![Figure 1. The distribution of Traditional First Nation Communities in Northern Manitoba. [6]](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/2f66c25e-c876-46bb-8c5b-e8dd19b3baec/Screen-Shot-2015-05-29-at-1.25.48-PM-1024x799.png)
Presented by: Emily Zhang, Adshayah Sathiaseelan and Rachel Chan
Northern Manitoba occupies 67% of land mass of Manitoba, but only comprises of 7% of the total population of province of 89,637 people in 2016 [1]. Having 376 reserves spreading across the province, different Indigenous communities including the O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation (OPNC) call them home [[2](https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/reserves-in-manitoba#:~:text=There are 376 reserves in,straddles the Ontario-Manitoba border.)].
The O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation (OPNC) mainly settled in South Indian Lake, a city in the northern region of the Province of Manitoba. It is considered a remote Indigenous community by locating next to the Southern Indian Lake, and 315 kilometres northwest of Thompson, the largest city in Northern Manitoba [3][4]. With a total population of 981 people, approximately 97% of them identified themselves with an ethnic origin from the First Nations, depicting the high proportion of Indigenous peoples living within this community [5].
Figure 1. The distribution of Traditional First Nation Communities in Northern Manitoba. [6]
In the 1970s, the OPNC community faced a permanent displacement from their original settlement with the implementation of the Churchill River Diversion (CRD) by the Manitoba Hydro [3]. Not only did the residents of this settlements have to relocate their homes, this also posed a continual challenge to the local economy with the collapse of the whitefish fishery industry, and contributed to the issue of food insecurity in South Indian Lake [7].
75% of Indigenous communities living in Northern Manitoba are facing food insecurity, in which individuals do not have reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food [8][9].
Figure 2. An illustration of the Churchill River Diversion by Manitoba Hydro. Graphic by Alicia Don.
Specifically in South Indian Lake, 100% of the OPCN households are facing a moderate to severe level of food insecurity [10]. Factors that cause such severity of food insecurity include the consequences from the Churchill River Diversion (CRD) project by Manitoba Hydro that has led to flooding, soil degradation, and unnatural fluctuating water levels, as well as a decrease in their primary food source, the whitefish. Colonialism and government jurisdiction over natural resources has altered the traditional food systems practiced by the Indigenous peoples. This problem is further intensified by the undesirable climate to grow plants with the most nutrients, and high retail prices due to the high transportation costs associated with bringing foods to remote northern communities [7].
Current efforts such as the Ithinto Mechisowin Program (IMP) program has worked towards increasing the supply of healthy food to the community and trying to revive the traditional food harvesting culture of the OPCN [11]. However, it is still limited in addressing the loss of their fishing industry, and unable to relieve the food insecurity issue. Increasing awareness and efforts to address the decimated fishing industry is crucial in the restoration of OPCN food sovereignty and economy.