N.W.T. MLA touring Sahtú this week with Food Banks Canada and Nutrition North

Sahtú MLA Danny McNeely is scheduled to visit each community in his N.W.T. region this week, along with representatives of Food Banks Canada and Nutrition North, to talk about building food bank services in each one.

The trip was initially scheduled in February with representatives travelling by winter road, but is now happening Monday to Friday by plane. The group will stay in Norman Wells, with day trips into Fort Good Hope, Colville Lake, Tulı́t'a and Délı̨nę. 

McNeely and the representatives will deliver presentations about how food banks or support programs could operate, meet with leaders and community members, tour existing food programs and participate in communal meals. 

"I'm certainly excited because it's been months in planning," said McNeely. "Now it's down to the … last few days of delivering the description on how it could work." 

Jason Stevens, the northern network manager for Food Banks Canada, said they're hoping to provide information and collect feedback about how the organization can help – whether that be a basic food bank set up or to support traditional harvesting through grants and programs. 

"With the invite from MLA Danny McNeely, we're very fortunate to be able to come into the communities and be able to discuss food security initiatives of Food Banks Canada."

The Sahtú relies on barges that travel along the Mackenzie River for shipments of fuel, lumber, supplies and dry goods. Some of the last trips were cancelled because of low water in 2023, and then the entire season was cancelled in 2024. 

That leaves people with two options: fly things in, or ship them via the winter road. 

Both options are expensive, and it's been driving up the cost of gas and food in the region's communities. Norman Wells declared a state of emergency in October, and a month later the territory said it would subsidize fuel costs in that community to help bring them down.

McNeely said the challenges of the high cost of living in the Sahtú are "really hitting home" and he welcomes everyone to attend the public meetings to learn more about the support he hopes to facilitate.

CBC North's Liny Lamberink and Carson Asmundson will be on the tour to cover the visits in each community. If you live in the Sahtú and want to share your food security story, email liny.lamberink@cbc.ca