Archived - Nutrition North Canada

General information

Lead department: Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada

Federal partner organizations: Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)^{Footnote 1}

Start date of the horizontal initiative: April 1, 2011

End date of the horizontal initiative: Ongoing

Total federal funding allocation (start to end date) in dollars: $417,414,103 over six years

Total federal planned spending to date (dollars): $417,414,103

Total federal actual spending to date (dollars): $342,890,778

Funding contributed by non-federal and non-governmental partners: Not applicable

Governance structures: The Nutrition North Canada Advisory Board gives Northerners a direct voice in the Program. The Board provides information and advice to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada to help guide the direction and activities of the Program, and to ensure that northern residents receive its full benefits. Members of the Board collectively represent the perspectives and interests of northern residents and communities in relation to the management and effectiveness of the Program. Members serve in their own right, as volunteers and not as representatives of any particular organization, area or special interest. Members are appointed to a three-year term.

Contact information

• Diane Robinson
• Director, Nutrition North Canada
• Northern Affairs Organizations
• Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada
• Telephone: 819-934-3171
• Diane.Robinson@aadnc-aandc.gc.ca

• Mary Trifonopoulos
• A/Senior Manager, Healthy Living/Healthy Child Development, Population Health and Primary Care Directorate
• First Nations and Inuit Health Branch
• Health Canada
• Telephone: 613-859.5220
• Mary.Trifonopoulos@hc-sc.gc.ca

• Catherine Primeau
• Manager, Maternal Child Health, Centre for Health Promotion
• Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch
• Public Health Agency of Canada
• Telephone: (613) 894-2445
• Catherine.Primeau@phac-aspc.gc.ca

Results information

Description of the horizontal initiative: The objective of the Nutrition North Canada Program is to help make perishable, nutritious food more accessible and more affordable than it otherwise would be to residents of eligible isolated northern communities without year-round surface (road, rail or marine) access.

Registered retailers in the North, country food processors/distributors located in eligible communities, and food suppliers can apply for a subsidy based on the weight of eligible foods shipped by air to eligible northern communities. These subsidies are to be passed on to northern consumers by appropriate reductions in the selling prices of eligible foods. The Nutrition North Canada Program — National Manual governs the terms of the funding agreements with INAC's subsidy recipients.

Given that there are a number of factors that influence healthy eating patterns other than food cost, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada complement the Nutrition North Canada retail subsidy by providing funding to support culturally appropriate retail and community-based nutrition education initiatives. These initiatives aim to increase knowledge of healthy eating and develop skills for the selection and preparation of healthy store-bought and traditional or country foods. Funding flows to communities via contribution agreements with Indigenous communities and organizations, and/or territorial governments.

Fiscal year of planned completion of next evaluation: The evaluation of Nutrition North Canada is planned to be completed in fiscal 2017–2018. Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada will be leading the evaluation in partnership with Health Canada.

Shared outcome of federal partners: The ultimate outcome of the Program is to strengthen the nutritional choices and overall health of isolated northern communities through the food subsidy delivered by INAC and the targeted nutrition education initiatives delivered by Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Performance indicators:
Performance indicator-1: Percentage of population reporting their health is excellent or very good (Health Canada)
Performance indicator-2: Quantity of subsidized foods (kg) per capita by each category (INAC)

Targets:
Target-1: At least 45% of adults report that their health is excellent or very good by March 31, 2017 (Health Canada)
Target-2: Stable or increasing from the 2011 baseline year (INAC)

Data source and frequency of monitoring and reporting:
Data source-1: Regional Health Survey, Aboriginal Peoples Survey, and Canadian Community Health Survey;
Frequency-1: Regional Health Survey: every five years, Aboriginal Peoples Survey: every five years, and Canadian Community Health Survey: every two years.
Data source-2: Nutrition North Canada (NNC) Database;
Frequency-2: Annually (INAC)

Expected outcome or result of non-federal and non-governmental partners: Not applicable

Planning information

Planning highlights: In 2017–2018, INAC will help to alleviate the high cost of food in the North by making perishable, nutritious food more accessible and more affordable to residents of isolated northern communities through the provision of the Nutrition North Canada food subsidy. The Department has revised community eligibility criteria to expand the NNC program to include all northern communities without year-round rail, road or marine access. In total, 121 communities are now eligible for receipt of the full range of program benefits. In addition, the Program funds nutrition education activities in remote northern communities eligible for a retail subsidy to increase knowledge of healthy eating and to develop skills to choose and prepare healthy foods.

In keeping with the Government's commitment to open dialogue, INAC has completed its NNC Engagement Process, which included the conduct of community visits, stakeholder interviews, written submissions, and online surveys. Through this feedback, in 2017–2018 the Department will work with NNC partners to collaboratively develop policy options to inform program updates and to develop strategies to support long-term program sustainability.

In 2017–2018, Health Canada will support full implementation of Nutrition North Canada Nutrition Education Initiatives to the 33 First Nations communities that were newly added in 2016–2017 as well as support stakeholder engagement on updates to Nutrition North Canada program.

In 2017–2018, PHAC will fund projects that support residents in eligible communities to increase their knowledge of healthy eating, preparation of healthy food, and access to retail and community-based nutrition education initiatives.

Nutrition North Canada faces a number of risks that must be managed in order to achieve expected outcomes. Key risks to the program include concerns that the current budget allocation may not be sufficient for future program demands; there could be an increased demand by additional northern communities to opt into the Program; the Program will continue to be seen by the public and media as the solution to food insecurity in the North; and, the public perception that the retailers are not passing along the subsidy to the consumers.

In response to these concerns, the Program has developed a risk assessment strategy that outlines key mitigation activities that are integrated into program management and administration, and will be further explored as part of the upcoming development of policy options.