Northern Sask. residents say they are struggling after inflation doubles already high grocery prices

Victor Fern has lived in Fond du Lac, Sask., his whole life. He has seen affordability and the way people gather their food change significantly over the years.

Now, he says, things may be worse than ever before for residents of the remote northern fly-in community in the Athabasca district. 

It's no secret that grocery prices in Canadian northern communities like Fond du Lac are high due to the cost of transportation. But inflation has driven those prices into unmanageable territory, according to residents. 

Fern, a member of the Fond du Lac Denesuline First Nation, was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. He said it stems from how people in the north are forced to eat.

"It's so expensive to buy healthy foods all the time. That brings up all the health issues in our communities as well because of the high cost of living," he said. 

Fern said that since severe inflation has hit Canada, many grocery prices in the north have nearly doubled. 

Just how expensive are we talking?

According to grocery store photos Fern submitted to CBC News, a bag of mandarin oranges now costs $14, a club pack of Ritz crackers costs $26, 24 bottles of Aquafina brand water costs $53 and a bagged salad kit costs $14.

"People will buy whatever is cheaper," said Fern.

"We're kind of lucky in a way that we live right on Lake Athabasca where there's plenty of fish and our our main diet is that and Berland Caribou. So we stock up on that over the winter and that'll get us by through the summer months."

However, traditional hunting is more difficult now due to fuel costs. Fern said a solo trip costs about $2,000. Depending on available funding, the First Nation band will organize community hunts, but Fern said that is very costly. 

"If you're trying to get a caribou for each house, by the time it's said and done, it would probably cost close to about $200,000 for one hunt for the community."

Andrew Isadore, band councillor with the Fond du Lac Denesuline First Nation, said trapping used to be a great traditional way for his community to make money and eat, but with gas and transit prices it's not worth it anymore. 

The First Nation said that a plane ticket from Fond du Lac to Saskatoon costs about $900 one way. Travelling to Stony Rapids from Fond Du Lac by plane one way is $220. This makes travelling to sell meat and furs prohibitively expensive.

Isadore said this has caused trapping —an Indigenous tradition — to become, for the most part, a thing of the past.

"We are losing a culture because of how costly it is to live up here. We are struggling up here."

The provincial government

Jim Lemaigre, MLA for Athabasca, said the high cost of living in the north is nothing new. Lemaigre is from the Clearwater River Dene Nation, near La Loche, where most of his family still resides. 

"Some of our locations are remote and the transportation to get goods to us has always been a challenge to a degree and the cost of that sometimes goes to the consumers. And in this situation with inflation, it's no different."

Lemaigre said the province's $500 affordability cheques have been a great help to those in northern communities. 

"I talked to some of the constituents and they were quite happy to receive that. That meant they could get extra groceries or pay down a utility," said Lemaigre.

"But yet we hear that there's still challenges."

Meanwhile, Fern said the $500 provincial cheques have not made a huge difference.

"When you get a a $500 cheque, you'll probably be happy for a couple hours until you go to the northern store and buy a few things and it's all gone," said Fern. 

The Fond du Lac resident said the $500 cheques are the first time he can recall the provincial government helping his community.

"We are told that [we're] the federal government's responsibility because we are First Nations treaty people," Fern said. 

Lemaigre said Athabasca communities are strong and will get through inflationary times. 

"We're resilient. And we'll find ways to get through this and support each other. And I see these communities with their community gatherings, their community meals that some people are sharing. That is what will get us through this season. It's tough on everyone."

Meanwhile, Fern wants the provincial government to focus on northern Saskatchewan more. 

"The provincial government spent money on roads down south, and we can't even get a road to our community without the province's help."

Food banks not enough

Warren Kelly, vice chair of the Lac La Ronge Food Bank, said it's difficult to get fruits and vegetables that aren't quick to spoil in the northern community. Now, with inflation, people are having to make difficult decisions when they visit grocery stores. 

"My wife and I, when we go to the local store here, we quite often pay about $250 and there's not too many bags of groceries. Sometimes I wonder how a family with two or three children can ever afford to buy food," Kelly said. 

Since COVID-19 arrived, the Lac La Ronge Food Bank has switched to a delivery-only system. Kelly said it's been very difficult to find volunteers to deliver the food, meaning they can only handle 40 deliveries a week.

"I'm sure if we had more people to deliver the food, it would probably be 80 or 100 people, which would be quite an increase over what we had in the past," Kelly said.

Kelly said the food bank gets many calls, but has to turn many away. He said food banks are just for emergencies, but more people are in need now. 

"It would be nice to see some of the support from the provincial government."

Federal nutrition programs

CBC News reached out to Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada for information about programs currently available to the communities of Wollaston Lake, Fond-du-Lac and Uranium City. All three are eligible for both the Nutrition North Canada (NNC) retail subsidy and the Harvesters Support Grant.

The communities were added to the NNC program in October 2016, according to the federal government, due to their isolation. 

"NNC's subsidy program applies to a wide range of foods, including those that are fresh and perishable. The program also subsidizes certain essential items like diapers, non-prescription drugs, soaps and hand sanitizers," said Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada in an emailed statement. 

The government mentioned the high current costs, saying that through the 2022 budget, "NNC will be injecting an additional $20 million to be allocated toward the retail subsidy."

The funding will be used to address the rising cost of food due to inflation.