Minister Vandal announces five new Indigenous-led projects that study food security in northern communities

OTTAWA, ON, - To better understand food security in the North and Arctic and how the Government of Canada can further support northern Indigenous communities' food security priorities, research at the community level is crucial to inform current, and future, programs and initiatives.

Today, the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, PrairiesCan and CanNor, announced that five Indigenous-led research projects are receiving a total of $1.5 million in funding under Nutrition North Canada's (NNC) new Food Security Research Grant to conduct research on food access inequality and food security in NNC eligible communities. These projects are the first to receive funding under the grant, since its official launch in August 2022.

The projects that are receiving funding include:

• "Nothing About Us, Without Us: Exploring the Current and Potential Impact of the Nutrition North Subsidy through Community-Based Criteria," by Kiikenomaga Kikenjigewen Employment and Training Services;
• "Food for Everyone in Sambaa K'e, NWT," by Sambaa K'e First Nation;
• "NAN Homeland Foods and Food Systems Study: 2023 – 2024," by Nishnawbe Aski Nation;
• "Understanding Food Affordability and Security in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region: An Assessment of the Retail Food Environment and Consumer Agency," by Laval University in collaboration with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation; and
• "Learning about Indigenous Concepts Relevant to Food Security Intervention in Northern Communities," by the Governing Council of the University of Toronto in collaboration with Taloyoak, Nunavut, and Whati, Northwest Territories.

Research undertaken by Indigenous partners, northern communities, and academics, will be integral to providing data and critical information to inform NNC's suite of food security programming including the Harvesters Support Grant and Community Food Programs Fund. More specifically, the projects will examine food access inequality, how the NNC retail subsidy is benefitting and reaching people in eligible communities, and help address data gaps on the cost of living.

The new Food Security Research Grant is an important example of how NNC is supporting Indigenous partners in northern and isolated communities to address food insecurity through culturally relevant, and made-in-the-North solutions, as part of the federal government's broader efforts to address food security across Canada.