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Josh Smee

@joshsmee.bsky.social
299 followers 358 following 84 posts

Community development pro, public space nerd, fresh air addict. CEO of Food First NL, involved in lots of other projects. Posts my own. He/Him.

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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Food on the Move is turning 3! If you're kicking around St. John's today, drop down to the shared space at 77 Charter Avenue from 11 to 1 for market times and some party treats!
A banner picture of vegetables making a birthday cake
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
Finally in town to make an order from the Avalon Food Hub! So much affordable local bounty. Sign up at avalonfoodhub.ca
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
I listened to a whole podcast about this haha! pjvogt.substack.com/p/why-are-th...
pjvogt.substack.com
Why are there so many chicken bones on the street?
An unusual team of investigators joins us to solve a mystery plaguing American cities
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Great resource from our team at @foodfirstnl.ca to inform your municipal vote! www.foodfirstnl.ca/blog/voting-...
foodfirstnl.ca
Voting for the Right to Food in Municipal Elections — Food First NL
Download this blog post as a PDF . Food is a basic human right — but many people don’t have access to the food they need.  Every town and city in Newfoundland and Labrador will elect a new cou...
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
Sharing a gift link to a gift of a article. As a Southern Ontario Millenial Robert Munsch was both a literary and a physical presence. I sat at his feet many times and I never fully understood how famous he was. This article added a lot to my understanding of him. He'll be so missed.
nytimes.com
When Dementia Steals the Imagination of a Children’s Book Writer
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Russell Alan Williams @russellawilliams.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Come meet the St. John's city council candidates running for the at-large seats "under the whale" tomorrow. They'll be serving up their visions for the city.
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
One thing I really enjoy about having a staff team that works (partly) remotely is all the different scenery we get on our team calls. The winner this week is definitely the person working from the deck of a longliner off the coast of Labrador!
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
Nice to be back in the Happy City space to speak to folks at their Campaign School. Municipal elections are this October - get out and run!
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Food First NL @foodfirstnl.ca · 12/06/2025
With our staff spread across the province, bringing us all together is tricky, but always the highlight of the season! To say there was a lot of gratitude and joy in the room at this year's Staff Gathering is an understatement.
FFNL staff listen to a presentation from Ian at Tree of Life in their gardensFFNL staff have circle time in the grass at Tree of Life with blankets, pillows, smiles, and sodas.
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Grey day on the West Coast today but the @foodfirstnl.ca Food Hub is full of colour.
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
And here's our more detailed breakdown of these very concerning food insecurity numbers: www.foodfirstnl.ca/blog/2024-fo...
foodfirstnl.ca
2024 Food Insecurity Data for N.L. — Food First NL
The latest data from Statistics Canada confirms what we already knew — food insecurity continues to get worse. Our blog post explains the data for Newfoundland and Labrador and offers our thoughts abo...
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
Spent a lovely Sunday afternoon at the Autism Society Greenhouse for the Food Producers Forum AGM. Lots on the go with their work, including a shiny updated website at www.foodproducersforum.com
A man speaks to people on chairs in a greenhouse
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Our crew at @foodfirstnl.ca will take a dive into these data in the coming weeks, as will our colleagues from food organizations around the country. Suffice it to say, though, that these are tragic and unacceptable numbers that we can't let ourselves get used to seeing.
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
As always, single parent families are especially at risk here. In NL just short of 60% are food insecure. That's a number with a lot of long term consequences.
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Looking at this data also busts some common assumptions. A big one: people tend to think seniors, especially those living alone, are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity but in fact the reverse is true. In NL The rate of food insecurity for single seniors is half that of single non-seniors.
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
A small silver lining is that our rate of severe food insecurity (aka hunger) actually fell a little bit, from 8.7% to 8.3%. Growth in the overall rate driven by more people being moderately food insecure. With most new support programs targeting the very poorest this is what you'd expect to see.
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
The data dump that our team at @foodfirstnl.ca waits for every year is here - new food insecurity numbers (for 2023) from the Canadian Income Survey. The news is... not good. 30.1% of NLers were food insecure in 2023, up from 26% the year before. Third highest rate of the provinces.
www150.statcan.gc.ca
Food insecurity by economic family type
Number and percentage of persons by household food security status and economic family type, Canada and provinces.
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
A very useful graph/thread here!
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
Labradorians, it's survey time! Our team at @foodfirstnl.ca has a survey out to gather some info about what kinds of country foods people want to eat. This will help inform all sorts of work happening in Labrador right now. Survey link is here: survey.alchemer-ca.com/s3/50271634/...
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Russell Alan Williams @russellawilliams.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
The end of the carbon rebate is unquestionably bad for low income households. Life just got more expensive for people who can least afford it.
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
So, some crossed fingers (and maybe a friendly note to your MHA) are what the Library needs right now. If all goes well, the West End will get a great new space with some room to do all the amazing things libraries do. (5/5)
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
The idea of a library in a mall has raised a few eyebrows, but IMHO it's an excellent fit. The mall has excellent transit access, solid accessibility infrastructure, and lots of co-located services. There's a reason mall libraries are actually pretty common in Canada - they're useful! (4/5)
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
What we need, now, is for this project to be included in the next provincial budget. The libraries are provincial, and so approving a new lease is part of the Department of Education's budget process. The provincial board for the library system has recommended this, so we're hopeful! (3/5)
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
What put this out in public was that we were successful in an application to the City of St. John's for a capital grant. That $50,000 grant will be matched by $75,000 in fundraised money from our board to cover the costs of fitting out a new space. (2/5)
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
A fun little cat to let out of the bag this week (I'm on the St. John's Public Libraries Board) is that we're hoping to move the Michael Donovan Library from it's itty-bitty storefront (1600 square feet!) to a bigger more accessible spot in the Village. It's not a done deal yet, though! (1/5)
saltwire.com
Popular Topsail Road library moving to Village Mall
St. John’s Public Libraries receives $50,000 capital grant to create larger, accessible, modernized facility in city’s west end
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
We've got town hall meetings coming up Friday at lunch and Tuesday at supper! Good food and good chats for sure. Register at www.77charter.ca
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André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
Canada now has a national school food program now that all provinces and territories have inked funding deals with Ottawa, by @davemcginn.bsky.social www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... via @theglobeandmail.com   @chsfcanada.bsky.social
theglobeandmail.com
All provinces and territories join Ottawa’s national school food program
Advocates say the program is a crucial step in supporting students and help families struggling with rising food costs
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
Looking forward to speaking to some smart folks for this one!
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
This is neat! Designs are regionalized so there are some Atlantic Canada ones that look pretty nifty.
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Setting up for a lived-experience focus group to start. Excited to hear what folks have to say.
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Dark times these days so it's nice to have some dreaming to do. Won't you join us? 77charter.ca is the spot!
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
I'll be on CBC radio in Labrador this morning at 7:40 Labrador time, talking tariffs and what they mean for our food systems. Listen in if you're in the Big Land!
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
Some thoughts on the trade war, now posted on the @foodfirstnl.ca blog. Things are going to be hard, but there are the beginnings of a road map on how to respond.
foodfirstnl.ca
What Could the Trade War Mean for the Right to Food in Newfoundland and Labrador? — Food First NL
The threat has now become reality. As of March 4th, the United States imposed a 25% tariff on Canadian imports and Canada launched retaliatory tariffs on a range of American goods.  To wrap your ...
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
We just finished up a fun afternoon launching this thing with some great friends and colleagues. It's pretty neat to look back on a year's work and have so much to talk about. Super-proud of our team at @foodfirstnl.ca today.
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Going on air with the CBC St. John's Morning Show around 7:20 to talk school food! There's a big survey out and a ton of opportunities coming. Listen in if you can!
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Food First NL @foodfirstnl.ca · 25/02/2025
All are welcome to join us this Thursday as we look back on our work in 2024 and plan for 2025. Enjoy some light refreshments, explore our new home, and let us know what you'd like to see happen at Charter Avenue -- YOUR new community food space! Register now: www.foodfirstnl.ca/community-up...
foodfirstnl.ca
Annual Community Update — Food First NL
More information and registration for the annual Food First NL Community Update.
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
I'm sure folks in Labrador will be watching this one with interest.
winnipegfreepress.com
Class-action lawsuit alleges northern grocer pocketed ‘millions’ from subsidy intended to lower food prices
The company with a grocery monopoly in many northern communities is being accused of profiting from millions of dollars in federal food subsidies intended to lower food prices for remote residents. In...
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UBI Works @ubiworks.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
BREAKING: New PBO Report estimates a Guaranteed Basic Income can reduce poverty by 40% nationwide at a net cost of just $3.6B/year and 1% impact on hours worked. Poverty costs Canada $80B+/year.
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Food First NL @foodfirstnl.ca · 14/02/2025
As we celebrate love and connection today, let's find ways to share that love with our communities. Volunteer, share a meal, or donate to an organization working in food insecurity. We can all help our neighbours and communities feel loved and cared for by championing the human right to food!
A white surface with five heart-shaped cookies frosted in red, pink, and white royal icing at left. One features a lace and dot pattern, another reads "Love". Overlaid text right: "Roses are red, violets are blue, article 25 of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights states you have a fundamental right to food!" Food First NL logo appears beneath.
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
Hey St. John's drivers, the usual post-storm reminder from your friendly neighbourhood pedestrian: slow down and make some space! This soon after a big storm we're all in the road together, and my eyes are tired from all the driver stare-downs I had to do en route to work this morning.
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Emily Blake @blakeemily.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
A social and environmental justice coalition is hoping the NWT government will consider its proposal for a basic income guarantee program. cabinradio.ca/220845/news/...
cabinradio.ca
Alternatives North releases basic income guarantee proposal
Alternatives North released a report outlining how a basic income guarantee could be delivered in the NWT. The group said doing so would help eliminate poverty.
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
PS: And, of course, as soon as I post this thread, we get a 30-day reprieve. Hopefully we use that month to do even more design work on the response, should the tariffs eventually come.
cbc.ca
Trump to pause promised tariffs for 30 days after speaking with Trudeau | CBC News
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday U.S. President Donald Trump will hold off on levying tariffs on Canada for at least 30 days after Canada made a series of commitments to improve security alon...
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
If the tariffs stick around long-term, there are some much bigger conversations we'll need to have about re-arranging trade and re-localizing how our whole food system works. There's a ton of value in that - but it'll also take time. Cash transfers can, and should, move much faster. (12/12).
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
The TL:DR of the Groceries and Essentials Benefit is that it would use the existing structure of the GST rebate system to provide a monthly cash benefit that targets low-income Canadians. Not the only way to get $ out the door for sure, but a good option. COVID showed we can move fast (11/12)
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
To help people cope with the hit to their pocketbooks that tariffs will bring, governments can (and should!) use the revenue from our tariffs to fund these benefits. One "off the shelf" idea that's already had a lot put into it is the Groceries and Essentials Benefit (GEB). Summary here. (10/12)
irpp.org
Groceries and Essentials Benefit: Helping People with Low Incomes Afford Everyday Necessities
Affordability Action Council calls for reform of GST/HST credit as Groceries and Essentials Benefit.
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
So what do we do about it? It's heartening to see a lot of alignment around what the mitigation measures could look like - a mix of support for workers who lose their jobs, support for businesses, and direct supports to people. From a food insecurity perspective that last piece is a big one (9/12)
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
Broadly speaking though, food prices are going to rise and employment will fall, and that's going to land on a Newfoundland and Labrador where 26% of people are already food insecure. Single-parent households, folks with disabilities, and Indigenous folks will be hit hardest. (8/12)
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
Other thing to watch when thinking about food prices is substitution. What happens to all that Mexican fruit or Canadian beef that can't be sold at higher prices in the US? Some might make its way onto our shelves and help keep prices down. Remains to be seen. (7/12)
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Josh Smee @joshsmee.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
We also need to keep a close eye on businesses here, since an opportunity is being opened up for them to raise prices on things that aren't subject to tariffs on the assumption folks won't notice. Lots of recent discussion in the econ literature about "greedflation". Vigilance important here. (6/12)
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