetings, presenting to City Council, and trying to recruit potential grocery store businesses to set up shop downtown.

Transportation There are three grocery stores located on the perimeter of Downtown that provide a shuttle once a week for up to twelve people. However with the closure of Zellers, the demand for this service has increased and not everyone who would like to use this service has been able to.

There are twelve grocery stores that offer delivery, some of which have minimum order requirements and only operate on select days of the week. The cost of grocery delivery ranges from $8.00 to $12.00. Many seniors indicated that their weekly grocery budget was often around $50, so the delivery charge could be as much as 24% of the cost of the actual groceries. One senior who had tried grocery delivery when she got injured stated that, “Delivery is expensive and you don’t get to select your own products so

sometimes food ends up getting wasted because it’s not what you want.”

One resident shared her vision, “I want to be able to take a stroll and buy freshly baked bread, deli meat and pre-made vegetable salads instead of going to a nearby fast food restaurant.” Many seniors are also considering their future plans, “We can drive now, not because we necessarily want to, but thinking and planning long term about our mobility, we want to be able to walk to buy groceries and get to other weekly activities.”

Consequently, the loss of downtown’s grocery stores, and particularly the Zellers located close to much of the senior population, has meant more than simply difficulty accessing food. It has also increased the cost of accessing food (due to delivery charges), reduced independence, and eliminated an opportunity for social connection that was enjoyed by downtown seniors.

Fixed IncomesAs indicated above, many seniors are living on a fixed budget that limits their food choices. While there are ten citywide

meal delivery programs that sell frozen meals that can be either microwaved, or by request, are oven safe, prices per meal range from $5.00 to $10.00 plus an additional delivery fee. This is an expensive option for a senior who has a fixed income and low weekly grocery budget.14 Fortunately, all of the retirement complexes hold monthly potlucks or community suppers and there are three congregate meal programs available downtown that provide affordable and hot, nutritious meals that cost $3.50, five days a week.15 These events and programs are considered important to seniors, especially those who don’t have family or friends that live nearby.

Overall, downtown seniors are very active and engaged in the positive growth of their community and are dedicated to helping achieve a more inclusive food environment that can benefit Downtown as a whole. Many retired seniors volunteer weekly and contribute valuable skills and expertise that is essential for realizing the vision of the development of a grocery store downtown and more intergeneration and cross cultural community food programs.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SENIORS & FOOD 1. Community organizations can establish an indoor fresh food market in close

proximity to seniors’ residences, providing a space for purchasing affordable fresh produce, and socializing with neighbours.

2. Community organizations with the expertise can help connect retirement complexes and senior centres to existing community gardens.

3. The Downtown Senior Resource Council can partner with community organizations to establish cooking classes or workshops on how to prepare easy, low cost, healthy meals.

14 The Seniors’ Resource Network provides a list of all grocery and meal delivery programs on their website http://seniors.cimnet.ca/cim/19.dhtm

15 The WRHA provides a list of all congregate meal programs that can be found at http://www.wrha.mb.ca/community/seniors/files/resCMP.pdf

The Downtown VisionThe downtown food environment has changed significantly in the past few years, leaving the residents who participated in this community food assessment concerned about the current state of food downtown. Concerns included having access to grocery stores, the income to buy the food they need, and the skills required to prepare healthy food and gain employment. The community food assessment also provided a space for residents to share their vision about what their ideal community looked like. It was during this process that the downtown community demonstrated a strong desire for positive change.

Building stronger connections was a major theme that touched every area of the food environment. Downtown residents imagined a community where everyone had access to fresh, healthy food and were equipped with the skills and knowledge to prepare it. They envisioned a downtown that was home to community-focused grocery stores, fresh food markets, and farmers markets’ - all places that would provide affordable, healthy food and be a safe space for people to gather.

People shared their vision about green garden spaces and community gardens that were able to grow foods from around the world. Participants got excited when they spoke about celebrating the various cultures and traditions in downtown through community meals and events. People want opportunities to share, teach and learn together. Ultimately, downtown residents view acts of eating and growing food together as opportunities to build a strong, sustainable community.


38

This assessment identified key opportunities to achieve this vision for downtown:

• Geographic Food Access: Improve access to fresh, healthy and affordable food through the establishment of a full-service grocery store downtown;

• Economic Food Access: Increase the minimum wage, employment and income assistance rates to ensure that every individual has an adequate income to be able to afford basic necessities, such as food, housing, clothing, and transportation;

• Food Skills and Training: Promote universal access to food skills and knowledge by providing classes on how to prepare healthy, low-cost meals;

• Aboriginal Peoples: Provide food programming for youth that integrates traditional Aboriginal recipes and food into classes and snack programs;

• Newcomers: Provide opportunities for newcomers to take food handlers’ training and certification with appropriate EAL learning techniques;

• Schools: Allocate a portion of green space for growing a garden, allowing children to experience first-hand where their food comes from and how it grows; and

• Seniors: Establish an indoor fresh food market in close proximity

to seniors’ residences, providing a space for shopping and socializing with neighbours.

Multiple stakeholders are required to make this vision a reality including government, health care providers, schools, the private sector, and the non-profit community. The recommendations outlined in this community food assessment provide short, medium, and long-term actions that can help to achieve geographic food access, economic food access, and food skills and knowledge to all residents downtown, with particular consideration to Aboriginal peoples, newcomers, low-income families and individuals, youth, and seniors.

The research and consultations that were conducted as part of this community food assessment have already fostered collaboration on two initiatives:

• The Downtown Fresh Food Market operating out of Knox United Church every other Friday. Knox Community Kitchen is running this market, with fresh, affordable produce being supplied by Winnipeg Food Share Co-op. Initial coordination and start-up support was provided by Food Matters Manitoba.

• Eating and Growing School Nutrition, is an initiative of the Winnipeg School Division, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, and Food Matters Manitoba that will provide learning opportunities and resources to downtown Winnipeg schools interested in food programming.

These projects are only the beginning to achieving community food security downtown. As indicated, Downtown is an important community, not only for 30,000 people who call downtown home, but also to the 70,000 workers and 16,000 students who travel to downtown every weekday. The community is a hub of activity that has the potential to support a full-service grocery store, provide healthy lifestyle opportunities to its residents, increase economic opportunities, and foster universal access to food skills and training. We can achieve the vision of community food security in downtown Winnipeg. It is possible for downtown residents and visitors to have safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate, affordable food that is provided by a sustainable food system, while enhancing community economic development and equality.


39

Appendix A


40

AllAN WISE Executive Director, Central Neighbourhoods Development Corporation

ClAIRE MEIKlEJOhN Community Facilitator Downtown Winnipeg Regional Health Authority KAREN GlUGOSh Community Services Department City of Winnipeg

JASON SYvIxAY Managing Director Downtown Winnipeg Biz

lAvONNE hARMS Public Health Dietitian Winnipeg Regional Health Authority

MARIA vIGNA Co-Executive Director Rossbrook House

RIChARD WIlSON

President Fred Douglas Place Resident Association Council

TOM JANzEN Development Manager CentreVenture Development Corporation

Downtown CFA Advisory Committee

Appendix B


41

Central Neighbourhood Development Corporation

Central Park Women’s Resource Centre

Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba

City of Winnipeg, Community Services

Communities 4 Families

Downtown Seniors Resource Council

Downtown Winnipeg Biz

Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba

Knox United Church

Manitoba Housing and Community Development

Rossbrook House

University of Manitoba, Housing

University of Winnipeg

Winnipeg Harvest

Winnipeg Regional Health Authority

Focus Groups

Key Informant Interviews

location Number of Participants

Demographic

Dufferin School Parent Room 5 Aboriginal Peoples, Single Mothers

Sister Macnamara Parent Council 11 Aboriginal Peoples, Newcomers

Rossbrook house 6 Community Members from Centennial Neighbourhood

Central Neighbourhoods Development Corporation 7 Community Members from Centennial, Central Park, and West Alexander Neighbourhoods

Central Neighbourhoods Development Corporation 6 Single Mothers, Women

Central Neighbourhoods Development Corporation 8 Families, Newcomers

Downtown Community Residents Association 7 Young Professionals

YMCA – YWCA Winnipeg 9 Senior Women

YMCA – YWCA Winnipeg 6 Senior Men

University of Winnipeg 12 Students

Portage Place Mall – Community Food Forum 115 Downtown Residents, Seniors

Portage Place Mall 8 Community Members from the Exchange District Neighbourhood, Downtown Workers

Meetings at various locations 14 Community members from the Spence and West Broadway Neighbourhoods


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Appendix CNeighbourhood Profiles

Neighbourhoods Population% 19 &

younger

% 65 &

older

% Aboriginal Ancestry

visible Minority

%

Median household

Income

After Tax low

Income % (Family)

Single Parent

headed households

Rented Dwellings

% Average

Rent $

Central Park 3,555 26.2% 8.6% 18.0% 53.7% $18,473 67.9%

35.9% female 5.6% male

89.2% : $481

Centennial 2,225 31.9% 13.2% 41.8% 29.0% $15,206 72.4%


79.1% : $482

West Alexander 4000 32.7% 8.5% 15.4% 48.5% $32,573 47.6%


62.4% : $401

logan C.P.R. 300 36.9% 3.1% 15.0% 60.0% $14,897 33.3%


78.3% : $356

China Town 605 24.9% 18.1% 9.1% 76.0% $13,546 23.8%9.1% female 0.0% male

100.0% : $436

Exchange District 420 6.0% 7.2% 14.3% 6.0% $33,530 20.0%


26.5% : $697

Colony 715 12.9% 11.5% 21.0% 32.2% $19,801 28.6%


100% : $639

West Broadway 5,325 19.1% 10.6% 23.0% 13.3% $14,371 52.4%


92.8% : $451

Spence 4,260 38.0% 7.9% 23.1% 40.5% $13,346 42.2%


82.5% : $424

Portage-Ellice 1,105 9.1% 36.5% 7.7% 25.3% $24,826 22.5%


92.3% : $749

South-Portage 1,860 7.3% 15.1% 17.5% 24.5% $16,244 32.7%


98.8% : $536

Broadway-Assiniboine 5,080 19.5% 13.5% 14.2% 27.0% $21,698 15.8%


90.9% : $601

Armstrong Point 360 27.4% 19.2% 0.0% 0.0% $33,766 0.0%


34.0% : $846


43

Appendix D

Summary of Food Retail Establishments

Small Grocery Stores 4

Specialty & Ethnic Food Stores 23

Convenience Stores 40

Bakeries 6

Multi-Purpose Stores with Some Groceries 6

Farmers’ Markets 3

Total 82

Summary of Food Retail Establishments by Neighbourhood

Armstrong Point 0

Broadway-Assiniboine 6

Centennial 9

Central Park 5

China Town 3

Colony 1

Exchange District 2

Logan C.P.R. 8

Portage-Ellice 2

Portage & Main 1

South Portage 8

Spence 5

The Forks 5

West Alexander 15

West Broadway 12

Total 82

Small Grocery Stores

CassaBella Deli & Market The Forks Market

Food Fair 115 Maryland Street

Fredette’s Family Foods 1-120 Donald Street

Pal’s Supermarket 619 Broadway

Specialty & Ethnic Food Stores

African Food General 244 Notre Dame Avenue

Bueno Bros Supermarket 84 Isabel Street

DeLuca’s Wholesale Division 195 McPhillips Street

Dino’s Grocery Mart and International Food Centre 456 Notre Dame Avenue

Dong Thai Oriental Food 459 Notre Dame Avenue

Dynasty Eating & Shopping Centre 210 Pacific Avenue

Fenton’s Gourmet Food – The Cheese Shop The Forks Market

Fong Yinh Trading Ltd. 19 McPhillips Street

Fresh Meat and Seafood 1400C – 305 McPhillips Street

Grass Roots Prairie Kitchen The Forks Market

Halal Meat Centre and Specialty Foods 206 Maryland Street

Independent Fish 941 Sherbrook Street

Jimel’s Bakery 471 Bannatyne Avenue

Main Meats & Groceteria 661 Main Street

Marcello’s 358 Portage Avenue

Millad’s Supermarket 396 Notre Dame Avenue

Oriental Market & Company 268 King Street

Pampanga Food Market & Deli 581 Notre Dame Avenue

Portuguese Fish and Food Market 460 William Street

Sun Wah Supermarket 303 King Street

Wah Hing Grocery 106 – 180 King Street

Wittman Foods International The Forks Market

Young’s Trading 397 William Avenue

Food Retail Inventory


44

Convenience Stores

7-Eleven 500 William Avenue

7-Eleven 891 Arlington Avenue

Bestway Food Market 425 Qu’appelle Avenue

Bestway Food Market 563 William Avenue

Bunty’s Car Wash 228 Isabel Street

Carlton Food Mart 30 Carlton Street

Cornerstone Food Store 74 Isabel Street

D’s Market 591 Broadway

Dominion News 262 Portage Avenue

Edmonton Convenience Store 102-77 Edmonton Street

Ellen Foods 407 Elgin Avenue

Ellice Avenue Deli Store 521 Ellice Avenue

Full House Grocery 598 Main Street

Green Booth Winnipeg Square

Handy Mart 165 Garry Street

Hargrave Food & Deli 33 Hargrave Street

Helen Grocery 635 Westminster Avenue

High Rise Food Mart 527 St. Mary Street

Holiday Foods 160 Hargrave Street

Husky 228 Isabel Street

Inner Convenience 433 Main Street

Korner Stop Foods E – 83 Sherbrook Street

Mac’s Convenience Store 407 Carlton Street

Mass Convenience Store 357 Ellice Avenue

No. 1 Food Centre 548 Ellice Avenue

Okay Groceries 952 Sherbrook Street

Quick Convenience Store 495 Sargent Avenue

Rainbow Foods 626 William Avenue

Red River Co-op 1101 Logan Avenue

Sam’s Food Fare 4-81 Garry Street

Santa Convenience 326 Broadway

Shell Station 229 Sherbrook Street

Shell Station 701 Portage Avenue

Sherbrook Foods 590 Ellice Avenue

Smith Food Mart 134 Smith Street

Sun Food Mart 74 Donald Street

Sungreen Foods 909 Notre Dame Avenue

Teddy’s 543 Balmoral

UNI Groceries 65 Place Promenade

Y-Not Foods 501 Ellice Avenue

Bakeries

Jeanne’s Bakery 931 Notre Dame Avenue

Natural Bakery 808 Logan Avenue

Maxim Bakery 285 Alexander Avenue

Stella’s Bakery 116 Sherbrook Street

Tall Grass Prairie Bread Company The Forks Market

V & C Cuevas Bakery 510 Notre Dame Avenue

Farmers’ Markets (Seasonal)

Downtown Farmers’ Market Manitoba Hydro Place

Good Food Club’s Indoor Mini Market 185 Young Street

West Broadway Farmers’ Market 669 Broadway

Multi-Purpose Stores with Some Groceries

Dollarama 295 Portage Avenue

Giant Tiger 345 Donald Street

Giant Tiger 700 – 305 McPhillips Street

Rexall Pharma Plus 676 Portage Avenue

Shoppers Drug Mart 777 Sherbrook Avenue

The Bargain Shop 298 Portage Avenue

Food Retail Inventory


45

Appendix ECommunity Food Resources

Organization location Program Name

Agape Table 175 Colony Street Community Nutrition Centre

Emergency Meals (free)

Emergency Food Bank

Low-cost Meals

Low-cost Groceries

Bag Lunches

Kids Nutrition Program

Adult Nutrition Program

Anishinabe Fellowship Centre 287 Laura Street Wiggle, Giggle, Munch Program

Broadway Neighbourhood Centre 185 Young Street Kids Cooking (cooking class)

Community Harvest Host Site

Calvary Temple 440 Hargrave Street Homeless Meals Program

Sick and Needy Ministry

Food Bank (by appointment)

Canadian Muslim Women’s Institute 416 McDermot Ave Halal Community Pantry

Nutrition Planning & Programs

Freight house Recreational Centre Door #1 - 200 Isabel Street Healthy Start for Mom & Me

helping hands Resource Centre for Immigrants

126-400 Edmonton Street Newcomers Nutrition & Grocery Shopping Education

Immigrant Centre Manitoba Inc. 100 Adelaide Street Newcomers Cooking & Nutrition Classes

IRCOM 95 Ellen Street After-School Healthy Snack

Wiggle, Giggle, Munch

Knox United Church 400 Edmonton Street Knox Community Kitchen

Healthy Start for Mom & Me

Central Park Women’s Resource Centre

Rainbow Community Garden

lighthouse Mission 669 Main Street Hot lunch on Wednesdays

Food Bank on Fridays

Magnus Eliason Recreational Centre 430 Langside Street Healthy Start for Mom & Me

Newcomers Employment and Education Development Services (N.E.E.D.S.) Inc.

251-A Notre Dame Avenue Youth After-School Program – Cooking Club

Introduction to Canadian Education – Health & Nutrition Unit

Pregnancy & Family Services Inc. 555 Spence Street Cooking & Nutrition Classes for Women

Salvation Army Booth Centre 180 Henry Avenue Community Response Vehicle

Residential Services – meals



46

Organization location Program Name

Siloam Mission 300 Princess Street 3 x Daily Meal Program (365 Days/Year)

Weekly Food Hamper Distribution

Union Gospel Mission 320 Princess Street Food Distribution

Lunch & Dinner 5 Days/Week

Food Bank

West Broadway Community Ministry 222 Furby Street Lunch 4 Days/Week

Emergency Food Packages

Cooking Classes

West Broadway Community Organization

608 Broadway Compost Bin Program

Good Food Box Program

Good Food Club

Indoor Mini-Market

Winnipeg Regional health Authority 490 Hargrave Street Saturday/Sunday Breastfeeding Services

Monday to Friday: Individual Consultation - Breastfreeding

Women’s hospital Breastfeeding Clinic 735 Notre Dame Ave Thursdays from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. individual consultation

Wolseley Family Place 691 Wolseley Ave Prenatal Classes

Healthy Start for Mom & Me

Cooking Classes

Nutrition Education

Breakfast Club

WINNIPEG SChOOl DIvISIONDufferin School 545 Alexander Ave Free Breakfast Program

Garden

hugh John MacDonald School 567 Bannatyne Ave The Village Kitchen

Peaceful Village Garden

Pinkham School 765 Pacific Ave Free Breakfast Program

Sacré-Couer School 809 Furby Street Breakfast Club

Sister MacNamara School 460 Sargent Ave Free Breakfast Program

Wiggle, Giggle, Munch

Nutrition Bingo

Garden

victoria-Albert School 110 Ellen Street Free Breakfast Program

Community Gardens


47


COMMUNITY GARDENSType Name location

On City Owned land Cornish Library 20 West Gate

Spence Neighbourhood Gardens

483/485 Young Street

607/611 Langside Street

559 Langside Street

446 Langside Street

COMMUNITY GARDENSType Name location

On City Owned land Spirit Park (West Broadway Development Corp.)

198 – 206 Young Street

On MB hydro owned land Edible Heritage Youth Garden

659 Westminster Avenue

Privately owned community gardens Boulder Park (West Broadway Development Corp.)

152 Langside Street

Boys and Girls Club Freight House

Door #4 - 200 Isabel Street

Furby Street Guerrilla Garden

190 Furby Street

IRCOM 95 Ellen Street

Indian and Metis Friendship Centre (North End Community Renewal Corp.)

45 Robinson Street

Sherbrook Street Garden (West Broadway Development Corp.)

192 Sherbrook

Hinsta House (West Broadway Community Org.)

128-130 Langside

Winnipeg Housing Rehabilitation

60 Frances Street

Winnipeg School Division Dufferin 545 Alexander Street

Hugh John MacDonald 567 Bannatyne Street

Sister Macnamara 460 Sargent Avenue

Victoria-Albert 110 Ellen Street

Appendix F


48

School Proximity to Fast Food Outlets & Convenience Stores

Balmoral Hall School

Subway 206m

Pizza Bite 213m

Tim Hortons 609m

Shoppers Drug Mart 706m

Mac’s Convencience Store 711m

McDonald’s 736m

Starbucks 748m

Subway 792m

Second Cup 804m

Harvey’s 810m

Pizza Pizza 820m

Eben Convenience Store 864m

A Little Pizza Heaven 870m

Esso 929m

Subway 948m

Burger King 1km

Edmonton Convenience Store 1km

Gondola Pizza 1km

Dufferin School

Pizza Champ 238m

99 Cent Pizza 321m

7-Eleven 387m

Chicken Delight 424m

Tim Hortons 534m


Tim Hortons 847m

Mac’s Convenience Store 1km

Teddy’s Convenience Store 1km

Charley Biggs Chicken & Pizza On The Go 1km

Hosanna Christian School

Tim Hortons 193m


Pizza Champ 430m

99 Cent Pizza 431m

7-Eleven 438m

Mac’s Convenience Store 508m

Starbucks 665m

Jumbo Supreme 3 For 1 Pizza 670m

Mass Convenience Store 674m

Starbucks 674m

Tim Hortons 679m

Teddy’s Convenience Store 713m

Uni Grocers 779m

Vinh Long Vietnamese Fast Food 786m

Yenat Convenience Store 807m

Venio Store 860m

Tim Hortons 861m

Robins Donuts 1km

Shoppers Drug Mart 1km

Hugh John MacDonald School

7-Eleven 230m

99 Cent Pizza 231m


Tim Hortons 297m


Pizza Champ 326m

Tim Hortons 544m






49

Pizza Shack 795m

Chef Dong’s Charley Biggs Chicken & Pizza 1km

Mass Convenience Store 1km

Uni Grocers 1km

Pinkham School

Tim Hortons 451m

Tim Hortons 535m


Pizza Champ 865m

7-Eleven 882m


Esso 1km

Tim Hortons 1km

Sacré-Couer School


Tim Hortons 206m

Tim Hortons 349m

7-Eleven 392m


99 Cent Pizza 438m

Pizza Champ 532m



Pizza Shack 676m


Chef Dong’s Charley Biggs Chicken & Pizza 812m


Cruisin’ Chicken 940m

Sister MacNamara School





Uni Grocers 350m


Bollywood Pizza 494m

Pizza Shack 510m

Tim Hortons 523m

Pizza Boyz 543m

Venio Store 562m

Sherbrook Foods 634m

Second Cup 638m


Starbucks 650m

7-Eleven 663m

Tim Hortons 683m

7-Eleven 715m

Portage Place Food Court 800m

Chef Dong’s Charley Biggs Chicken & Pizza 801m

Robin’s Donuts 841m

McDonald’s 850m

Pizza Champ 851m

Pizza Pizza 854m

Harvey’s 867m

Boston Pizza 877m

Juliana’s Pizza 879m

Tim Hortons 907m

Starbucks 909m

Yoon’s Discount Everything 916m


City Pizza 1km

Cruisin’ Pizza 1km

Tim Hortons 1km

School Proximity to Fast Food Outlets & Convenience Stores


50

Victoria-Albert School


99 Cent Pizza 349m

7-Eleven 354m

Pizza Champ 378m



Bollywood Pizza 671m


Starbucks 731m

Starbucks 743m

Tim Hortons 758m


Uni Grocers 793m

Portage Place Food Court 800m

Tim Hortons 836m



Venio Store 893m

Pizza Shack 1km

Robin’s Donuts 1km

Second Cup 1km

Tim Hortons 1km

West Gate Mennonite Collegiate

Subway 582m

Starbucks 723m

Subway 729m

7-Eleven 753m

G G Gelati 768m

Pizza Hotline 768m

Second Cup 774m

Mini Mart 797m

Nucci’s Gelati 830m

Starbucks 873m

Daly Burger 870m



Tim Hortons 929m

A & W 936m

Second Cup 939m

A Little Pizza Heaven 1km

Marble Slab Creamery 1km

Subway 1km

Tim Hortons 1km


51

Appendix G

RECOMMENDATION KEY STAKEhOlDERS

Geographic Food Access

Key Recommendation: Improve access to fresh, healthy and affordable food through the establishment of a full-service grocery store downtown.

City of WinnipegDowntown Winnipeg BizCentre VenturePrivate Sector

Establish a year-round fresh food market that prioritizes local food sources and vendors.

Community OrganizationsLocal Food Producers & Vendors

Expand existing shuttles and increase awareness of the services available. Grocery Stores

Identify and develop additional garden plots. City of WinnipegCommunity Organizations

Develop a Healthy Corner Store initiative based on the existing models in North America to increase access to fresh, healthy food.

City of WinnipegFood RetailersDowntown Winnipeg BizCommunity Organizations

Expand existing bus routes in order to include stops at grocery stores. Winnipeg TransitCity of Winnipeg

Economic Food Access

Key Recommendation: Increase the minimum wage in order to ensure that working individuals have an adequate income in order to be able to afford basic necessities such as food, housing, clothing, and transportation.

Province of Manitoba

Key Recommendation: Increase the employment and income assistance in order to ensure that individuals have an adequate income in order to be able to afford basic necessities, such as food, housing, clothing, and transportation.


Encourage the development of housing that is affordable and meets the needs of the population of Winnipeg.

City of WinnipegProvince of Manitoba

Promote access to healthy, fresh, affordable by becoming a drop-off location for a Good Food Box program, which provides low-cost fruit and vegetables on a bi-weekly basis.

Community OrganizationsSchoolsFaith-based and Community CentresWinnipeg Food Share Co-op

Economic Food Access

Key Recommendation: Promote universal access to food skills and knowledge by providing classes on how to prepare healthy, low-cost meals.

Community Organizations

Provide healthy eating information at community events and food markets. Community OrganizationsWinnipeg Regional Health Authority

Provide information and programming to allow people to make the most of emergency food provisions.

Community OrganizationsFaith-based and Community CentresEmergency Food Providers

Summary of Recommendations



52


Food Skills & Training

Key Recommendation: Promote universal access to food skills and knowledge by providing classes on how to prepare healthy, low-cost meals.

Community Organizations

Provide healthy eating information at community events and food markets. Community OrganizationsWinnipeg Regional Health Authority

Provide information and programming to allow people to make the most of emergency food provisions.

Community OrganizationsFaith-based and Community CentresEmergency Food Providers

Aboriginal Peoples

Key Recommendation: Provide food programming for youth that integrates traditional Aboriginal recipes and food into classes and snack programs.

Community OrganizationsSchools

Incorporate more Aboriginal teachings of food and health in schools. Schools

Facilitate shared cooking and meal events for adults. Community OrganizationsSchool Parent Room & Food Coordinators

Newcomers

Key Recommendation: Provide opportunities for newcomers to take food handlers’ training and certification with appropriate EAL learning techniques.

Community OrganizationsCommunity KitchensFood Handler Trainers

Initiate and promote buying clubs for popular cultural food products that could be purchased in bulk and divided among families at a lower cost than regular prices.

Community OrganizationsNewcomers

Initiate and promote a garden tool library to enable newcomers to garden in downtown backyards.

Community OrganizationsDowntown ResidentsNewcomers

Model IRCOM’s balcony growing initiative by teaching container growing to newcomers who have balconies in other apartment buildings.

Community OrganizationsResidential Buildings

Encourage students to bring ethnically diverse foods for lunch and ensure there are provisions to allow foods to be heated.

SchoolsNewcomers

Create opportunities for employment, training, and mentorship in the food sector. Community OrganizationsPrivate Sector


53



Schools

Key Recommendation: Allocate a portion of green space for growing a garden, allowing children to experience first-hand where their food comes from and how it grows.

SchoolsTeachersStudents

Implement zoning by-laws that encourage Healthy School Zones. City of WinnipegSchoolsFood Retailers

Ensure that food retail outlets in close proximity to schools to carry healthy, affordable food options.

City of WinnipegCommunity OrganizationsFood Retailers

Provide new food skills through after-school programming and classes. Community OrganizationsSchools

Create a resource guide that provides schools with information on how to provide healthy options for eating and learning about food.

Community OrganizationsWinnipeg Regional Health AuthoritySchools

Increase support for breakfast, lunch, and snack programs in schools through the provision of expertise and finance.


Seniors

Key Recommendation: Establish an indoor fresh food market in close proximity to seniors’ residences, providing a space for purchasing fresh produce and socializing with neighbours.

Community OrganizationsSeniors’ Groups & Residences

Connect retirement complexes and senior centres to existing community gardens. Community OrganizationsSeniors’ Groups & ResidencesCommunity Garden Coordinators

Establish cooking classes or workshops on how to prepare easy, low-cost, healthy meals.

Community OrganizationsDowntown Senior Resource Council

References


54

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byFood Matters Manitoba