An Apple a Day by Isabela Bonnevera for alive magazine
Ian Marcuse of the Vancouver Food Justice Coalition was featured in alive magazine’s January 2026 issue, in an article by Isabela Bonnevera that highlights the issue of food insecurity in Canada. Food insecurity now affects nearly one in four Canadians, and the impacts are felt unequally within society. Marcuse stresses the importance of taking an equity-centred approach to food insecurity programming, including a focus on Indigenous food systems and tailoring programs to the specific needs of vulnerable or marginalized communities.
Also featured is Iman Khalilavi, volunteer and practicum director at Kitsilano Neighbourhood House, who highlights the many forms food insecurity can take—ranging from insufficient income to limited cooking skills and a lack of welcoming spaces to eat together.
The article concludes with Marcuse noting that charitable initiatives like surplus food redistribution cannot solve the deeper drivers of food insecurity. For this reason, the Vancouver Food Policy Council is advocating for policy changes, such as an increase to the city’s food systems budget and integrating wording on food as a universal human right into municipal strategies. Meanwhile, says Marcuse, progress in affordable housing and a dignified living wage will be essential to moving the needle on this complex, layered issue.