The Inuvialuit Community Economic Development Organization (ICEDO) is receiving up to $885,225 from the federal government to develop a plan for the Mackenzie Delta reindeer herd.
The funding will support plans to turn the herd into a self-sustaining agribusiness, including work on infrastructure, workforce development, market expansion and long-term operations.
The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation’s acting chair, Jordan McLeod, stated the money would help “Inuvialuit-led solutions that build food sovereignty.”
“For nearly a century, the Mackenzie Delta reindeer herd has been an important source of food, opportunity, and connection for Inuvialuit families,” Rebecca Alty, minister of Crown-Indigenous relations and MP for the NWT, was quoted as saying in a news release.
The Mackenzie Delta herd is described by the federal government as the only reindeer herd in Canada. ICEDO assumed ownership and management of the herd in 2021, when it numbered about 1,500 animals.
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The herd has since grown to approximately 7,000 animals. Ottawa said.
The plan will build on the herd’s existing role in providing food for Inuvialuit families while exploring how to expand its economic potential across the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.
