Setting the Table

In Ontario’s northern communities, the relatively higher cost of food – measured by the Nutritious Food Basket assessment (NFB) – is a major contributor to the incidence of food insecurity in northern communities compared to those in the South. [...] To illustrate, an average family in a community that is a part of the Nutrition North Canada food subsidy program, like Attawapiskat, pays $645.08 more each month for the Nutritious Food Basket than the average family in a Northwestern Ontario Health Unit community and $804.47 more each month than a family in Toronto. [...] The proposals include: Development of the Northern Economy: Building roads to connect more communities would be expected to lower prices of the food basket. [...] The subsidy is given to businesses and it is designed to be passed on to consumers, offsetting the higher cost of healthy food (Government of Canada 2017b). [...] Should the provincial government choose to proceed with airship technology, it can identify the designs that will best serve Northern Ontario, research infrastructure requirements, construct a public air dock to test the technology in frigid conditions, and assess the economic impact on the connected northern communities involved in such a project.