Sahtu residents point to community freezers as a solution

“For the last 30 years, we’ve been trying to find a way to kill the price. But it’s not happening.”

In Joseph Kochon’s words, ensuring no one goes without basic supplies to live in Colville Lake is a constant struggle.

Kochon has been the Behdzi Ahda First Nation’s band manager since 1993. This month, he was part of a discussion initiated by Sahtu MLA Danny McNeely that brought together representatives from Food Banks Canada and Nutrition North.

Groceries are flown to Colville Lake once a week by charter, but shelves at the Kapami Co-Op are often empty within three to four days.

“No matter what – the economy is down – and so food prices just keep going. They just keep putting the price of fuel up. When are we going to make ends meet?” Kochon asked during this month’s meeting with McNeely and the two groups.

Building on those concerns, David Kodzi said while a majority of residents hunt and harvest meat, some don’t have the means to go out on the land. Those that can afford it buy snowmobiles. As for people who cannot, the community provides sleds, gas and food to alleviate costs.

Kodzi recalls Yellowknife’s 2023 wildfire evacuation, when charters stopped flying into Colville Lake, leaving the community without access to food for weeks.

“In order to replace that logistical hub, it had to come from someplace else and that took about a month. When we needed the government’s support, that was somewhere else, too,” he said.

“The store was kind-of empty and dusty, but we made it through by what the land provides.”

Kodzi said the community receives up to 4,000 lb of food every two weeks. However, the plane also carries supplies for Co-Op stores in Fort Good Hope and Délı̨nę.

At times, due to space limitations, Colville Lake does not get everything it needs.

On other occasions, delayed orders result in double the amount of food or “too much” of one product.

Kodzi believes introducing a second charter would benefit the community and the costs involved could be covered by the steady pace of economic growth in Colville Lake, where many residents are employed and earning income.

“Our community doesn’t want to raise the cost of food just to make sure we have another plane,” he said.

“The cost of living here is extremely high because we’re so isolated. We are not on the river. We don’t have the population to save cost on having a big inventory.

“I’ve never seen pensions go up, but I have seen everything else go up. I’ve seen all these elderly people having to penny-pinch. Whatever we can do, here, to save costs and help them live on their own.”

Kodzi feels that having access to personal freezers will help residents store more traditional meats, especially since the food available at the local store – after travelling from Edmonton to Yellowknife and finally to Colville Lake – is often “not as nutritious as it’s supposed to be.”

Kochon said he has noticed young people develop obesity over time due to the availability of soft drinks and processed snacks at the store. With limited healthy options to work with, he said locals need to find ways to stay fit by going out on the land more.

“We know that this stuff has a huge effect on some of the First Nation communities and our young people,” he said.

Martha Kochon runs programs in Colville Lake like collective kitchens, sewing sessions, spa nights to support families in cooking and child development.

Fourteen families with children under the age of six are registered for a hamper program Martha helped launch through Nutrition North funding. She has a vision to make her community more food secure.

During the summer, Martha said, weekly charters carrying groceries sometimes end up getting cancelled or delayed. According to her, many locals stock up on meats and other items during medical trips to Yellowknife.

Martha believes community freezers, so people can store traditional meats, will be a big help for residents – many of whom don’t already own freezers.

“Food like fresh produce goes really fast. What we need goes fast,” she said.

“Some food we really need. When we get caribou, we need to store it and the freezers we have are small. It costs a lot when it’s flown in, so we usually just wait till the winter road.”

Colville Lake isn’t the only Sahtu community where residents think having more freezers will help people save costs.

Norman Andrew, who used to work in maintenance and is now retired, lives on pension payments in Tulita. At times, he finds it hard to keep up with grocery bills through inflation.

Although he lives alone, he tries to help his nieces and nephews, too. It costs him close to $900 every month just to buy basic food in the community.

Tulita used to have a community food bank but that closed down a few years ago. Andrew wants to see a similar facility again so people have a place to share food.

Helen MacCauley said having just one Northern Store in the hamlet leaves people with few options. MacCauley frequently makes trips out of town to buy the items she needs at an affordable rate.

MacCauley said making otherwise expensive commodities available through a food bank – like sugar, coffee, tea and flour – can make a meaningful difference in peoples’ lives.

“We can’t complain because it is the only thing we have got and we have to get whatever we need,” she said.

“Whatever we get, we just have to put up with it.”

Theresa Etchinelle feels the store hikes prices on items that people use more of. She found a bag of grapes for $26, a case of pop is now in the $20s but at one point cost $45, she said, and a pack of cigarettes is $30.

Etchinelle said pensioners are sometimes unable to drive themselves out of Tulita and resort to gig work to sustain a healthy lifestyle.

“What choice do they have?” she asked.

“They would do something to earn a few dollars so they can buy stuff. Otherwise they can’t. You can imagine, if you want something bad enough, you’ll get it even if you’d have to go [out of your way to get it].”

Etchinelle buys her own groceries from Yellowknife on her visits to the Legislative Assembly, where she works as an interpreter. Every winter road season, she makes a trip to either High Level or Grande Prairie to bring home more of what she needs.

A majority of her family members live in the hamlet, so her car usually fills up with bags for everyone. Etchinelle, who is also a pensioner and works part-time, said that’s the only way she is able to put food on the table.

Etchinelle said the community is having to rely on harvested meat more often and a public freezer could help them store it when they run out of room in their home fridge. That way, she said, people won’t have to worry about their power bill.

Etchinelle also liked the idea of a food bank, saying it could provide extra support for families during times when hunting isn’t possible.

“We don’t have two stores like other communities. I know their stuff costs a lot, too. There’s nothing we can do,” she said.

“With a food bank, I think it’s going to help us lots. I know it will help me, at least.”

Mayor Doug Yallee said the previous community freezer facility ended up closing because power bills were too high to keep it running. GNWT funding had helped the community get it started.

Yallee is hopeful that Food Banks Canada could help bring more resources back to the hamlet.

“When they had the community freezer, it was for the whole community. There was meat there all the time for people. It doesn’t matter who they are, they could come in and get a piece, go back and cook it for their families,” he said.

“I hope it turns out to be successful for the community. I’m sure it will help a lot of people.”