Province Allocates Funding To Alleviate Food Costs In Northern Manitoba

Increasing Food Security Efforts in Northern Communities: Lagimodiere

The Manitoba government is providing one-time funding of $193,000 to Northern Healthy Foods Initiative (NHFI) and its five regional partners to help alleviate acute food security pressures in northern Manitoba due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations Minister Alan Lagimodiere announced today. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the challenges of accessing healthy food in northern Manitoba,” said Lagimodiere. “Supply chain interruptions have driven-up food prices and caused shortages of healthy food options. This additional funding will help alleviate some of the strain placed on many northern communities and put food on their tables.” 

The NHFI program is a major initiative of Manitoba Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations. The program works with communities to define their own food systems to access healthy foods in northern Manitoba with the goals of increasing food security efforts at the community level and to strengthen community-led development. 

The funding will be allocated to the five community-based regional NHFI partners: Bayline Regional Roundtable, Four Arrows Regional Health Authority, Frontier School Division, Food Matters Manitoba and the Northern Association of Community Councils (NACC). 

“The IRNR NHFI program funding is so greatly appreciated and timely,” said Linda Payeur, executive director, NACC. “This support affords the Northern Association of Community Councils the ability to be responsive to our northern Manitoba member communities experiencing such a dramatic increase in cost of nutritional food and agricultural supplies.” 

“Bayline is excited to receive this grant funding,” said Carol Sagnoffsky, administrator, Bayline Regional Roundtable. “With an increased interest in beekeeping and gardening, we would use this grant to enhance our programming.” 

NHFI program partners determine specific funding allocations, enabling decisions to be made by those who are most closely involved in program delivery. Funds are typically used to purchase seeds, soils and gardening supplies for spring programming as well as to support acceleration and grow projects that work to enhance food security in the north. 

The Manitoba government has long recognized the challenges facing northern communities in accessing healthy food, noted the minister, and ongoing support contributes to culturally relevant and healthy food systems in northern Manitoba through the partnership.