Highway closures in B.C. raise concerns about local food security during disaster

Coquihalla Highway closed in February 2017 due to heavy snowfall, leaving transport trucks and private vehicles stuck on the highway overnight.

Experts say communities have between 3-5 days of supplies before more needs to be shipped in

By Andrew Kurjata and Ash Kelly, CBC News, Feb 15, 2017

A series of highway closures has highlighted how dependent B.C. communities are on regular shipments of food and supplies and raised questions about what would happen to that supply chain during a prolonged emergency.

Arviat, Nunavut Young Adults Are Learning To Grow Their Own Produce

by Emma Prestwich, Huffington Post, May 19, 2016

Vegetables aren’t hugely popular in the northern community of Arviat.

The hamlet of just over 2,000 people on the shores of Hudson Bay has two grocery stores, and fresh food, which has to be flown in from southern Canada, is pricey.

Many vegetables, like lettuce, also don’t keep for very long, and community educator Shirley Tagalik says this makes them even less appealing.

“If you buy something and it’s wilted and goes bad the next day, [you] don’t want to waste your money,” Tagalik tells The Huffington Post Canada.