Can shopping online make northern groceries cheaper? Ottawa funding research to find out
Nine organizations share $2.2M to study food security
Rebecca Chartrand, minister of northern and Arctic affairs speaks to reporters on Thursday announcing $2.2 million for Indigenous-led research into food security. (Photo by Jorge Antunes)
A Nunavut organization researching whether online shopping can reduce food prices in the North is one of nine Indigenous-led projects with new federal money for their research.
Northern and Arctic Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand announced $2.2 million for these projects, which all focus on food security, Thursday during a news conference in Ottawa.
The money comes from Nutrition North Canada’s food security research funding, a pot of money the government originally rolled out in 2023.
“The food security research grants are looking to strengthen local food systems to help families manage the rising cost that we’re seeing,” Chartrand said.
Four of the projects are based in Nunavut or conducting research there.
For example, the Niksik organization is studying whether online food purchases can make food more affordable for Inuit communities.
The Foxe Basin Kivalliq North Sapujiyiit Guardians of the Sea Society is examining how Inuit families in Chesterfield Inlet and Coral Harbour access store‑bought and country food and determining where gaps may exist.
Chartrand made the announcement at the end of the first day of the Food Sovereignty Summit, a two-day conference in Ottawa hosted by the federal government.
Northern leaders were there to discuss how to reform the Nutrition North program and to bring their concerns about food insecurity directly to federal leaders.
“What we’ve heard today at our summit is … some children are only eating once a day and it also impacts elders in the community and the overall strength of communities,” Chartrand said.
It’s been over a year since Alukie Kotierk was appointed by the Feds to lead a review of the nutrition north program.
Where’s that at now?
Online orders for country food – with a subsidized cheap freight price from the airlines – Nunavut wide.
BUT – with standards and accountability to ensure the highest quality country food is sold to individuals. Training would need to be provided to improve the overall quality of the final product put on sale. Clean, no dirt, no hair, bled properly, butchered with skill, handled with care, packaged appropriately.
A safe product of high quality guaranteed – and accountability – and a system that makes fraud/scamming impossible.
Honestly – the weakest link in all of this is our airlines – the theft is astronomical – and years later there’s still zero accountability from the companies to resolve this.
Because everyone on Social assistance all have the means to order online, hey Ottawa! Remember there are more poor out there, but we all know they have internet by some grace of God!
This counsel of despair would have us believe nothing can be done, all is futile. Is that what we want?
I hope some good, legit, ideas come out of this.
Right now the feds provide credits if they live above a certain latitude in taxes. We find that in our income tax returns.
Would the feds reduce taxes on some goods for people who live above a certain latitude?
Our government is truly lost. How on earth is buying online from the south going to make northern food systems better? Outfits in Ottawa, Winnipeg and Edmonton that don’t have a bit of infrastructure or a single employee in the territory will love it but this all takes away from local capacity, which they will say they are trying to build out of the other side of their mouth… SMH.
What is going on research research research
How about what happening now in our everyday lives
Take Iqaluit for example Iqaluit got Amazon hub you can order dry goods yes but
NORTHMART’s grocery prices just keep going up
The government needs to step in intervene and cap the prices
We have had Marche Turrenne and Daoust also Saslov’s in Ottawa and still the prices just kept climbing at NORTHMART
Really