Program aims to bring more affordable fresh foods to some remote First Nations

Healthy choices could become more affordable for about 14 remote First Nation communities.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Quality Market and True North Community Co-operative made a joint announcement Monday that they had established a partnership to bring more fresh food options to 14 First Nation communities.

Nutrition North Canada will provide subsidies for Quality Market and the local co-op to cover the air transportation costs of sending food to the remote communities. The savings those companies receive from the subsidies will then be passed onto the consumers living in those areas.

David Stezenko co-owner of Quality Market, said the plan began about three years ago.

The price of transporting food was always the biggest obstacle in making the initiative a reality, but with a subsidy in place that obstacle no longer exists.

"We’ve never sold food to the northern communities before," Stezenko said. "Our commitment to Grand Chief Stan Beardy and his nation is we will sell the food to the residents at the same price as someone that walked into the store on Golf Links Road.”

Throughout the next 12 weeks, 26 boxes full of cargo will be shipped to seven communities that qualified for the full subsidies. Those communities include Attawapiskat, Bearskin Lake, Fort Albany, Fort Severn, Muskrat Dam, Peawanuck and Kashechewan.

Another seven communities are covered under partial subsidy through onsite, telephone or Internet orders.

Joseph LeBlanc, chair of the True North Community Co-operative, said the new program allows businesses to build their own relationships with the airlines that ship the goods into the communities.

"We’ve been talking with various airlines and trying to find the best price for food for people," LeBlanc said. "It will save about a third to a half of the price. The way we’re set up is that our farmers set the price based on what they need and we sell at the same price here in Thunder Bay. We’ve committed to selling those goods at the same price across the region."

NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy said it’s a first step to help make First Nation communities healthier. Many communities deal with diabetes because they don’t have access to fruits and vegetables.

He said the collaboration will go a long way to deal with this problem.

"When we talk about goods being shipped up north we’re talking about air transportation," Beardy said.

"The majority of my First Nations are fly-in only so that means everything has to be flown in. In most cases when you talk about air transportation you’re talking about three or four times the costs that it is here in Thunder Bay. When people are hard up and aren’t working it is almost impossible to afford healthy foods."

Beardy said they are working on how often the goods will travel to the communities, but he hoped they would go about twice a week.