Country food processing facilities being built in Taloyoak and Gjoa Haven
Published 5:30 am Sunday, July 5, 2026
Country food processing plants will be constructed in Taloyoak and Gjoa Haven over the next two to three years thanks to $7.4 million in funding from federal agencies, the Government of Nunavut, Hunters and Trappers Organizations, and the Kitikmeot Inuit Association.
The federal government is funding 65 per cent of the two plants’ costs, while the GN is picking up 31 per cent, the two hunters and trappers organizations are paying four per cent together, and the Kitikmeot Inuit Association is contributing 0.3 per cent, the Canadian Economic Development Organization announced late last month.
The Niqihaqut Cut and Wrap Facility in Taloyoak is expected to get built in two years. Costing $3.6 million to build, the plant will be a modular building for cutting and wrapping meat.
“The plant will produce ready-to-eat packages distributed in and outside the community at an affordable price. In the long-term, Niqihaqut seeks to solve the serious problems of food insecurity, acknowledging that we cannot replace the role of imported foods in Inuit communities. We want every family to have access to country food,” the Taloyoak Umaruliririgut Association, a hunters and trappers organization, stated.
Local residents will be employed at the facility, the association promised.
In Gjoa Haven, the country foods processing facility is expected to get constructed in three years. Arctic char and Muskox will be the focus of the $3.8 million plant’s operations.
“The funding received will greatly improve the future food security for the community and also has the potential to lead to economic development. Developing this facility will also diversify and enhance the skill sets of residents and the hamlet economy,” said the Gjoa Haven Hunters and Trappers Association.
Building this facility was a longterm community plan, according to the hunters’ group.
The federal government is billing the funding as a economic response to U.S. tariffs and supporting Inuit food security.
“By investing in these processing facilities, the Government of Canada is supporting Inuit as they provide healthy, safe, nutritious local foods for their communities. These projects strengthen Inuit ownership, build long-term capacity, and will continue to create new economic opportunities in the North,” said Rebecca Chartrand, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for CanNor.