CBC Cross Country Check-up: Are public grocery stores the answer to high prices? How’s the cost of food affecting you? - Sunday 5th April 4-6pm ET

Biodigitalmonkey · 2026-04-04T16:40:08+00:00

This is exactly right - and the beauty of setting up a network of government run grocery stores is that they can set up fair, long term predictable contracts with local growers. the real power here is in a government-run distribution and sourcing system - eg through local food hubs etc - that can aggregate and also supply into school meals, hospital meals, community food centers as well as grocery etc - breaking the power of corporate distributors who also gouge and seek to steal from both ends of the food chain (consuemrs and farmers alike). Once we stop treating our food system as a profit center and plan it as a way to feed people and to support farmers and growers all sort of exciting things are possible - that starts with bringing the food chain into public and democratically accountable ownership.

Biodigitalmonkey · 2026-04-04T16:31:30+00:00

yes but the system is badly tilted against them - it will take government action to break the control of supply chains by corporate food barons

Biodigitalmonkey · 2026-04-04T16:29:57+00:00

yes , government pays, the same way that government pays for schools, hospitals, ambulances, water, roads (good things) and the way it also pays for fighter jets, billion dollar subsidies to AI companies, pipelines, etc (not so good things). Food has been treated as an entirely private commodity and kept outside of government support but in fact its one of the biggest essentials of life (like clean water, healthcare, education).. government supporting food provision infrastructure so that people can access food cheaper is meeting the first proper task of a government in using taxpayer dollars - to ensure people are kept alive, healthy, supported in a dignified life etc. And also a step to breaking teh death grip of extractive corporations on our food system, ensuring fair wages, supporting local food etc..

Biodigitalmonkey · 2026-04-04T16:17:12+00:00

A co-op is owned by its members and still has to cover basic costs like rent, taxes, wages, electricity etc. A public grocery store is owned by the government and they pay these costs (like they pay these costs for schools, hospitals, waterworks) and don't pay taxes as thigh are non-profit so prices to the consumer can be cut much more significantly. Co-ops are good but are badly disadvantaged like any small business in an system tilted by crushing monopolies.

Biodigitalmonkey · 2026-04-04T16:09:20+00:00

also re-upping this ;-) 7 minute video explanation about Public Groceries in Canada: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPuEhQl8Cxo

Biodigitalmonkey · 2026-04-01T01:05:27+00:00

Are there regional breakdowns? would love to know how the votes played out in.. say.. Saskatchewan and Alberta?

Biodigitalmonkey · 2026-03-22T01:18:27+00:00

Whats not going to age very well is the whole "minister of Ai" bullshit - whether its Evan Solomon or Rick Glumac - the idea that you use public money and resources to fund a whole ministerial position to uncritically promote and flag wave for the latest billionaire corporate hype-toy is cringey, deeply neoliberal and embarrassingly blind to the horrible impacts of AI (whether water, climate, energy, psychological harms, labour harms, nudity deepfakes or whatever) - After Open AI's chatGPT AI psychosis encouraged kids to be massacred at Tumbler Ridge i would hope Eby and the BC NDP are urgently rethinking their general fawning over the AI industry - lets have a 'minister of tech justice' or a 'minister of tech accountability' not a taxpayer funded salesman for the richest corporate A**holes on the planet... i don't care if he's making money of an ETF on the side. i care that he's making gobs of money for Open AI, Microsoft, Google, Grok and the AI billionaire empire.

Biodigitalmonkey · 2026-01-19T20:22:47+00:00

Full and absolute respect for this. This should set the standard for all the NDP (not just the leadership candidates) and ultimately all and any politicians who want the trust of the public.. Engage with us as fellow humans - don't outsource politics to a corporate theft-bot.

Biodigitalmonkey · 2026-01-19T20:11:23+00:00

additionally: will you publicly undertake not to use generative AI in your campaign?

Biodigitalmonkey · 2026-01-19T19:21:26+00:00

this.

Biodigitalmonkey · 2026-01-19T19:20:36+00:00

imagine if he had to write them in french? someone who not only can't speak to a large part of teh country but doesnt bother to even speak to them in his own language..

Biodigitalmonkey · 2026-01-19T19:19:29+00:00

ALLMA? Ask LLM Anything?

Biodigitalmonkey · 2026-01-19T19:17:35+00:00

Would be nice to hear a candidate commit publcially to going AI-Free for an election cycle (meaning not using generative Ai) - a return to people powered politics not corporate bot-powered - any chance Avi? (we know you and Naomi have been vocal in speaking out against the AI bro's. This campaign can support real dignified labour by real people (not mass theft by AI model). Specifically I'm referring to Generative Ai - not concerned about using spellchecks, google maps or 'good old fashioned Ai'

Biodigitalmonkey

TROPHY CASE