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)
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.