Heightened food costs hammer Nuu-chah-nulth-aht

Rising grocery bills have outpaced general inflation, puÅing a greater burden on those who travel far for food

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Throughout Nuu-chah-nulth territory there are a number of remote communities with limited access to grocery stores.

From villages located in Clayoquot, Barkley, and Nootka Sound, many community members travel extensively, multiple times a month, to nearby towns such as PortAlberni, Nanaimo, and Campbell River for groceries. With the additional costs and measures associated with the long journey to larger towns, inflation and the heightened cost of food continues to pressure First Nation members from remote coastal settlements.

Elmer Frank, elected chief of Tla-oqui-aht First Nation and its community emergency services manager, explains that it’s always been a challenge to get groceries in nearby Tofino due to the high cost of food in local stores.

“Most of our families, we go to [Port Alberni or Nanaimo] for grocery shopping, because of the fact that we can get a grocery cart for the same price as we can get for three bags in some of our grocery stores here,” said Frank.

From Tofino, a journey to PortAlberni is 126 kilometers, and Nanaimo is roughly 206 kilometers away.

“It’s a big demand to have to go to [Port Alberni and Nanaimo] for groceries and for essentials that you need for a household,” said Frank. “It is getting tougher and tougher because of the increases [in] pricing.”

Frank notes that fuel costs also have an additional impact with traveling to Port Alberni and Tofino.

Canada’s 2022 Food Price Report states that in the last 20 years the food inflation index rose significantly, with a grocery bill rising by 70 per cent between the years 2000 and 2020, outplacing general inflation.

With retail food costs outgrowing the increase in income across Canada, according to the 2023 Food Price Report, it is predicted that Canadians will continue to feel the impact of food inflation this year due to the continued impacts of climate change, transportation costs, fuel prices and the dropping Canadian dollar, among other factors.

“When the government and companies and the big corporations start increasing the prices, we suddenly have to become adaptable to that,” said Frank. He explains that the remote village of Opisaht feels the “brunt” of the increased cost of food, as it is located on Meares Island, across the water from Tofino. ForAhousaht resident June Titian, groceries have been expensive for as long as she can remember living in the remote location.

Titian plans to buys groceries in Port Alberni around her work and children’s schedule, dependent on weather, and around the Kennedy Hill closure schedule on Highway 4. She travels to PortAlberni for groceries one to two times a month, though she also has groceries delivered to Ahousaht.

ThoughAhousaht, located on Flores Island, doesn’t normally have a grocery store, there was one at the beginning of the pandemic, Titian explains.

“I loved it. It was so convenient and saved a lot of money being able to avoid traveling,” wrote Titian in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa.

“I always make a list before I shop, noting the staples that need to be replenished, and I try to meal plan for the week so I know exactly what I need to buy,” she wrote. “I often forget something and luckily theAhousaht General Store does deliveries to theAhousaht dock several times a week.”

Huu-ay-aht elder Sylvia Dennis travels the 85-kilometer stretch from the village ofAnacla to PortAlberni to buy groceries.

“I have to travel to PortAlberni when I can, and at least…every two weeks I try to stock up…while I have the means to,” said Dennis.

When Dennis doesn’t have access to a vehicle and she’s in a pinch she gets a ride to Bamfield where she shops, though she tries not to due to the high prices and lack of fresh fruits and vegetables.

“Even in PortAlberni…food is so expensive. I have to cut back on a lot of things when I’m shopping for our family,” said Dennis.

Feeding a family of five, Dennis gives her children healthy food, but she’s forced to cut back on items such as meat, vegetables and fresh fruit due to high prices.

Bamfield Main is known for its highly frequented logging trucks, low visibility, and multitude of accidents. Since 2020 the road has undergone construction to pave the route, making it safer for citi- zens in remote communities to travel in and out.

Dennis said that her journey to Port Alberni is weather dependent.

“Sometimes there’s logs or trees on the road, so I have to be really careful when I go into town,” she said.

Similarly, Titian notes that she has traveled to Tofino fromAhousaht in storms to grocery shop, and it has been a scary experience.

“I avoid traveling all together now if it’s stormy weather,” Titian said.

For Francis Jack, a Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation member and a newly single father of two, he plans ahead to get a hold of a social assistant grocery support driver.

This is a service provided by Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation so community members who cannot drive can access grocery stores in Campbell River, which is 87 kilometers away from Gold River.

The social assistance grocery support drivers are a free service, with eight trips each month from Gold River to Campbell River.

The service is in high demand, and if booking doesn’t happen right away, folks often miss out, said Jack.

When the service is not available Jack has to hire out of pocket.

“I do post on Facebook and I ask around if anybody’s going, I chip in… for gas, their time, and when it comes down to it, it usually ends up being a hire, which is quite a bit more costly,” explains Jack. “It takes away from my budget [for] groceries and other necessities.”

Jack explains that though Gold River has a newly opened Co-op, it doesn’t have all of what he needs for his two children, so he often shops in Campbell River.

“With the inflation of everything going up, I get up to two thirds of what I used to get when I would shop,” said Jack.

“Even a bag of oranges or bag of apples is pretty costly.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one that struggles,” he added.

Frank notes that he understands factors associated with the need for increased costs, such as climate change. However, there also needs to be more innovative ways to support a sustainable way of living.

“I think that, you know, everybody has to now look at how they’re budgeting going forward, because some may and some don’t have that ability to increase their budgets…for inflation,” said Frank. “That’s another challenge that we face.”