Yellowknife (Dec 01/03) - It's just a little "For Sale" sign, posted in the small community of Gjoa Haven, proudly advertising caribou, muskox and char.

Meat plant worker Rosie Porter getting ready to smoke some caribou meat. - photo courtesy of Louie Kamookak

But it says a lot about the community, and its ability to survive times of need.

For the last three years, The Hunters and Trappers Association in Gjoa Haven has been pressing the department of sustainable development for funding to revive the meat plant.

The plant sat unused for years, and the HTO wanted to change that.

"We already had the packaging plant," said Louie Kamookak chair of the association. "We had a brand new walk in freezer, a smoker."

Last year, the association's lobbying finally paid off. The government gave them $19,000 to upgrade the meat plant.

By October the association was buying freshly caught char, muskox and caribou to process, package, and sell locally.

The plant has created two jobs for women from Gjoa Haven.

Even the food bank has cashed in on the meat, setting up an account with the association so they can supply needy people in the community with the meat.

"This is something we've been planning for, to supply food for people who need it," said Kamookak. "The prices are affordable for people in town. We're not in it to make big bucks."

But with the success of the meat plant, the association is looking ahead.

They want to supply the larger processing plants, such as Kitikmeot Foods.

"It's not a big plant like Kivalliq Foods," Kamookak said. "But we would like to be a supplier for char for the bigger fish plants. I think that would bring us employment in the summer," he said.