People Of Nunavut Tired Of Paying $30 For Coffee, $65/lb. For Chicken

[M II A II R II K]

People Of Nunavut Tired Of Paying $30 For Coffee, $65/lb. For Chicken


June 11, 2012

By Chris Morran

Read More: http://consumerist.com/2012/06/peopl...r-chicken.html

Almost four years ago, we marveled at the ridiculously high grocery prices in Nunavut, the largest and northernmost Canadian territory. Now, after years of paying $35 for a bottle of V8, $28 for cabbage and a whopping $65/pound for "Best Value" brand chicken, the folks in Nunavut are fighting back.

Even though the population of Nunavut is just over 30,000, more than 17,000 people have liked this Facebook page where people discuss — and post photographic evidence of — the high cost of food in the area. In addition to the prices listed above, Nunavut residents show bags of frozen fruit and vegetables that cost anywhere from $5 to more than $10. A bag of shredded cheese will run you over $12, while two liters of 2% milk costs almost $9.

.....

Pictured here is the 32.8 oz container of ground coffee for $29.89. That's more than $.91/oz. To be fair, in U.S. dollars that's only $.89/oz.

[haljackey]

That's economic geography at work for ya. Everything has to be flown in which is very expensive, especially with rising fuel costs. That and the fact that you can't grow anything leads to these outrageous prices.

Making a 100k salary is chump change up there. For those who can't find jobs that pay that much, I'm not sure what to say. No one's going to force them to move, but it would certainly be in their economic benefit to do so.


You can get this for $2 on sale here


more pics http://grist.org/list/28-cabbage-65-...hern-canada-2/

[drew]

They are looking into building an all weather road north to Nunavut from Manitoba. That should reduce food costs to main land communities significantly.

Of course, the construction costs of the road will be pretty astronomical as well...

[MrOilers]

I suddenly feel an urge to open up a grocery store there.

[vid]

Originally Posted by MrOilers

I suddenly feel an urge to open up a grocery store there.

There isn't much profit for the retailer in that situation.

[M II A II R II K]

They should at least produce their own produce and grow their own chickens.

[flar]

Originally Posted by M II A II R II K

They should at least produce their own produce and grow their own chickens.

Not exactly the climate to grow stuff, you would need to grow indoors, with a lot of artificial heat and light, so it would still be incredibly expensive. And you still have to ship chicken feed up there to raise chickens, and they would need heat most of the year too.

[harls]

...the folks in Nunavut are fighting back.

Good luck with that.

[M II A II R II K]

Perhaps there should be more of an emphasis on producing their local stuff from throughout history such as seals and reindeers and stuff.

[Airboy]

Originally Posted by M II A II R II K

They should at least produce their own produce and grow their own chickens.

The cost of shipping feed up would be astronomical.

As for producing "Country Food" it is already heavily produced but there is a quota on Caribou. What people want and need is vegetables and getting anything of quality is lacking. However I have been in Rankin Inlet and have had some pretty decent quality at high prices. It's the outland communities that find it harder to get anything of quality because of the shipping and weather issues.

From Rankin Inlet Nu

[M II A II R II K]

There was a somewhat recent proposal to deploy cargo airships to the area that can transport goods for a lot less and a lot more convenient than relying on infrastructure or lack thereof on the ground.

[kool maudit]

there's always windigo.

[Symz]

First off, who buys Tim Horton's coffee in a can, they gouge you for it even in Ontario at $17 a can.

Secondly this is geography at work it's like people in Fiji complaining about how much imported goods cost.

[easy as pie]

they need some sort of huge geodesic dome to grow vegetables and fruit. forget retail, that's the way to go. that, and some sort of huge pickling/canning operation preserving every possible indigenous edible root or leafy green. noone needs coffee or watermelon or cheese, i'm sure there's just some sort of inefficiency - how did the innu survive for so long before whites came in and fed them macaroni and cheese? what did they eat?

[CorbeauNoir]

It's not just food, my brother went on a canoe trip through the NWT a few years ago and video games sold for $160 each in the general stores he visited. Funnily enough even way up there apparently everybody has an 360 or a PS3 anyway.

[CorbeauNoir]

Originally Posted by easy as pie

they need some sort of huge geodesic dome to grow vegetables and fruit. forget retail, that's the way to go. that, and some sort of huge pickling/canning operation preserving every possible indigenous edible root or leafy green. noone needs coffee or watermelon or cheese, i'm sure there's just some sort of inefficiency - how did the innu survive for so long before whites came in and fed them macaroni and cheese? what did they eat?

The inuit traditionally survived by living nomadically in small groups to prevent overhunting game that was scarce enough as-is. Not particularly compatible with any kind of effort to live in the 21st century.

[Airboy]

Originally Posted by CorbeauNoir

The inuit traditionally survived by living nomadically in small groups to prevent overhunting game that was scarce enough as-is. Not particularly compatible with any kind of effort to live in the 21st century.

If you have not experienced life north of 60 it is hard to understand the realities of life in the north. The north has most everything the average small lower Canadian town has, just costs more and the reliability of transportation is the other concern. One community I visited did not have a flight in for almost 3 weeks. Housing is a problem in most communities but is slowly being addressed. Jobs are scarce but as the north opens up for mining you will see more employment.

Shipping is done 2 ways. Air or Sealift. Air is not reliable do to climactic conditions, especially during thaw and freeze up. The sea lift is done by only a couple of services. Looking at the schedule I have there are 3 departures. The first one has left Quebec this week the last one will be in early Sept.

Almost everyone I meet is computer literate and most speak 2 or more languages depending on whether you live in the east or west.

There was a food mail program but the Feds stopped subsidising it and it was dropped. This helped keep most food costs down. But getting inexpensive FRESH products is tough. When the technology allows the production of produce in the north then maybe you will see a slight change. Using waste heat from power generation is already starting to be used but in order to grow, you need grow laps which cost money to install maintain and run. Which shock of shocks drives up food costs.

I work in remote engineering and have worked some form of Northern Construction for the last 20 years. There are some solutions it’s just the costs that are prohibitive.

I encourage everyone to find the time and money to make at least one trip North of 60 and hopefully above the Arctic Circle. Hell there are Engineering opportunities in all Three Northern Capitals.

[Doug]

My brother lived in Nunavut for two years. I was actually cheaper to get someone to buy non-perishable goods in Winnipeg and send via Canada Post than to buy at a local store.

[Dylan Leblanc]

They should move south

[Rusty van Reddick]

$30 for 2 lbs of coffee makes a SHITLOAD of coffee. That's enough for at least 60 brewed cups. That's pricier than you'd pay in the south but the headline is completely misleading.