Pouch Cove man mobilizing an army in push for food security
Tired of not seeing eye-to-eye with local politicians, Dan Rubin is trying to mobilize an army in a push to get different levels of government onside with his vision of shoring up food security in this province.
"It's been a real adventure," said Rubin.
"I had no idea that this is what I would be doing when I moved here 17 years ago, but I found this amazing community of like-minded people."
Rubin is from the Gulf Islands of B.C., where the growing season is a touch longer than in the back yard of his Pouch Cove home — but he doesn't let that stop him.
"Well I tell people that I have a peach tree here and I'm harvesting peaches that are big and delicious," he said.
"And they go, 'Peaches in Pouch Cove? I can't believe that.' But that's the truth. I do."
There's the aspect of having the food here now. It's not travelling from California or wherever it's coming from.- David Goodyear
Right now everything is snow-covered but Rubin points through his patio doors to a garden that produces all kinds of crops.
On top of his back yard exploits, Rubin has a number of projects all meant to demonstrate the potential for food security and bolster numbers in a growing food security movement.
Through his company, Perfectly Perennial Herbs and Seeds, he offers workshops meant to equip people to garden year-round and become self-sufficient for food. Rubin said in the past eight years more than 750 people have attended his sessions.
Rubin is also part of an earth-sheltered greenhouse project — the shelter from the earth will insulate it more during the winter.
The project has gotten funding from Memorial University and construction is set to begin this spring at O'Brien farm in Pippy Park.
There are close to two dozen people on the design team, including MUN faculty and staff, and food activists such as Rubin.
One of the partners in the project is David Goodyear, who has his own winter greenhouse up and running on his property in Flatrock.
Standing inside the 15-degree space in early February, Goodyear inspects his crop of green leafy plants.
"As long as you choose the right crops, things that actually thrive in low light, low temperatures, it's been growing now right on through since I guess November, when most of this stuff was transplanted," Goodyear said.
He said because of the special design, he's spent less than $2 on heat for the structure since January.
While Goodyear thinks it will take five to 10 years for the greenhouse to pay for itself, he believes it's invaluable in other ways.
"There's the aspect of food security," said Goodyear.
"There's the aspect of having the food here now. It's not travelling from California or wherever it's coming from."
Goodyear's big takeaway from the first winter of green leaf growing is this: "I honestly think that we can grow here. We can grow here right throughout the year for minimal cost."
And that's music to the ears of Dan Rubin.
"I think that what [Goodyear] is doing is wonderful. I'm so glad that he's there because he's moved us like 10 steps further on by demonstrating that this is possible," said Rubin.
Looking at the O'Brien farm model, Rubin sid the team wants to duplicate it in other locations. He added that when he took the plan to his local town council it went nowhere.
"What we've run into here in Pouch Cove is a brick wall," said Rubin.
He said the council's main question was where he was getting money for the plan — which wasn't his point.
If someone in Flatrock can have a greenhouse or someone in St. John's can have backyard chickens, I don't think that anyone else in our province should not be allowed to do that.- Jess Puddister
"I said all I need from you is support in general and then a willingness to take a look at the town plan which, was then in revision, and include provisions that would allow us to put structures like this, greenhouses and root cellars, back into our community so that we develop the sustainability that the town plan says is our goal," Rubin said.
Municipal climate change advisor Jess Puddister understands his frustration.
"If someone in Flatrock can have a greenhouse or someone in St. John's can have backyard chickens, I don't think that anyone else in our province should not be allowed to do that," she said.
Puddister said the way municipal regulations are set up gives room for councils to say no to projects.
Her thought is that there's room for the provincial government to step in and make things easier by dismantling some of the barriers that may exist within development regulations.
CBC News contacted two provincial government departments asking about the prospect of introducing legislation.
One spokesperson said while the province is interested in anything that might promote food security, there are currently no plans for any such changes.
A spokesperson for Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador sent a statement saying it "Would be open to continuing the conversation, however, to date, this specific issue hasn't been brought to us from the membership and isn't on our immediate radar."
The statement also said "It's certainly something we would welcome debate on during our next AGM."
With no change in sight for the near future Dan Rubin says he's got his own plan for action.
He said there are thousands of people that can be mobilized — including 22,000 members of the local Backyard Farming & Homesteading NL Facebook page.
"I realize we do actually have critical mass that if the majority of those people were concerned enough to address this with their elected officials we would see the needed political change," said Rubin.
He added the next step will be to build an information hub called the 'Food Producers Forum' where food security issues can be discussed.
"Each time that we can generate a specific recommendation to government, we will put that recommendation forward and we will turn to the more than 20,000 people who care and say, 'Go get them boys and girls' — because that's the only way that this is going to change — through public pressure on the governments to change their rules."
