1. LAND-BASED FOOD PROGRAMS AS A RESPONSE TO INDIGENOUS FOOD SECURITY ISSUES IN FORT PROVIDENCE, NWT Dr. Courtney Mason, Thompson Rivers University Meagan Ann O’Hare- Gordon, University of Ottawa

2. Disruption to a Way of Life Fur trade economies abruptly altered the relationship between people and the land and initiated a more sedentary and dependent way of life. Permanent settlements and stores which altered semi- nomadic lifestyles. Impacting culture, diet, physical activity and overall community health.

3. Lifestyle Transitions

4. Identifying Barriers to Local Food Procurement for Aboriginal Communities: Viability and Risks EconomicAvailability and Health of ResourcesGaps in Cultural KnowledgeLife Factors and Community HealthAccess to Sustainable Funding to Support Initiatives

5. Fort Providence, NWT “Zhahti Hue” Northeast bank of Mackenzie River, 233km Southwest of Yellowknife Population: 759 Dene & Metis Deh Gah Elementary & Secondary School

6. Increase Local Food Procurement and Formalize Food Distribution Methods Supporting Cultural and Linguistic Continuities Program Evolution

7. Program Specifics Objective to get wild food in the school as meals/snacks Programs: Summer/Fall (fish, medicines) 6-8 weeks Winter (fish, small game trapping 4-5 weeks Spring (fish, waterfowl) 6-10 weeks Teachers, parents, community members, resource providers, elders. Students: K-12 20-30 youth/day

8. Successes Full freezers of wild foods Community champions Wild food procurement skill development Intergenerational knowledge exchange/ dialogue Connecting to traditional families

9. Challenges Environmental issues Sustainable, long- term funding Human resources

10. Development of Community Gardens

11. Collaborative Action: Communities, Researchers and Policy Makers ■Responding to this requires collaborative interdisciplinary action with multiple stake holders: communities, researchers, NGOs, government and policy makers. ■Researchers play a central role in this process. What this means: 1.Approaches must align themselves with local cultural practices and be community driven from the start. 2.Research must move beyond scientific results, reporting and evaluations.

12. Acknowledgments ■Communities: Fort Providence Hamlet: Chief, band council and community members for their support and involvement in projects. ■Funders: Global Centre for Community Engagement; Canadian Partnership Against Cancer; Aurora Research Institute; University of Ottawa; Thompson Rivers University.