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Canada invests $4.6M in agri-food producers and organizations in the North

Last week, the Government of Canada announced nearly $4.6 million in federal investments to help the Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon agri-food sectors innovate, grow and create jobs. Additional investments of $604,348 have been provided through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

Delivered by CanNor, this funding supports 13 initiatives in communities across the territories. It will help farmers and producers boost profits with new, modern equipment and value-added products, while increasing exports and expanding to new markets thanks to recent trade agreements. It will also assist them in becoming more efficient by increasing capacity and field yields, adopting new technologies and improving data collection and analysis. As COVID-19 causes serious disruptions to supply chains, this investment will help businesses mitigate and address these challenges.

“Today’s announcement will help agri-food producers innovate, expand, and create value-added products for market. I am pleased that CanNor investments are helping to create a reliable food supply chain here in the North supporting good local jobs across the territories,” says Larry Bagnell, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency)

All-Season Growing Facility Expansion 

CanNor invested $76,450 in a one-year project to expand ColdAcre Food System’s hydroponic growing facility and the establishment of a mushroom cultivation unit. With a further $76,450 investment from ColdAcre, this project will increase the company’s production capacity to better meet the needs of local consumers, increase revenues and expand their customer base. The total cost of the project is $152,900.

Intercommunity Trade System 

CanNor invested $752,800 in the development and implementation of a web-based country food system in Baker Lake, Arviat, Qikiqtarjuaq, Pond Inlet, and Kimmirut. With a further $188,200 investment from the Government of Nunavut, this initiative is jointly coordinated between Iqaluit and the communities. The total cost of the two-year project is $941,000

Harvesting Infrastructure Investments 

CanNor invested $2,000,000 in this two-year project with a further $873,444 investment from the Government of Nunavut, and $526,556 through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The total cost of the project is $3,400,000. This project will see the completion of the design, build and installation of community freezers in Sanirajak (formerly Hall Beach), Baker Lake, and Kimmirut. In addition, a country food preparation area is being added to the community freezer in Iqaluit and renovations are being completed on the community freezer in Kugluktuk. Community freezers are essential to the expansion and diversification of Nunavut’s harvesting economy, and critical to improving local access to country food and overall food security in the communities within the territory.

Other projects

For a complete list of projects, visit the CanNor site