Canada’s only reindeer herd grows 350% in four years; husbandry plan on way

Ottawa has delivered Canada’s only reindeer herd a gift of $885,225 through the Inuvialuit Community Economic Development Organization (ICEDO) to support breeding and herding efforts.

Reindeer have provided food security and economic opportunities to Inuvialuit families for nearly a century, stated an Agriculture and Agri-Food release.

The Aug. 27th announcement stated that with funds for the ICEDO, the group will create a strategic plan to transform the management of the Mackenzie Delta herd from a community food security effort into a self-sustaining agribusiness.

“The plan will serve as a comprehensive roadmap for infrastructure investments, workforce development, market expansion and operational sustainability in Canada’s most remote and agriculturally challenging region,” stated the release.

Ownership and management of the Mackenzie Delta reindeer herd was transferred to the ICEDO in 2021.

Since then, the herd has grown from approximately 1,500 to 7,000 animals.

Inuvialuit Regional Corporation acting chair Jordan McLeod celebrated the announcement.

“For Inuvialuit, food security is about more than access to food: it is about our right to make decisions for ourselves, to strengthen our communities and to carry forward the knowledge and practices that have sustained us for generations,” stated McLeod.

“This investment supports Inuvialuit-led solutions that build food sovereignty, create opportunity and help ensure our people can continue to rely on healthy, local and culturally-important foods now and into the future.”

NWT MP and Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty stated that the money will ensure the continued success of a “vital cultural practice by advancing the community’s vision for a self-sustaining agribusiness that will strengthen Northern food security and Indigenous economic development.”

Kody Ferron/Local Journalism Initiative reporter/Yellowknifer