As I watch the morning light glint off the Ottawa River, my thoughts wander to British Columbia, where a significant investment is set to revolutionize food systems within Indigenous communities across the province.
The provincial government announced yesterday a $12 million funding package dedicated to supporting Indigenous food sovereignty initiatives, representing one of the most substantial investments in this area in recent years. The funding comes at a critical moment when many remote communities still struggle with food security challenges that have only been exacerbated by climate change impacts and rising food costs.
Chief Marilyn Gabriel of the Kwantlen First Nation told me during a phone interview that this represents more than just financial support. “This isn’t merely about access to food. It’s about reconnecting with our land, our traditional knowledge, and our sacred relationship with food systems that sustained our people for thousands of years before colonization.”
The funding will support various community-led initiatives, including traditional harvesting programs, community garden expansions, and the development of food preservation facilities. According to Ministry of Indigenous Relations documents, approximately 35 First Nations communities will receive direct support through this program over the next three years.
While touring northern B.C. last month, I witnessed firsthand the challenges facing communities like Fort Nelson First Nation, where grocery prices can run 40% higher than urban centers and where traditional food sources have been affected by industrial development and changing wildlife patterns. Elders spoke of diminishing salmon runs and shifting caribou migration routes that have transformed their relationship with traditional food sources.
The program specifically allocates $4.2 million toward training opportunities for Indigenous youth to learn traditional food harvesting, preparation, and preservation techniques from Elders. This knowledge transfer component reflects a growing recognition that food sovereignty isn’t just about nutrition – it’s about cultural continuity.
“When we talk about food security for our people, we’re talking about cultural survival,” explains Dr. Charlotte Coté, an Indigenous food systems researcher at the University of British Columbia. “These initiatives help heal the disruption to traditional food practices caused by residential schools and other colonial policies.”
Recent statistics from B.C.’s Provincial Health Services Authority indicate that food insecurity affects Indigenous households at nearly three times the rate of non-Indigenous households. The problem is particularly acute in northern and remote communities where transportation infrastructure limitations create additional barriers.
The funding follows recommendations from the B.C. First Nations Food Systems Strategy published last fall, which called for greater support for community-determined approaches to food sovereignty. Several successful pilot projects helped demonstrate the effectiveness of locally-directed initiatives, including the T’Sou-ke Nation’s solar-powered greenhouse program that has significantly reduced dependency on shipped produce.
According to a breakdown provided by the Indigenous Food Systems Network, approximately 30% of the funds will support infrastructure development, 25% will go toward training and knowledge transfer, 20% toward equipment purchases, 15% toward program administration, and 10% toward evaluation and adaptation as programs progress.
Not everyone is completely satisfied with the approach, however. Some critics, including Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council Vice-President Mariah Charleson, have pointed out that while welcome, the funding doesn’t address broader issues like land access and water rights that form the foundation of true food sovereignty.
“We appreciate the support, but we’re still fighting for recognition of our inherent rights to harvest on our traditional territories,” Charleson noted during a community forum in Port Alberni last week. “Food sovereignty requires sovereignty over the land and waters that produce the food.”
The funding announcement comes just months after the province’s controversial decision to extend logging permits in several contested areas, highlighting the complex intersections between different policy priorities that impact Indigenous communities.
In Bella Coola, the Nuxalk Nation has already developed plans to expand their community smokehouse facilities where salmon preservation techniques dating back centuries continue to feed community members. Hereditary Chief Snuxyaltwa (Deric Snow) sees the funding as an opportunity to strengthen these practices.
“Our people never experienced food insecurity until our traditional food systems were disrupted,” he told me while demonstrating traditional smoking techniques last summer. “Rebuilding these systems isn’t just about feeding our communities today—it’s about ensuring our children and grandchildren will never go hungry tomorrow.”
The B.C. Ministry of Agriculture has indicated that this funding represents just one component of a broader commitment to supporting Indigenous-led food systems. Minister Lana Popham pointed to the program’s community-directed approach as its greatest strength.
“We recognize that each Nation has unique needs, priorities, and knowledge systems,” she said in yesterday’s press release. “This funding provides the resources, but communities determine how best to strengthen their food sovereignty based on their own traditions and circumstances.”
For communities like Saik’uz First Nation near Vanderhoof, the funding will support the expansion of their successful moose conservation program, which has helped restore traditional hunting practices while rebuilding declining moose populations through Indigenous-led conservation efforts.
As climate change continues to affect traditional food sources across the province, the funding also includes provisions for adaptation planning. This acknowledges that historical practices may need to evolve in response to changing environmental conditions.
While the funding has been generally well-received, the true measure of its success will ultimately depend on how effectively it translates into sustainable, community-driven food systems that endure beyond the three-year funding window. For many communities, this represents an opportunity to transform their relationship with food systems that have been fractured through generations of colonial policies.
As Chief Gabriel told me before ending our call: “True food sovereignty means our people once again becoming the decision-makers in how we feed ourselves. This funding helps, but the real work happens in our communities, on our lands, guided by our knowledge and values that have sustained us since time immemorial.”
