NORTHERN FOOD INSECURITY

In 2021, through a Agri-Food Canada Emergency Food Security Fund grant, funding was directed to help the Chipewyan Prairie Dene First Nation reopen a path to traditional fishing grounds. This path had been cut off for many years. Through the funding, the local community reopened the path, providing improved access to a healthy food source, and also helped keep their culture and traditions alive in the community.

“This has allowed our community access to a healthy food source while at the same time keeping our culture and traditions alive. This project has led to intergenerational knowledge transfer ensuring that the next seven generations will know where and how to access fish to feed the community of Chipewyan Prairie. This project has significantly contributed to our community’s food security.”

– Chief and Council, Chipewyan Prairie Dene First Nation

Billy Palluq sits on the committee of the Kangiqtugaapik Food Bank, as secretary treasurer. He applied for funding to help his community. The Food Banks Canada’s Emergency Food Security Fund, funded by the Canadian government, allowed the Kangiqtugaapik Food Bank to feed their families.
After Billy’s application was accepted for funding, he worked on the logistics right away. And the partnership between Food Banks Canada and Arctic Co-ops limited (ACL) was the key to successfully implementing the funding. “Since we have no bank account and no bank in an isolated community like Clyde River, I contacted Duane Wilson, vice-president of Arctic Co-operatives Limited to see if they would be willing to receive the funds and ship the food from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Clyde River, Nunavut. ACL was happy to assist. What amazed me more was the fact that Food Banks Canada was willing to work with ACL to provide food for those in need even though we had no bank account. This did not matter. I thought to myself, “Those are truly Canadians with a beautiful soul.” said Billy.

Transportation has always been an issue in northern communities, especially with the slippery roads and sometimes no access to any roads at all. Also, the cost of living in the north is so expensive. Billy expressed, “To this day, it still amazes me that my applications were approved. Food Banks Canada has done an excellent job of providing food and funding to food banks across Canada, including Nunavut (North). By working with organizations such as Arctic Co-operatives Limited. They showed that food can reach the furthest points of northern Canada—it can be done. Nunavut has 23 stores in 24 Nunavut communities. Clyde River, the most isolated in the North is the only community without a Co-op store but we were still able to work with ACL to provide food. This would never have happened if Food Banks Canada hadn’t cooperated with ACL.”

“The Co-op System in Canada’s Arctic shares a common Vision of ‘people working together to improve their social and economic well being’.  The opportunity to work with Food Banks Canada to support the distribution of food to communities that experience food insecurity and food access challenges aligns with this Vision.  For these reasons, we look forward to continuing this collaboration.”

– Duane Wilson, Arctic Co-operatives Limited 

“Food security is one of the most crucial challenges defining the 21st century. Together with our employees, Bayer is proud to be working with Food Banks Canada to help foster positive relationships in the north, build trust and develop solutions that are community-led and sustainable.” Read more about Bayer at www.bayer.ca. 

– Derrick Rodzeba, Vice President Communications, Public Affairs, Science & Sustainability

Amid growing calls for food bank services in northern communities this year, Food Banks Canada hit the ice roads with Harvest Manitoba and the Regional Food Distribution Association in Thunder Bay on a mission to improve northern food security.

Together, we drove more than 3,000 kilometres along the longest seasonal ice road in the world—the Wapusk Trail—to deliver four thousand of pounds of food in two remote First Nations only accessible to vehicles for six weeks of the year.

Watch the video of our journey: