NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Wekweeti, Whati, Gameti and Lutsel K'e will now be included in the federal government's Nutrition North Canada program. That was announced July 18 in Inuvik by Carolyn Bennett, the indigenous and northern affairs minister.
The four communities are part of 37 isolated communities across the North where the feds are expanding the program. Nutrition North subsidizes the cost of food so that people living in isolated Northern communities can access nutritional and affordable food.
The program starts Oct. 1 for the NWT communities that were added to the list. The announcement was made at the Inuvik Community Greenhouse before a roundtable discussion with Inuit and First Nations leaders on food security in the North.
"It would be interesting to see what comes of this conversation," said Ray Solotki, executive director of the Inuvik Community Greenhouse.
"And hopefully it also sparks enthusiasm within our own community to look at the immediate options."
The roundtable session was closed to media but Solotki talked about some of the conversations that took place.
"We talked about where we need to get better - whether it is looking at transportation, education, training, subsidizing - it was very interesting," she said. "One of the things I took away from it is the attitude of many people toward what we could be doing.
"We could be selling local food, it has been done before. There should be an emphasis on what can be produced, harvested, and made in Inuvik - and in the communities - not just how we can ship from the south."
Solotki said she would like to see the greenhouse working with the Hunters and Trappers Committee, as well as Inuvialuit and Gwich'in groups to help incorporate more locally grown vegetables into diets, even the potatoes, cabbage, and berries more typical of traditional food.
Bennett said she was impressed but what she heard at the roundtable.
"The neat thing about being here is that this is where people come together and take care of each other," she told News/North.
Bennett said that Nutrition North is about hungry kids and dignity.
"The Government of Canada is committed to listening to Northern families to understand what they need to help feed their families," Bennett said. "These changes will help more families to have access to affordable and nutritious food."
- with files from Sarah Ladik
