Four years ago, I was on a flight to a remote Manitoba First Nations reservation. In the space where there used to be a passenger seat next to the pilot was stacked 432 boxes of potato chips. In the rear cargo space were hundreds more. They were being flown to this reserve, a mere two-hour flight north of Winnipeg on Lake Winnipeg, for the community store, owned by a large national company. The regular passenger fare on that flight was approximately $350.00. It was more profitable for the airline to ship the snacks than carry a person!
But the real point is the cost to the
consumer of these snacks. Because of the light weight, the grocery store felt
that it could justify shipping junk food to the reserve by air. In 1986, Berens
River and Poplar River reservations were served, in the summer, by a barge that
ferried goods and vehicles in along Lake Winnipeg. That helped to reduce
shipping costs of fuel (diesel for generators, gas for trucks). However, that
barge discontinued operation some years later. That only left winter road
supply lines and air cargo. Both were exceptionally costly. In 2018, most of
the East Road was completed, connecting those two first nations communities to
the outside world. Still, even on these accessible reservations, food cost remains
exceptionally high.
One of the false claims made by many people
unfamiliar with the high cost of food in remote First nations communities is
that “we” are giving them too much, and that the money they get is more than
they need. Those people often point, as well, to the high incidence of obesity
and diabetes as proof that First Nations people in these communities are
choosing to live an unhealthy, indolent and indulgent lifestyle. Yet, the
reality is the polar (no pun intended) opposite for northern communities such
as Berens River.
Some of the cheapest food products in the
Berens River stores are snacks such as chips and candy bars. These also are the
cheapest to ship into the community and represent some of the cheapest foods.
Then, there is relative cost. A four-liter container of milk costs four times
as much as a two-liter container of pop. The soda provides instant energy and a
feeling of fullness. Same with the chips and chocolate bars. And, the snacks
don’t require refrigeration in homes that often do not have a refrigerator that
works.
As a consequence, the diet of many of the
residents consists of junk food, leading to obesity and illness.
While a typical food basket may cost $146
in Winnipeg in 2018, for instance, it was $366 in Berens River. All other costs
of living are similarly disproportionate. So, if a typical family of six,
living at the poverty line in Winnipeg, needs $53,000 per year to survive, that
same family in Berens River would need $133,000 per year!
It is this disconnect that many of us have
between our world and our perception of how we compare to others that limits
our ability to empathize with those in dire circumstances, such as those in our
First Nations communities. Poverty is not solely a phenomenon of underdeveloped
countries. It exists here, in our own back yard, and we don’t have to fly far
to experience it.
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