My research will examine how food security is addressed in northern environmental assessment (EA) processes. The research is collaborative with the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) and the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board (MVEIRB).

While development can have positive or negative impacts on communities and the environment, my research will focus on the negative impacts resource development may have on food security.

Food security is a perennial concern in northern Canada . Store-bought foods are often prohibitively expensive. Traditional foods such as caribou, seal, fish, and moose have health, social-cultural, and economic benefits for the well-being of northerners. Northern food is ultimately secured by protecting habitat and environmental quality; ensuring development decisions respect the traditional economy; using Indigenous knowledge in planning and decision-making; and addressing the impacts of environmental change.

My research will incorporate the concept of food sovereignty, with northerners having control over their own food system, and ensuring food is sustainable and culturally appropriate.

The project method will consist of three parts:

1. A literature review connecting previous EA research to food security;
2. Case studies, involving past EA decisions, to see how food security concerns were examined.  Tentative case studies include the Ekati Diamond Mine Jay Project EA, the Tłı̨chǫ All-Season Road EA and the Nunavut Marine Strategic EA. And finally;
3. Interviews with northern EA practitioners in government, regulatory boards, Indigenous governments, and industry to understand how food security is considered in EA, how thinking about it can be strengthened, and methods or approaches for better integration of food security into project reviews.

The research will generate recommendations for northern EA practitioners – and will support Indigenous reconciliation by illustrating how Indigenous resources can be respected and protected in resource planning and decision-making.