Baker Lake’s only food bank at risk of closing due to black mould

Baker Lake’s only food bank faces possible closure after black mould was discovered in the rented building it has operated from for the past two years.

Without a new location, Abluqta Society’s food bank as well as its thrift store and communal space won’t be able to continue operations, said Erin Strachan, manager of Indigenous Services at Performance Management Consultants, who helped establish the Abluqta Society in 2017.

“We’ve had to move three times already because of unsuitable building situations,” she said in an interview.

The food bank provides 250 grocery bags of food for people in need each month and has been running a daily hot lunch program since November.

On Feb. 19, workers discovered black mould in the washroom, behind the walls and under the floors, after fixing a leak in the building. They also identified an air quality hazard after testing other areas of the house. Since then, it has been temporarily closed.

Black mould is a fungus that can cause coughing, congestion and eye irritation and possibly worsen asthma symptoms, according to Health Canada.

The building, owned by Qamanittuaq Development Corp., is managed by landlord Piruqsaijit Ltd., which Strachan said has no other space available for the food bank due to a housing shortage in the community of about 2,000 residents.

The food bank was operating out of a three-bedroom house with a small kitchen, fridge and stove — a space they’ve managed to make work.

“In a dream world, we would have a decent-sized kitchen, one where we could do teaching and learning, because our society is more than just a food bank and thrift shop,” Strachan said.

Abluqta means “let us step forward” in Inuktitut. It offers recycled clothing, toys and household goods, and food via a community kitchen.

It also provides emergency food supplies to those in dire need between scheduled distributions.

Governed by an eight-member board that includes elders, a hunter with the hunters and trappers organization and several teachers, Abluqta helps residents by ensuring they have food and also with skills development and community-building.

The society employs three staff: an operations manager, thrift shop manager and community kitchen worker, who organize meals and run the hot lunch program that feeds up to 20 people a day.

“We’re trying to provide opportunities for local people to get work, make contributions to their community, and build their skills,” Strachan said.

“Part of how we’ve done that before is by inviting people into a community kitchen-type concept, where we’re purchasing food and preparing it. Whoever shows up to help out can learn how to cook, and we sit down together for a nice meal at the end of it all.”

Abluqta Society has relied on funding from Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd., the Department of Family Services, Food Banks Canada, and the Indigenous Peoples Resilience Fund. Now, she said, it is “casting their net wide” in a search for alternative housing.

“I think that we would probably be in a position to be fundraising for a new building, because it’s not ideal renting,” Strachan said.

“But we’re probably looking at three million dollars to build something in Baker Lake and it could take several years to fundraise that plan, get the materials up there and build it.”

Abluqta Society members will meet with Hamlet of Baker Lake representatives Thursday evening to see if a new building can be found.

“This is our survival we’re talking about,” Strachan said. “Without a suitable location, we won’t be able to operate. We can’t run the community kitchen and food bank from a sea can or someone’s house, we need a proper space.”