By Rod Nickel
IQALUIT, Nunavut β In Canadaβs remote north, residents have long paid dearly for food, and rising prices have worsened an already dire situation, exposing the vulnerability of one of the worldβs biggest exporters of grains and meat.
Communities in Nunavut β the largest of the three territories that make up Canadaβs northernmost region β have no roads to connect them with each other, forcing them to rely on fresh food airlifts twice each week. Permafrost and freezing temperatures nearly year-round make growing crops impractical.
Supply chain disruptions driven by the coronavirus pandemic and Russiaβs invasion of Ukraine have worsened food insecurity in poor countries globally. Nunavutβs experience shows it has taken a toll on poor regions of even rich nations like Canada, which is the No.3 exporter of wheat and pork.
In stores in Nunavutβs capital Iqaluit recently, a bag of cherries sold for C$21 ($16.34), and a six-pack of bottled water cost C$19 β both about double the cost in southern Canada. A 12-pack of soft drink cans sold for C$27, triple the price in the south.
Iqaluit resident Nathaniel Chouinard, 35, says he used to spend C$500 every two weeks to feed his family of six. Since January, he has been spending C$150 more every two weeks.
βI compensate by working more hours,β said Chouinard, who works two jobs in security and information technology. βIβm spending less time with my family.β
The Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre in Iqaluit, a soup kitchen that offers free meals to those in need, says by June this year it had served 20,000 meals β the number served up in all of 2021.
βFood insecurity in the north was already called the longest-lasting public health emergency in Canadian history,β said Rachel Blais, Qajuqturvikβs executive director.
βThe sharp increase in demand weβve seen in the last seven months is alarming.β
Nunavutβs Family Services Minister Margaret Nakashuk said hunger was hampering the ability of children to learn in school and fueling crime, especially break-ins.
βGETTING WORSEβ
It is difficult to quantify how much food prices have risen in the north this year. Statistics Canadaβs measurement of inflation in the northern territories is limited, only assessing price increases in the three main cities and not breaking out individual components like food and fuel.
Iqaluitβs consumer price index has doubled since the start of this year, hitting 4.3% in June and well above the Bank of Canadaβs 2% target. That is well below Canadaβs national inflation rate of 8.1%, mostly because Nunavutβs government made bulk purchases of fuel before prices spiked.
The region has long struggled with food sufficiency. According to a 2020 Statistics Canada study, 57% of households in Nunavut dealt with food insecurity in 2017-2018, the highest level among provinces and territories in the country. Food insecurity is defined as a household lacking money to buy the variety or quantity of food it needs.
Residents benefit from the Nutrition North federal food subsidy, which lowers the price of certain foods in some northern communities. But that is failing to reduce inequality, says Qajuqturvikβs Blais.
The region is also unable to directly reap the benefits of having waters swimming with fish. More than 95% of the turbot and shrimp caught offshore are exported because the territory lacks both a deepwater port to offload its catch as well as research to identify economic fishing locations closer to shore, said Brian Burke, executive director of the Nunavut Fisheries Association.
The Canadian government has promised C$40 million to build Nunavutβs first deepwater port, but that is a few years away.
Blais, the soup kitchen director, said there is also concern among people in Nunavut that stores may be charging too much.
North West Co, one of the biggest grocers in northern Canada, last year reported profit that was up 82.5% from its 2019 level. However, that reflects consumers buying more during the pandemic and the companyβs profit ratios are in line with those of southern grocery chains, said Mike Beaulieu, vice president of Canadian store operations at North West.
Regulations to cut down on overpackaging and lengthen expiry dates could help, since Nunavutβs biggest additional cost is flying in food, Beaulieu said.
For example, a third of a box of cereal is often just air and certain foods carry longer best-before dates than needed, he said.
Iqaluit Mayor Kenny Bell said he doesnβt blame food companies.
βItβs really expensive to do business here,β he said. βIt is definitely getting worse.β
($1 = 1.2849 Canadian dollars)
(Additional reporting by Julie Gordon in Ottawa, editing by Deepa Babington)