Posted on June 5, 2025
Summary
- Farm to School BC (F2SBC) was not successful in receiving funding from the Ministry of Health to deliver the program for the 2025/26 school year.
- The Public Health Association of BC (PHABC) and Farm to School BC are actively exploring new opportunities and pursuing alternative funding sources.
- As one of PHABC’s longest standing food systems programs, these pivots will impact thousands across the province and beyond.
Victoria, B.C., June 5, 2025 – The Public Health Association of BC (PHABC) acknowledges the significant year-end funding cuts to the Farm to School BC (F2SBC) program.
Richard Han, PHABC’s Senior Director of Public and Planetary Health, stated, “Although the loss of our primary funding source presents significant challenges, we are deeply grateful for the continued support and commitment of the BC Ministry of Health. The heart of Farm to School BC remains strong —anchored in 18 years of trusted relationships with school communities. We remain committed to the values and vision of Farm to School BC, and will continue to operate the program in a limited capacity in the immediate future.”
Marcus Lobb, F2SBC’s Provincial Manager, emphasized the program’s key role in building community relationships and establishing partnerships through the strength of the Regional Coordinators: “Since 2015, our program’s Regional Coordinators have provided hands-on support to nearly 400 schools across all 60 school districts in BC, including Independent and First Nations schools. As a direct line of support to communities, they helped F2SBC build a strong network of educators and community members dedicated to making food a cornerstone of student learning and well-being.”
Marcus elaborated on his experience: “During the 8 years I have been with the program, I have personally witnessed the tremendous impact our staff have had on school food programming, including developing schools farms, indigenous plant gardens, field trips to farms, and bringing in dozens of additional grants to fund projects. Our staff have been vital in supporting Feeding Futures Coordinators, and assisted in the coordination and program development of the highly successful 2023 Farm to School BC conference – the first of it’s kind in British Columbia. Community has always been at the heart of our work, which is why the loss of our five Regional Coordinators is one of the most significant impacts of this transition.”
While these recent funding decisions will impact staffing capacity, PHABC and F2SBC are actively exploring new opportunities and pursuing alternative funding sources to support the program’s sustainability. This includes a fundraising campaign that will launch soon through PHABC’s MeaningfulWork platform.
“Children thrive as adults when they are provided food literacy skills early on in life,” said Shannon Turner, PHABC’s Executive Director. “F2SBC reaches students right in the classrooms, where they can become ambassadors of their own food journey, which will only serve to positively impact their physical, mental and emotional health. F2SBC is an integral component to many classrooms across the province and beyond; PHABC recognizes this value, and we know our partners, community members, and educators will continue to invest in this program and it’s beneficial outcomes in the school community.”
F2SBC is one of PHABC’s longest-standing food systems programs, and has collaborated with the Coalition for Healthy School Food, Rise Up!, and Hands on Food. F2SBC has supported nearly 400 schools and over 53,345 students across the province since 2007.
The program has provided funding and support for projects that have made significant contributions to community food security:
- Over 80% of educators agree that F2SBC funded programs make strong BC curriculum connections.
- 91% of students in F2SBC programs showed increased willingness to try fruits and vegetables they had grown.
- 86% of students in F2SBC programs showed significant positive changes in healthy eating behaviours.
Contact Information
For media inquiries, please use the following contact information.
Selenna Ho
Communications Director
Public Health Association of BC
communications@phabc.org
Richard Han
Senior Director, Public and Planetary Health
Public Health Association of BC
director.cefs@phabc.org
Marcus Lobb
Provincial Manager
Farm to School BC
prov.manager@farmtoschoolbc.ca
Posted on June 4, 2025
Building Wellbeing Societies & Communities:
Registration Now Open
The Public Health Association of British Columbia is proud to host the 2025 Summer Institute, a virtual event that will explore what it means to build a Wellbeing Society—one that prioritizes people, planet, and future generations. Drawing inspiration from the World Health Organization’s Geneva Charter for Well-being (2022), this year’s Institute invites public health professionals, researchers, academics, policymakers, and advocates to reimagine the role of public health in shaping a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable world.
The 2025 Summer Institute offers more than dialogue—it is a space for strategic thinking, systems exploration, and cross-sector collaboration. Through keynote discussions, facilitated conversations, and interactive sessions, attendees will reflect on how the public health field can lead in co-creating communities that are just, regenerative, and deeply rooted in wellbeing. Join us as we imagine—and begin to build—a future in which public health is a driving force for societal transformation.
Summer Institute Details
Dates: June 25th, 2025
Venue: Online via Zoom
Price: $40 +GST
Member/Student/Retiree Price: $30 +GST
Think Piece
PHABC is pleased to share the #PHSI25 Think Piece, authored by Dr. Trevor Hancock in collaboration with Dr. Lindsay McLaren. Download it now:
Scientific Program Committee Co-Chairs
Dr. Trevor Hancock
Retired Professor & Senior Scholar School of Public Health & Social Policy, University of Victoria
Associate Member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies
University of Victoria
Dr. Trevor Hancock is a public health physician and health promotion consultant. In ‘retirement’ he has started a new NGO, Conversations for a One Planet Region, to explore and popularise these ideas locally; works with Doctors for Planetary Health in BC; is the interim Convenor of the emerging Canadian Coalition for Planetary Health and a Wellbeing Society, and is a member of the IUHPE’s Global Working Group on Waiora Planetary Health.
Dr. Lindsay McLaren
Professor
Department of Community Health Science, University of Calgary
Research Associate
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Lindsay McLaren PhD is a Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary where her scholarship and teaching focus on social determinants and political economy of health. Lindsay is past-president (2014-18) of the Alberta Public Heath Association and currently serves as Senior Editor for the Canadian Journal of Public Health.
Download our Promotional Toolkit
Help us spread the word! Download our Promotional Toolkit to further share #PHSI25 across your networks.
You can download promotional assets for newsletter/emails and social media.
Posted on April 30, 2025
The Public Health Association of BC (PHABC) expresses our deep sorrow to the Filipino community for the tragic loss of their loved ones during a peaceful celebration.
We send you our love and strength.
Please know that we grieve with you in this unbearable loss of life and security.
Posted on April 9, 2025
“Public health professionals provide essential programs, services and guidance that keep us and our loved ones safe. Through actions such as disease and injury prevention, health promotion and health protection, our public health professionals empower people to live healthy lives.”
-Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. Read the full statement here.
Posted on March 9, 2025
British Columbia announced a deal with the federal government as part of the National School Food Program. The deal was announced on March 7th, 2025. British Columbia will receive approximately $39 million over 3 years, further enhancing school food programs in British Columbia.
The Public Health Association of British Columbia (PHABC) has served as the secretariat for the BC Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food for the past five years. PHABC is encouraged by this commitment on behalf of the federal and provincial government’s dedication to support school meal programs.
Every aspect of childhood development is impacted by the food they eat and the environment in which they’re supported. This announcement demonstrates a meaningful shift forward for children in the province.
Thank you to our federal and provincial governments for their incredible leadership on this significant public health strategy.
British Columbia now joins Northwest Territories, Quebec, Nunavut, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador.
