Two Nunavut communities strengthen access to traditional foods with new processing facilities
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The Government of Canada is investing over $4.7 million on two community-led traditional food processing facilities that will help Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak residents access more local foods and strengthen food sovereignty in the region.
GJOA HAVEN, NT, June 18, 2026 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is taking action to address local food accessibility and high prices in Nunavut. That means advancing reconciliation with Inuit by investing in food systems to strengthen community infrastructure, reduce dependance on imported foods, and lower costs for Nunavummiut.
Today, the Honourable Rebecca Chartrand, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for CanNor, announced a federal contribution of more than $4.7 million to create country food processing facilities in Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak. This includes $3,389,736 in funding from CanNor, $831,550 from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and $566,038 from Crown-Indigenous Relations and Indigenous Services Canada.
The Gjoa Haven Country Food Processing Facility and the Niqihaqut Cut and Wrap Facility in Taloyoak will boost the local economy while helping meet the need for nutritious food. They will also offer opportunities for training and skill development, encouraging the next generation to learn about traditional and sustainable hunting and fishing practices.
These facilities are an Inuit solution to strengthening food security in Nunavut's Kitikmeot region.
By creating jobs, supporting local hunters and harvesters, and reducing reliance on southern imports, they help build stronger and more self-reliant northern communities. The projects support the Government of Canada's National Food Security Strategy by advancing Inuit food sovereignty and strengthening community-based food systems.
"Thriving, self-reliant communities make for stronger economies and a more secure, sovereign Arctic. By investing in these processing facilities, the Government of Canada is supporting Inuit as they provide healthy, safe, nutritious local foods for their communities. These projects strengthen Inuit ownership, build long-term capacity, and will continue to create new economic opportunities in the North."
- The Honourable Rebecca Chartrand, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for CanNor
"Arctic char and country foods have sustained northern communities for generations. These facilities enable Inuit in Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak to safely process and share that food, so more families can access it. Backing projects like these is how we help build a stronger, more food-secure North."
- The Honourable Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries
"The National Food Security Strategy is about giving Canadians greater choice, control, and access to affordable, locally produced food. Through this made-in-Canada approach we will be able to process more of what our farmers grow, creating new jobs, economic opportunity and more food self-sufficiency. By reducing red tape and helping innovative businesses get projects off the ground faster, we will unlock new opportunities for farmers, food processors, and entrepreneurs across the agri-food sector."
- The Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
"Supporting community-led food solutions in Nunavut means more families can access affordable, nutritious and culturally relevant country foods. The investments in these communities will strengthen local capacity, create opportunities and improve community well-being."
- The Honourable Mandy Gull-Masty, Minister of Indigenous Services
"Food security is a key pillar of Arctic security and one of the most pressing issues in Nunavut. I am proud to see the Government of Canada support Inuit in Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak by investing in creative locally driven projects that help those communities access more affordable, nutritious and culturally relevant foods."
- Lori Idlout, Member of Parliament for Nunavut
"This is an exciting partnership we are happy to contribute to. This new community infrastructure will increase food security and provide economic opportunities in our harvesting economy. I look forward to the completion of these projects and the example they set for potentially similar facilities in other communities in the future."
- The Honourable Craig Simailak, Minister of Community Services, Government of Nunavut
"The Gjoa Haven Country Foods Processing Facility is a community-driven initiative. The funding received will greatly improve the future food security for the community and also has the potential to lead to economic development. Developing this facility will also diversify and enhance the skill sets of residents and the hamlet economy. Developing a country foods processing plant has been a longtime vision of the community and this funding is now making it a reality."
- Gjoa Haven Hunters and Trappers Association
"Niqihaqut embraces a new model of social economy and food sovereignty based on the sustainable harvest of wildlife and fish from Aviqtuuq. Luckily, many local hunters still provide for the community and we want to create jobs for them to feed our people. Country food will be processed in a new Food Processing Centre employing local people. The plant will produce ready-to-eat packages distributed in and outside the community at an affordable price. In the long-term, Niqihaqut seeks to solve the serious problems of food insecurity, acknowledging that we cannot replace the role of imported foods in Inuit communities. We want every family to have access to country food."
- Taloyoak Umaruliririgut Association
- These projects are funded in part through CanNor's Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) and the Northern Isolated Community Initiatives (NICI) Fund .
- RTRI enables businesses to offset the impacts of tariffs and adapt to longer-term trade volatility by opening doors to new markets, boosting productivity, reducing costs, and strengthening domestic supply chains.
- NICI supports community-led projects that benefit local and Indigenous food production systems with an emphasis on innovative and practical solutions to increase food security across the North.
- Funding to the project was also provided by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada's Indigenous Community-Based Climate Monitoring (ICBCM) Program, Climate Change Preparedness in the North (CCPN) Program and Indigenous Service Canada's Climate Change and Health Adaptation Program – North (CCHAP-North).
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- ICBCM provides funding for climate monitoring projects led by Indigenous communities and organizations.
- CCPN provides project funding and guidance to build Northern adaptation capacity and to implement adaptation measures increasing climate resilience.
- CCHAP-North funds First Nation and Inuit communities to identify, assess and respond to the health impacts of climate change.
- Funding to the project from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans was provided through their Northern Integrated Commercial Fisheries Initiative (NICFI) Program
- This initiative supports development of Indigenous, community-based commercial fishing enterprises and aquaculture operations.
- The funding announced today builds on previous Government of Canada investments of $1.5 million for the Niqihaqut project through Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada's Indigenous Community-Based Climate Monitoring (ICBCM) Program, Climate Change Preparedness in the North Program and Indigenous Service Canada's Climate Change and Health Adaptation Program - North.
- In March, the Prime Minister announced an additional $6.3 million through the Northern Isolated Community Initiatives Fund. This will support businesses, community groups, and innovators working on community-led food initiatives that benefit local production systems and increase food security in Indigenous communities and across the North.
- In June, the Prime Minister also announced the National Food Security Strategy, which sets out a comprehensive approach to strengthening Canada's food system so that Canadians have more choice, more control, and access to more affordable, locally produced food. By addressing structural barriers across the supply chain, the Strategy aims to improve the way food is grown, processed, moved, and sold by reducing unnecessary costs and increasing efficiency.
Through targeted investments in food infrastructure, including food terminals and community-based food hubs, the Strategy will support Canadian producers, processors, and independent retailers to better compete and bring more locally grown food to market. It also includes measures to strengthen competition, enhance oversight of the food retail sector, and promote a fairer marketplace for consumers.
Building on existing investments, the Strategy supports innovation, increases domestic production capacity, which includes controlled environment agriculture, and helps reduce Canada's reliance on imports. Together, these actions will strengthen supply chain resilience, support economic growth, and help ensure a more sustainable, competitive, and reliable food system for all Canadians.
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Associated links
- Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
- Prime Minister Carney launches National Food Security Strategy to build a more affordable and resilient food system in Canada
- Prime Minister Carney announces ambitious new plan to defend, build, and transform the North
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SOURCE Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor)
Contacts: For more information, media may contact: Maximilian Lee, Office of the Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for CanNor, [email protected]; Craig Welsh, Communications Advisor, Nunavut, Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor), [email protected]; Lyle Renecker, Niqihaqut Cut and Wrap Facility, [email protected], Cody Avadluk, Coordinator, Taloyoak Umaruliririgut Association, [email protected]
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