Country food processing facilities in Sachs Harbour and Inuvik are among the beneficiaries of federal funding announced on Friday.
NWT Liberal MP Michael McLeod used an appearance at a territorial agrifood conference to set out funding being provided to five organizations.
The Sachs Harbour Hunters and Trappers Committee will receive up to $1 million from the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, or CanNor, for a three-year project to establish a “country foods processing and chiller facility” in the community.
The overall project cost is $2.4 million, the federal government stated, adding: “The new facility will allow the community to process, store and distribute locally and sustainably harvested country foods such as fish and muskox.”
An Inuvialuit Regional Corporation plan to expand a similar facility in Inuvik will receive up to $1.7 million from CanNor toward its overall cost of $3.2 million.
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Inuvik’s community garden will receive up to $24,000 to complete “essential renovations and repairs” on its greenhouse, while the Territorial Agrifood Association receives up to $100,000 for conferences like the one at which McLeod appeared. That money will also support a website redesign and community visits.
Lastly, Knutsford Ventures – which recently took over ownership of Polar Egg – will receive a repayable loan of up to $1.2 million toward a $15-million overhaul of its Hay River farm “to maximize efficiency and increase capacity.”
The company had set out plans to grow the business last year, shortly after taking over Polar Egg.
