Aluki Kotierk bills Ottawa $15,000 but there’s still no sign of her Nutrition North review

Aluki Kotierk has billed the federal government $15,000 in travel expenses, but nothing for professional services, more than a year after she was picked to lead a review of the Nutrition North subsidy program.

But more than two weeks after the deadline to file her report with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, there has been no sign of the report, a government spokesperson said.

The federal government announced in October 2024 it was commissioning an external review to investigate whether subsidies paid to retailers lead to lower food prices at northern grocery stores.

Kotierk, who had recently completed a term as president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., was named the minister’s special representative to head the review in February 2025. The report was due to be submitted to Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs on March 31.

As of Thursday, the department had been billed close to $15,000 in travel expenses for the external review, said Jacinthe Goulet, spokesperson for Crown-Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada.

“To date, no professional fees have been invoiced,” Goulet added, when asked if Kotierk had received any compensation for the review.

Nunatsiaq News has asked the department how much it had budgeted for the external review but did not receive a dollar figure as an answer.

“The budget will depend on the costs incurred during the review,” Goulet said.

It’s not clear where Kotierk is or what has happened to her review. Nunatsiaq News has tried several times since the end of March, including on Friday, to reach her by phone and social media but has not received a response.

Created in 2011, Nutrition North subsidizes the high cost of healthy foods and essential goods in 124 northern communities.