While cities like Toronto have made headlines about piloting city-run stores for cheaper groceries, there is already a similar model existing in Metro Vancouver.
“We actually have that already happening here, and it’s been happening for 20 years. We need to get the word out more,” said Rob Gloor, the executive director of Quest Non-Profit Grocery Markets, in an interview with Daily Hive.
While Quest Non-Profit Grocery Markets is not city-run, it is a non-profit grocery store with the goal of filling the gap between a traditional food bank and a commercial grocery store.
Gloor said food banks are necessary for addressing emergency needs, but Quest is able to support those who need an “ongoing solution.” He said that many of their clients have limited incomes and are long-term.
Quest is part of the Vancouver Food Recovery Network, which collects surplus food from places like grocery stores, restaurants, hotels, wholesalers, producers, farms, and caterers that would otherwise go to waste.
Quest Non-Profit Grocery Markets/Supplied
“It’s still good quality, nutritious food,” said Gloor.
Quest then sells this food at its four stores, two in Vancouver and one in Burnaby and North Vancouver.
The markets have a traditional grocery store setting for people to come in and shop off the shelves. But at the till, they pay about half of what the same food would cost at a commercial discount grocery store. Gloor said that Quest charges just enough so they can cover the costs of staff and having a brick-and-mortar shop.
People get access to the market through one of the organization’s 700 referral partners (which include government programs, nonprofit organizations, and other service providers). Or, if someone is already receiving social assistance or is a food bank client, they are pre-qualified and can get a referral right at the store.
High cost of food
Gloor said that the federal government’s decision to rebrand the GST credit to one intended for groceries and essentials recognizes the “chronic challenge” of high food costs.
“Those supports are there to help people get through these challenges with that little bit extra in their budget every year, that can help ensure that the situation they’re facing is not going to extend to that emergency level where they need food bank access all the time,” he said.
With eligible Canadians receiving the first Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB) on Friday, he said that Quest markets can give people the opportunity to stretch their dollars twice as far.
The high cost of groceries has been top of mind for many B.C. residents, with a recent survey from Research Co. finding that almost 40 per cent are changing eating habits because food is too expensive.
The same survey found that 15 per cent of respondents reported skipping meals altogether, and 13 per cent said they’ve accessed food from a community organization.
Demand at B.C. food banks has increased by five per cent in the first three months of 2026, according to Food Banks BC. Since 2019, the organization, which is a provincial association of food banks, has observed about an 80 per cent increase in the number of food bank visits in B.C.
Dan Huang-Taylor, Food Banks BC’s executive director, told Daily Hive Urbanized earlier this year that one of the biggest trends in demand is people who work full-time but still need to turn to food banks. He said people’s wages are not keeping up with the rising costs of essentials.