Nutrition North Canada
General information
Lead department: Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Federal partner organizations: Indigenous Services Canada: First Nation and Inuit Health Branch and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)
Non-federal and non-governmental partner(s): Not applicable
Start date: April 1, 2011
End date: Ongoing
Total federal funding allocation (start to end date): $511,546,923 + variance over seven years
FNIHB portion: $36,266,000 (2011-2012 to 2020-21, and ongoing annually at $4,363,200)
Total federal planned spending to date: $511,546,923 over seven years
FNIHB portion: $23,186,400
Total federal actual spending to date: $502,891,751.98
FNIHB portion: $20,801,469
Funding contributed by non-federal and non-governmental partners: Not applicable
Governance structures: The Nutrition North Canada Advisory Board gives Northerners a direct voice in the Program. The Board provides information and advice to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs to help guide the direction and activities of the Program, and to ensure that northern residents receive its full benefits.
Members of the Board collectively represent the perspectives and interests of northern residents and communities in relation to the management and effectiveness of the Program. Members serve in their own right, as volunteers and not as representatives of any particular organization, area or special interest.
Members are appointed to a three-year term.
Description: The objective of the Nutrition North Canada Program is to help make perishable, nutritious food more accessible and more affordable than it otherwise would be to residents of eligible isolated northern communities without year-round surface (road, rail or marine) access.
Registered retailers in the North, country food processors/distributors located in eligible communities, and food suppliers can apply for a subsidy based on the weight of eligible foods shipped by air to eligible northern communities. These subsidies are to be passed on to northern consumers by appropriate reductions in the selling prices of eligible foods. The Nutrition North Canada Program — National Manual governs the terms of the funding agreements with Indigenous and Norther Affair Canada's subsidy recipients.
Given that there are a number of factors that influence healthy eating patterns other than food cost, Indigenous Services Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada complement the Nutrition North Canada retail subsidy by providing funding to support culturally appropriate retail and community-based nutrition education initiatives.
These initiatives aim to increase knowledge of healthy eating and develop skills for the selection and preparation of healthy store-bought and traditional or country foods. Funding flows to communities via funding arrangements with Indigenous communities and organizations, and/or territorial governments.
Fiscal year of planned completion of next evaluation: The Impact Evaluation of Nutrition North Canada is planned to be completed in fiscal year 2018-19 and the organization leading the evaluation is Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.
Shared outcome of federal partners: The ultimate outcome of the Program is to strengthen the nutritional choices and overall health of isolated northern communities through the food subsidy delivered by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and the targeted nutrition education initiatives delivered by Indigenous Services Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Performance indicators:
Performance indicator-1: Percentage of population reporting their health is excellent or very good (Indigenous Services Canada)
Performance indicator-2: Quantity of subsidized foods (kg) per capita by each category (Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada)
Targets:
Target-1: At least 45 percent of adults report that their health is excellent or very good by March 31, 2017 (Indigenous Services Canada)
Target-2: Stable or increasing from the 2011 baseline year (Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada)
Data source and frequency of monitoring and reporting:
Data source-1: Regional Health Survey, Aboriginal Peoples Survey, and Canadian Community Health Survey;
Frequency-1: Regional Health Survey: every five years, Aboriginal Peoples Survey: every five years, and Canadian Community Health Survey: every two years.
Data source-2: Nutrition North Canada Database;
Frequency-2: Annually (Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada)
Expected outcome or result of non-federal and non-governmental partners: Not applicable
Performance highlights: In 2017-18, CIRNAC continued to help make perishable, nutritious foods more accessible and more affordable in Canada's isolated northern communities through the Nutrition North Canada program, leading to reduced prices in stores. This is demonstrated through a reduced cost of the Revised Northern Food Basket and an increase in the weight of nutritious perishable food shipped to eligible communities. Following the NNC community engagement process, the Department continued to work with Northerners on updating the program. In May 2017, a meeting was held with key stakeholders to build consensus on ways the program can be more responsive to the needs of Northerners, and the Nutrition North Canada Indigenous Working Group began working together to collaboratively develop policy options to inform program updates.
The Department also shared program information with the public by posting compliance reviews, shipping data and price reports on the program website. The Nutrition North Canada Advisory Board held public meetings in Kuujjuaraapik, Quebec, and Sanikiluaq, Nunavut in September 2017.
In 2017-18, Indigenous Services Canada offered funding and support for Nutrition North Canada Nutrition Education Initiatives to existing eligible First Nations and Inuit communities. At the community level, there was an increase in the number of nutrition education activities delivered from more than 2000 in 2016-17 to more than 3500 in 2017-18. These activities included: promotion of healthy food knowledge; food skills development; in-store taste tests and grocery store tours; traditional food harvesting and preparation. The majority of communities offered nutrition education activities to at least 2 target populations (e.g. children, youth, men, women and seniors) and in at least 2 venues (e.g. schools, daycares, stores, community centres and on the land). An estimated 57% of funding recipients have also indicated that community members have increased their knowledge of healthy eating and skills, and are choosing and preparing healthy food.
| Federal organizations | Link to the organization’s program | Contributing programs and activities | Total allocation (from start to end date) | 2017-18 Planned spending (dollars) | 2017-18 Actual spending (dollars) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada | Northern Governance and People and sub program | Nutrition North | $398,165,905 (2011-12 to 2016-17) |
$89,072,123 | $74,566,644 |
| Indigenous Services Canada | Program 3.1: First Nations and Inuit Primary Health Care | Nutrition North Canada Nutrition Education Initiatives | $14,500,000 (2011-12 to 2015-16) $21,766,000 (2016-17 to 2020-21) and $4,363,200 ongoing |
$4,343,200 | $3,860,859 |
| Public Health Agency of Canada | Program 1.2.2.1 Health Child Developemnt | Nutrition North Canada Nutrition Education Initiatives | $405,000 in 2016-17 and 2017-18, $395,000 in 2018-19, $385,000 in 2019-20 and ongoing |
$421,750a | $399,786 |
| Total for all federal organizations | $439,980,105 | $93,837,073 | $78,827,288 | ||
| aPublic Health Agency of Canada received $16,750 in additional funding through Supplementary Estimates C. | |||||
| Contributing programs and activities | Link to government priorities | Strategic Outcome | 2017-18 Expected results | 2017-18 Performance indicatorsa | 2017-18 Targets | 2017-18 Actual results against targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nutrition North | Work with the Minister of Indigenous Services Canada to update and expand the Nutrition North Program, in consultation with northern communities. | Self-reliance, prosperity and well-being for the people and communities of the North | Affordability of perishable, nutritious food in eligible communities is strengthened. (PAA 4.1) | Annual trend of the Revised Northern Food Basket | At or below the annual trend (increase/decrease) for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket for food by March 31, 2017 | 2.16% |
| Residents in eligible communities have access to nutritious perishable food at a subsidized rate. (PAA 4.1.2) | Percentage of compliance/audit reports demonstrating that subsidies have been fully passed on to consumers | 100% by March 31, 2017 | 100% | |||
| Percentage implementation of the new requirement for major northern retailers to show subsidy saving at the till receipt | 100% by March 31, 2017 | 100% - All major northern retailers show the subsidy savings on the till receipt. |
||||
| Annual percentage variation in the quantity of subsidized items shipped by air | 3 to 5% by March 31, 2017 | 8.84% | ||||
| a Performance indicators are defined in the Performance Measurement Strategies and/or Performance Measurement Frameworks of each federal partner. | ||||||
| Contributing programs and activities | Link to government priorities | Strategic Outcome | 2017-18 Expected results | 2017-18 Performance indicatorsa | 2017-18 Targets | 2017-18 Actual results against targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nutrition North Canada Nutrition Education Initiatives | Not applicable. | First Nations and Inuit communities and individuals receive health services and benefits that are responsive to their needs so as to improve their health status |
Residents in eligible communities have knowledge of healthy eating and skills and are choosing and preparing healthy foods. | Percentage of funding recipients reporting knowledge of healthy eating and skills among residents in eligible communities. | Target for knowledge and skills will be established after first data collection in 2016-17. | 57% |
| Residents in eligible communities have access to retail and community based nutrition education initiatives | Number of communities promoting nutrition education activities | 100% of funding recipients | 97.3%a | |||
| Number and types of activities (by target population groups, venues) | Funding recipients provide activities to 2 or more target populations (e.g. women, seniors, children, and youth) in 2 or more venues (e.g. grocery stores, schools, on the land) by March 31, 2017. | More than 3,500 activities | ||||
| a Performance indicators are defined in the Performance Measurement Strategies and/or Performance Measurement Frameworks of each federal partner. | ||||||
| Contributing programs and activities | Link to government priorities | Strategic Outcome | 2017-18 Expected results | 2017-18 Performance indicatorsa | 2017-18 Targets | 2017-18 Actual results against targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nutrition North Canada Nutrition Education Initiatives | Not applicable. | Protecting Canadians and empowering them to improve their health | Residents in eligible communities have knowledge of healthy eating and skills and are choosing and preparing healthy foods | Percentage of funding recipients reporting knowledge of healthy eating and skills among residents in eligible communities | Target to be established after first year of data collection in 2017-18 |
In 2017-18, 78% of funding recipients indicated that community members had gained knowledge of healthy eating or additional skills as a result of the Nutrition North Canada nutrition education initiatives implemented in the community that year. |
| Number of participants by type of nutrition education activity | In 2017-18, funding recipients reported a total of 1,854 participants in the nutrition education activities funded over the year. Activities included: Taste tests (618 participants); promotion of healthy food knowledge (514 participants); gardening and local/traditional food harvesting activities (424 participants); and food skills development/cooking activities (298 participants). | |||||
| Residents in eligible communities have access to retail and community based nutrition education initiatives | Number of communities promoting nutrition education activities | In 2017-18, 100% of eligible funding recipients, representing 10 communities, received funding for Nutrition North Canada Nutrition Education Initiatives. | ||||
| Number and types of activities (by target population groups, venues) | In 2017-18, more than 177 Nutrition North Canada nutrition education activities were delivered by Public Health Agency of Canada funding recipients. Types of activities included: Food skills development and cooking workshops (32% of activities); taste tests (21%); promotion of healthy food knowledge (47%); gardening and local/traditional food harvesting activities (41%). Activities involved multiple target groups. 65% of activities targeted children and youth; 52% targeted adults; 44% targeted seniors and 28% of activities were targeted to the community at large. 45% of activities were offered in community centres or similar; 20% took place in schools; 10% in stores. The remaining 25% were community-wide, such as mail outs or social media. | |||||
| Community workers are trained to deliver retail and community based nutrition education activities in eligible communities | Percentage of funding recipients with trained Nutrition North Canada community workers to deliver programming | All funding recipients (100%) reported that Nutrition North Canada nutrition education workers in the community had received training. | ||||
| a Performance indicators are defined in the Performance Measurement Strategies and/or Performance Measurement Frameworks of each federal partner. | ||||||
Comments on variances:
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada: To come
Indigenous Services Canada: First Nation and Inuit Health Branch: The variance between planned and actual spending is due to: internal reallocation of a portion of operational funding to support other priority files; and opportunities for operational efficiencies from the sharing of program delivery costs with multiple programs, such as teleconference and/or video conference discussions, coordinating travel to communities and offering joint training sessions.
Public Health Agency of Canada: To come
Contact information:
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Diane Robinson
Director, Nutrition North Canada
Northern Affairs Organizations
Telephone: 819-934-3171
Diane.Robinson@canada.ca
Indigenous Services Canada: First Nation and Inuit Health Branch
Mary Trifonopoulos
Senior Manager, Healthy Living, Population Health and Primary Care Directorate
First Nations and Inuit Health Branch
Telephone: 613-292-7518
Mary.Trifonopoulos@canada.ca
Public Health Agency of Canada
Karen McKinnon
Manager, Maternal Child Health, Centre for Health Promotion
Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch
Telephone: (613) 960-0376
Karen.McKinnon@canada.ca