Chartwells

Eat:-Learn: Live

Tyson Kelsall
Culture Editor | ote-culture@unbc.ca

n November, Over The Edge ran an
Doce about the end of Eurest’s current
food services contract and the ongoing
negotiations for a new one. Since then,
there has been a series of events, which
has led to a letter of intent for the winning
contract... Chartwells!

In terms of business ideology Chartwells is
something of a sister-company to Eurest.
The multinational food service provider,
Compass Group, owns both. However, Aaron
Leblanc, Director of Ancillary Services at
UNBC, points out that Chartwells focuses
more on educational institutions, including
running food services at Simon Fraser
University. In relation to new services,
there will also be some opportunities

for food education within the new plan.
Additionally, Chartwells has promised
$10,000 in annual scholarships to UNBC
students. Leblanc hopes to concentrate

on the distribution of these scholarship
funds into student-generated ideas that are
food focused. The contract was signed for
five years, with an option for a five-year
renewal if UNBC is content with the results.

The focus on local food innovation and
education is important. As both LeBlanc
and Cam Bell, the representative for
student campus, pointed out. Defining
exactly what “local” means to UNBC

and the Prince George community can
be difficult. LeBlanc says there is no
concrete or popular definition of what
"local" means, and that the capacity of
agriculture in the northern region, is
unfortunately too sparse at the moment
to be relied upon. According to Cam Bell,
“the local sourcing plan is still a little
weak.” He stated that Chartwells was
planning to work with the Canadian Food
Inspection definition of local; anything
that is within provincial boundaries, plus
50 kilometers, this definition leaves a lot
of room to be desired. Bell also pointed
out that there are holes in the process of
getting local foods to campus. As Chartwells
uses a centralized method of distribution
for supplies, using local foods becomes

problematic. The implication is that any
local food grown in Prince George has to
first be sent to a warehouse, then driven
back to Prince George. The question then
develops whether or not food that has
travelled for 1,000 kilometers can still be
considered local, and whether it is truly
sustainable. However, Bell said that creative
problem-solving around keeping food close
to consumption has started to cultivate in
southern Ontario, and thinks that UNBC
can eventually be a part of this shift.
Leblanc said that within the contract there
is plenty of room for improvement as new
solutions to sourcing local food arise.

Surrounding localization, there will be
opportunities for local food education and
connecting with local restaurants. Bell
says that Chartwells has come up with
some initiatives to promote local food
knowledge, such as having a “Local Food
of the Month,” which will celebrate and
incorporate a food that grows in the Prince
George region that month. There will also
be a setup in the dining hall where chefs
from the community can come up and cook
their specialties and educate students on
how to prepare healthy meals.

What is the dining hall? This is a new
renovation coming to the University of
Northern BC: a controversial one amongst
students. What is now the cafeteria will

be turned into an all-you-can-eat dining
hall. There will be two ways to access the
cafeteria. The first is a pay-per-entrance
fee, one that LeBlanc is hoping to keep at a
price point close to the average meal price
at the cafeteria, which he identifies as $10-
$11. This will also be open to the general
public. The second, which is generating
conversation around campus, is through a
meal plan. The problem, according to some
students, is that first year students living in
residences will be forced into a mandatory
meal plan. LeBlanc said that for returning
students in residence the meal plan will
become optional. This is causing a stir, as
for first years, this will add an additional
$2166 per semester to their fees, most of
which will be going straight to Chartwells,
a subsidiary of a large, multinational
corporation. As an aside, options are being
explored in regards to different types of

meal plans for other students, such as a
Monday-to-Friday plan that is a little less
expensive.

Nicole Neufeld, Sales and Proposal Writer
at UNBC, who has been put in charge of
addressing questions or concerns, said that
the amount of healthy foods in the dining
hall will eliminate student anxieties or
dilemmas about debating dollar for dollar
what to eat, and the focus can be put onto
eating healthily. The mandatory meal plan
will give unlimited access to these students,
meaning they can go to the cafeteria
whenever they want and eat as much as
they want. Another issue caused by this

is that the seating in the cafeteria will be
limited to people who have and can afford
the meal plan. LeBlanc acknowledges the
lack of good seating at UNBC, and hopes to
work on improving that before next year,
especially in the Canfor Winter Garden.

After the official contract is signed, UNBC
will have to hold Chartwells accountable
for the promises they make. As Bell notes,
they arrived as politician-like businessmen
and promised many things, so now it is in
UNBC’s hands to make sure these things
happen. UNBC is paying the costs of
changing infrastructure, so that, as LeBlanc
put it, “they are not in bed with the food
service provider.” Since Chartwells is not
paying for any of the new infrastructure,
UNBC is not monetarily accountable to
them in any way. LeBlanc also stressed that
UNBC receives some of the commission
from food sales, so it is not Chartwells
receiving 100% of the funds when
somebody pays to enter the dining hall.
This also means that UNBC and Chartwells
are taking more of a partnership approach,
rather than adversarial one.

As Chartwells is a company with ties to
UNBC’s previous food services provider, the
staff will also be retained. Bell says this is
good, because the current staff is already
in tune with what the UNBC community
wants.

Chartwells and UNBC will also be
combining to provide some other new
additions to the cafeteria. The first is titled
“My Pantry.” My Pantry is a small area

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where there will be pre-cut foods and spices
where students can go and cook their own
meals within the dining hall. The selection
of foods will be diverse, and LeBlanc said
that this will eliminate any issues related to
dietary restrictions. Bell agreed, pointing
out that the contract indicated mandatory
fees meant mandatory diversity of foods,

so that everyone can eat. The next is an
interactive feedback mechanism, where
somebody can send a text message from
their cellphone to the kitchen staff about
their food. For example, a student could
text, “the rice is way too salty!” and the
staff could adjust the food accordingly.
There will also be tablets available with
easy access to nutritional facts.

The dynamics of the offerings made outside
the dining hall will also change, although
concrete decisions have not yet been made.
Chartwells has offered UNBC to change the
Tim Horton’s to a GoodEarth, a coffee chain
that began in Calgary, but has expanded
into over 35 locations around western
Canada. A Subway will also be opening on
campus. Each meal plan will come with
some flex dollars that can be spent at any
of these outlets, including the Northern
Undergraduate Student Society’s owned
Thirsty Moose pub.

In any case, there are some big changes
coming to UNBC’s food services and
layout. The most prevalent debates

will undoubtedly arise around whether
UNBC did enough to support local foods,
protect student costs and/or connect
with the Prince George community as a
whole. Undoubtedly there is going to be
some excitement surrounding the new
developments, and the diversity of food
options in the dining hall should satisfy
more students than the current offerings
provided by Eurest. As local agriculture and
small scale farms grow, let’s hope UNBC
holds Chartwells accountable to sourcing
food from them. As Cam Bell said, “food
is the new energy for Canada’s Green
University, I hope that continues for the
next few years.”

If you have any questions concerning the
food service changes, please contact Nicole
Neufeld at Nicole.Neufeld@unbc.ca.