Cost of living top of mind in Grise Fiord ahead of federal election
You have to save up for ‘years’ to pay for a trip out of Grise Fiord, resident says
A Kenn Borek Twin Otter is parked at Grise Fiord’s airport. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Residents of Grise Fiord say the high costs of travel and food are among their top concerns ahead of the April 28 federal election.
Located 1,500 kilometres south of the North Pole on Ellesmere Island, the Nunavut hamlet of 140 people is the northernmost community in Canada.
Getting in and out is a challenge. Canadian North offers scheduled flights to Grise Fiord twice a week to and from Resolute Bay. Those flights alone can cost more than $1,000, one way. To get to Iqaluit, then Ottawa — the most convenient destination from which to fly south from Nunavut’s capital — and from there to anywhere else easily costs thousands more.
“A lot of people would like to go for vacations, but we can’t,” said Monica Kiguktak, a full-time teacher and a single mother of two who has lived in Grise Fiord most of her life.
“I have to plan like 10 years ahead of time if I want to go out for a good vacation.”
Jimmy Qaapik, a Grise Fiord resident since 1987, said he also doesn’t travel much unless it is work-related. He pointed out the cost of leaving isn’t limited to just flights. It often requires overnight stays in Resolute Bay, Iqaluit or other communties.
“Nobody can afford to go anywhere out of their own pocket,” he said.
“There’s the hotels and the food that has to be paid [for], unless you have friends or families who are willing to take you in through these communities that we have to fly through.”
Getting supplies in is about as complicated as it is to come or leave.
Grise Fiord, like all other Nunavut communities, relies on air cargo to supplement the annual sealift delivery. With that comes higher prices for food, such as $50 for a jar of pickles or $29 for a litre of soup broth.
On top of that are frequent weather-related air travel cancellations, meaning food often is delayed, and expired, by the time it gets to the community’s Arctic Co-op grocery store.
The federal government has offered some programs intended to reduce the cost of food in Nunavut communities, including Nutrition North and the Inuit Child First Initiative (sometimes referred to as Jordan’s Principle) food voucher program.
Grise Fiord administered the food voucher program last year, where families with Inuit children under 18 could collect a $500 voucher monthly per child. Children under four were also eligible for a supplementary $250 per child for products such as diapers and formula.
Hamlet Coun. Laisa Audlaluk-Watsko has three kids for whom she collected $1,500 monthly in food voucher support, but the hamlet’s funding agreement with Indigenous Services Canada expired at the end of March.
The Inuit Child First Initiative was extended to the end of March 2026, but Parliament must reconvene to approve the spending. That won’t happen until after Monday’s election.
Even with that funding extension, the department is indicating it won’t renew funding requests for its community-wide food voucher program.
Audlaluk-Watsko expressed how much she relied on the program while it was in place.
“The first time I got it, I was teary or so happy with joy that I’m getting this much help and I can pay the rest of the bills or I can order clothes for that month,” she said about the vouchers.
“Now, we’re budgeting again.”
All three Nunavut candidates in the federal election have shown their support for Inuit Child First Initiative and other measures to ease the cost of living for Nunavummiut.
Conservative James T. Arreak, New Democrat Lori Idlout and Liberal Kilikvak Kabloona all also addressed the need to improve Nutrition North. The Liberal government announced in October that it would undertake an external review of the program.
“I hope that someone comes through,” Audlaluk-Watsko said about the prospect of a solution.
Kiguktak said Grise Fiord needs help. High costs impact peoples’ well-being in a community where some residents struggle to find employment and where people endure 24/7 darkness throughout the winter.
“We were relocated here, relocated to Grise Fiord, and then [the] federal government doesn’t do anything for these people,” she said.
This article was published with financial support from the Covering Canada: Election 2025 Fund.
A teacher in Grise Fiord receives a northern living allowance of $34k per year on top of a starting salary of at least $70k. Most teachers live in subsidized staff housing. Those who own a home or rent privately are eligible to $1000 per month housing allowance. There are plenty of teachers in the rest of the country who have to budget and cannot afford a vacation.
NNA, those teachers you speak way up there of NOT sacrifice their lives to the Canadian Sovereignty. Canada; where is your appreciation? New Canadians are housed well; Feds, I rather you just say thank you and bury your heads into the sands on the Hill. Canada we speak so well of against Trumps is double faced, nice to others and speak ill of others.
GF Northern Allowance is almost $44k per year, not $33k.
And , I thought living and getting in out of our region was expensive .
Poor flagpole people, what they have to endure to keep the integrity of the country! Very sad for the Canadian citizens when the country invests more on other countries than her own people! Sarcastic laugh 🤣
“Now, we’re budgeting again.”
Must’ve been nice not to have to budget for food. Honestly, why are there even 1 litre tetrapacks of broth for sale in Grise Fiord? I live somewhere where a litre of broth costs far less than that, and I still don’t buy it because the bouillon cubes or broth powder are still way cheaper. The cubes and powder also have a shelf life about double the boxed broth.
There are some things that just are not, and reasonably cannot, be expected to be in your diet when you live somewhere so remote.
Living in the north, I make do with what is available. Do I expect to be able to eat fresh peaches in January? No. I don’t expect fresh peaches any time of year to be honest. If I want peaches, I can buy them in a can.
I can buy frozen broccoli.
I can buy frozen/canned corn.
I can buy frozen/canned peas.
I can buy frozen/canned carrots.
I can buy frozen meat.
I can buy instant mashed potatoes in a box.
I can buy dehydrated pasta.
I can buy canned pasta sauces.
I can buy boxed crackers.
I can buy jars of applesauce.
I do have some sympathy for Grise Fiord. But you can eat pretty darn well on less expensive non-perishable food items if you have a clue and you really want to. You don’t need pickles and boxed broth.
I totally agree with this post. Also kids DO NOT need juice or pop! This will considerably bring down the amount of dental problem as well. I find it appalling people who say they cannot afford to feed their kids are also the ones with $100K trucks, boats, snowmobiles and smoking like a chimney.
The amount of ignorance in these comments boggles the mind.
Why wouldn’t they be entitled to enjoy the same foods or drinks that the rest of us enjoy. Quite frankly, it’s none of anyone’s business what they feed their children or what they want to eat or drink themselves. And I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Grise Fiord, but they buy what is available to them. And believe me, it’s not a lot. There’s a reason I bring my own food when I travel there. Their tiny little co-op does not have a lot, I would not be surprised if bouillon was not available and that they have no choice but to buy boxes of broth. And as for pickles, because they live in Grise Fiord they don’t deserve to experience the great taste of pickles? Good grief. The prices there are crazy, and considering it’s a community that never asked to exist, it only seems right that the government steps in and makes food affordable. I’m pretty sure each and every one of you has complained about how much food prices (and prices of everything else) have gone up over the last couple of years.
And why shouldn’t they buy themselves nice things? They experience darkness for a good chunk of the year; they can’t easily get out of their community; they deserve to be able to buy nice things that make themselves happy.
As for the comments about how much folks get for an isolated post allowance, don’t forget that it is taxed and not every job provides an isolated allowance. And well, quite frankly, it goes fast. Look up the cost of flights, add in the hotel costs, food costs and everything else. You will be astounded I am sure.
Be supportive of our northern friends, they are wonderful people and deserving of kindness. They do not deserve to be scolded or chastised by folks that seem to not really have a clue. And if y’all are so smarty pants about finances, why don’t you become financial advisors and provide your services to people who actually ask or it.
Residents of Grise Fiord and Resolute, who were relocated as part of the High Arctic relocation program, have received formal recognition for their service to Canadian sovereignty.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Compensation for Relocation:
In 1996, the federal government agreed to pay $10 million into a trust fund to compensate the families of the relocated people.
Individual Payouts:
A settlement reached in 2018 provided $100,000 to survivors of the relocation and $3,000 to each of their children.