The federal government spent more than $1 million on a Yukon school board initiative promoting “indigenous food systems,” including hundreds of thousands for a traditional food processing kitchen and a temperature-controlled delivery van, according to newly disclosed records.The funding was distributed through the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency under its Northern Isolated Community Initiatives Fund, a program aimed at improving food security in remote northern communities.Blacklock's Reporter said in documents submitted to the Senate agriculture committee, the agency said the Yukon First Nation Education Directorate received a total of $1,015,646.The Directorate serves approximately 1,100 indigenous students in the Yukon.Of the total funding, $845,000 was allocated for planning a traditional food processing kitchen in Whitehorse.“This one-year project focused on completing architectural and detailed design plans for a centralized traditional and local foods commercial kitchen,” the agency wrote.According to federal managers, the proposed facility would process and store wild game in an urban setting while supporting curriculum tied to First Nations food processing and traditional knowledge..An additional $170,646 was provided to support the Directorate’s urban nutrition program, including the purchase of a specialized temperature-controlled delivery van.The Northern Isolated Community Initiatives Fund was launched in 2019 and is scheduled to run until 2027. Ottawa spends roughly $6 million annually through the program.Federal officials said the initiative supports projects involving greenhouses, farming, traditional harvesting, food processing, food distribution systems and other northern food infrastructure.Records show the government has approved a range of other costly food-security projects across the North in recent years.Last year alone, the program provided $800,000 to an egg farm in Hay River and $600,000 to a grocery store in Wekweeti, a community with a population of roughly 130 people.Another $250,000 went to a grocery store in Arctic Bay, while $710,000 was spent on fish freezers in Cumberland Sound.“These examples show how the Agency supports food security, infrastructure and economic growth across the North in line with community needs and regional priorities,” the department told senators.Auditors have not publicly calculated the per-capita cost of northern food security subsidies across federal departments..Separate federal programs have also funded other unconventional food-related projects.The Canadian Institutes of Health Research provided $240,000 to operate a goose farm in Arviat.Meanwhile, the Canadian Space Agency spent $450,000 in 2020 on a project to grow carrots in Gjoa Haven.Another federal initiative under the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations spends approximately $8 million annually on harvesting support grants that provide equipment including snowmobiles, fishing nets and firearms.
