Ottawa puts $10M into Manitoba fish distribution plan

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/09/2020 (2026 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — The federal government is paying fishers to collect pickerel on Lake Winnipeg and send the catch to remote communities, as it attempts to lessen the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on both fishing communities and rural hunger.

Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal announced $10.8 million that will cover both the cost for Fisher River Cree Nation to cast its nets, and for remote communities to accept up to 635,000 kilograms of fish, mostly pickerel.

It’s part of the Surplus Food Rescue Program, which has so far focused on Ottawa buying farmed food that has become hard to sell due to supply chain disruptions and lower global restaurant visits.

The Winnipeg-based Freshwater Fish Marketing Corp. normally buys fish from remote communities, and markets it abroad, but this spring, it temporarily halted purchases, with its freezers packed after American restaurants stopped ordering product.

The FFMC is now helping administer the surplus catch, which officials say should help clear out the Crown corporation’s freezers, allowing it to purchase more fish.

The initiative comes after forceful criticism from Conservative MP James Bezan and NDP MP Niki Ashton of Manitoba, who crossed partisan lines this spring demand Ottawa put up more support for inland fishers. The vast majority of fishing communities in Manitoba are First Nations and Métis whose incomes rely on the summer catch.

“This project will play a key role in ensuring families struggling to find healthy food during the pandemic have access to a variety of surplus products, including much-needed fish,” Vandal wrote in a statement.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca