Utoo Radio with Other News Sources - January 27, 2025 - Demian Lawrenchuk, executive director for Food Matters Manitoba (FMM), believes that food insecurity in northern communities is not caused by a lack of food but by systemic problems like over-reliance on imported foods.

FMM's harvesters program pays and outfits hunters to feed their communities, creating opportunities for people to feed their family and neighbors while becoming "pillars of their communities."

Lawrenchuk's home community, 760 kilometers north of Winnipeg, was one of the first to take part in FMM's harvesters program, which pays and outfits hunters to feed their communities.

The Canadian Income Survey in 2022 showed the territories experienced the highest rates of food insecurity in the country, with Nunavut having by far the highest rate.

Other regions, including Newfoundland and Labrador, have experienced food insecurity.

In Iqaluit, Joseph Murdoch-Flowers, co-executive director of Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre, serves between 300 and 500 meals each day and has opened a store where people can buy bulk items on a sliding affordability scale.

A southern understanding of fighting food insecurity is challenging, as reliance on southern foods, including canned goods, can contribute to cardiovascular disease.

Amelie Clark, a registered nurse and diabetes educator, grew up in Carmacks, Yukon, and knows how hard it can be to access fresh food.

FMM has had to deal with southern perspectives about how to tackle food insecurity, but has found success in supporting harvesters financially. Local foods like caribou, Arctic char, berries, seaweeds, and clams are nutritionally dense and often preferred by communities.