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NORTHERN FOOD INSECURITY

Food insecurity is
at crisis levels in many
northern communities.

Poverty, along with a lack of access to logistics, proper infrastructure, and transportation has resulted in many Canadians living in northern and remote communities to experience disproportionate levels of food insecurity. We recognize the need is urgent and that the time for change is now.

Northern snapshot

While the food insecurity rate across the country lies at 12.7%, in Nunavut, that number is 57%—more than quadruple the national average. It is a complex and critical issue that requires a very specific set of solutions. Which is why Food Banks Canada continues to recommend greater focus and attention by governments when it comes to addressing the high levels of food insecurity in Canada’s North.

21.7%
of households in the Northwest Territories experience food insecurity
of NWT
1 in 4 Nunavut households report being in a state of severe food insecurity
MORE THAN HALF
of female-led, single-parent households in Nunavut are severely food-insecure1.
of female-led, single-parent households in Nunavut are severely food-insecure1.
17%
of households in the Yukon experience food insecurity
of Yukon
2x
In Iqaluit, the cost to feed a family of four would be $1,721.56; while in Ottawa it would cost $868—almost double the amount2.
food costs
1%
The average cost of the Revised Northern Food Basket in March 2018 was only 1% lower than in March 2011, prior to the launch of the Nutrition North program.
LOWER
Approximately 1/3 of the population of Nunavut are on social assistance
40%+
of visits to food banks in the northern territories are made by children
are children

Food Banks Canada’s approach to ending food insecurity in the North goes well beyond the food banking model.

We know helping people in need goes beyond the scope of food, which is why we’re focused on building relationships and working on place-based solutions in partnership with northern communities where food insecurity is at crisis levels.

DEDICATED NORTHERN FOCUS

In 2021, Food Banks Canada welcomed our first Northern Program Officer, Jason Stevens,. In his role, Jason is focused on developing new relationships with communities in Northern Canada to listen and understand their needs and challenges and to work with them to identify place-based solutions to address food insecurity in their communities. 

This has included organizing and executing shipments of food along the ice roads to reach remote and isolated communities in the territories as well as other northern communities.

“Building relationships with experts at the local level will be crucial to reducing food insecurity in northern communities in an equitable way.” 

– Jason Stevens, Northern Program Officer, Food Banks Canada

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DEDICATED NORTHERN FOCUS

DEVELOPING A ‘NETWORK OF THE NORTH’

Food Banks Canada is building trusting and long-lasting relationships with community members, organizations, and local governments in the North to share information, consult and work together toward reducing food insecurity in northern communities.

As part of our ongoing work to reduce northern food insecurity, we formed a Northern Advisory Committee by convening community leaders, elders and organizations to provide Food Banks Canada with advice and expertise based on their knowledge and experience of local needs.

Through this advisory committee, Food Banks Canada hopes to develop a “Network of the North” made up of communities, food banks, schools and other organizations that work together toward sustainable food security, equitable access to food and funding, and information sharing across Canada’s three territories.

READ MORE: Developing a ‘Network of the North’ to reduce food insecurity in remote and isolated communities

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DEVELOPING A ‘NETWORK OF THE NORTH’

MAPPING THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Over the course of millennia, Indigenous peoples in Canada have nurtured a deep connection with their lands and traditional food systems, fostering collective food security and sustainable stewardship practices. However, in the modern day, many factors have negatively impacted Indigenous communities and their traditional way of life. The cumulative impacts of climate change, combined with challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, increasing food prices, industrial impacts, and the encroachment of government and industry on traditional lands have escalated food insecurity and diminished food sovereignty for Indigenous communities. In this context, climate change stands out as a major disruptor affecting Indigenous traditional food systems and the intricate web of interconnected food sources.

To understand the challenges and risks that climate change brings to traditional food systems in remote communities in Northern Canada, Food Banks Canada teamed up with Esri Canada to create an ArcGIS StoryMap that showcases the impact of climate change on traditional food systems:

 

Food Banks Canada would like to thank the Walmart Foundation for funding this StoryMap initiative.

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MAPPING THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE

MAPPING THE JOURNEY OF FOOD

Food costs have risen, and remote communities in Canada’s north have been hit hard. Why is food so expensive in these communities?

Many Canadians living in northern and remote communities experience disproportionate levels of food insecurity due to factors such as low income, lack of employment opportunities, high cost of food and lack of access to proper infrastructure and transportation. Food Banks Canada, along with many food banks in the food banking network, is doing what we can to support struggling northern communities who face incredibly high food prices.

To explore the transportation challenges and costs of shipping to remote communities in Canada’s north, Food Banks Canada teamed up with Esri Canada to create an ArcGIS StoryMap that showcases the journey of food to remote northern communities:

 

Food Banks Canada would like to thank the Walmart Foundation for funding this StoryMap initiative.

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MAPPING THE JOURNEY OF FOOD

RELIEVING HUNGER ALONG THE ICE ROADS

Amid growing calls for food bank services in northern communities, Food Banks Canada hit the ice roads with Harvest Manitoba and the Regional Food Distribution Association in Thunder Bay in 2022 on a mission to improve northern food security.

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

In February 2023, we hit the winter roads again with staff members from Harvest Manitoba to help ship 17,000 pounds of healthy, nutritious food to the remote northern community of Island Lake. Watch our video for more from the 478-kilometre, 14-hour ice road journey and to hear what community members have to say about the food insecurity challenges they face.

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RELIEVING HUNGER ALONG THE ICE ROADS

REOPENING TRADITIONAL FISHING GROUNDS

In 2021, to improve access to healthy food for a rural and remote community in northern Alberta, Food Banks Canada used a grant made possible through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Emergency Food Security Fund to help the Chipewyan Prairie Dene First Nation reopen a path to traditional fishing grounds.

The First Nation’s return to Gipsy Lake has not only improved their access to a healthy food source and enhanced their food security, but it is also helping 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

Learn More

REOPENING TRADITIONAL FISHING GROUNDS

HELP US ADDRESS FOOD INSECURITY IN THE NORTH

1Source: Statistics Canada 

2The cost to feed a family of four in March of 2018 — source: https://www.nutritionnorthcanada.gc.ca/eng/1548078467819/1548078497301