Food distribution in Northern Ontario presents a conundrum for food businesses as well as advocates of food security and food sovereignty. The region is greater than the size of France, with only 780,000 people inhabiting the vast territory, translating into scant transportation infrastructure. Thirty-six communities, with a population of approximately 15,000, are considered remote, relying on ice roads, ships or airplanes to leave their communities or bring in supplies, including food. The high cost of food in small and remote communities (over twice as much in some communities1), due in part to the high cost of distribution, presents an obstacle to food security.

Read the Northern Ontario Food Distribution Workshop document.