$11.3M more for Nutrition North food subsidies

The federal government announced Friday in Iqaluit it will put another $11.3 million over the next year into Nutrition North, the much-criticized northern food subsidy program.

It also says it's looking for ways to improve the program.

"There's always an opportunity for public input," said Mark Strahl, the Parliamentary Secretary for Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.

"Ottawa's a long way from here, and we want to hear from Northerners how these programs are benefiting them."

Under the program which was established in 2011, Ottawa hands about $60 million a year to northern retailers to subsidize the cost of shipping food to remote communities.

Some Northerners say it doesn't do enough to bring down the cost of food and an academic recently said that putting the retailers in charge of the subsidy doesn't lead to enough savings for northerners.

A report on the program by Canada's auditor general is due to be released on Tuesday morning.