Inuit are one of the most food insecure populations in Canada and experience inequitable access to healthy, nutritious and culturally preferred food compared to other populations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated this situation and put additional pressure on Inuit households.

The need for food security relief measures remains as vital as ever.

Today, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services, along with Natan Obed, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, announced that the Government of Canada is providing $8 million in funding to help the four Inuit Land Claim Organizations: Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, Makivik Corporation, Nunatsiavut Government and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation – address food insecurity in Inuit Nunangat.

This critical funding will go towards food security relief programs to ensure communities and households receive the food they need when they need it.

It will also be used to support Inuit-led COVID-19 food security relief initiatives, including virtual nutrition education programs, food voucher programs, meal delivery programs, breakfast programs and community harvesters’ programs.

The Government of Canada will continue to work with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities and organizations, and other partners to identify and respond to the unique needs that Indigenous Peoples face as the pandemic continues to unfold.

Effective March 13, lockdown measures will recede in Newfoundland and Labrador, as the province emerges from a month-long battle with coronavirus variant B117.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said any further reductions in restrictions will happen slowly, with at least two weeks between level downgrades.

Most of the province will enter Alert Level 3 on Saturday, and the harder-hit Avalon Peninsula will drop to Alert Level 4.

Everyone living outside the Avalon has already spent almost two weeks at Level 4 and will now move to Level 3 on Saturday.

For those residents, households may have a total of 10 close contacts, which Fitzgerald on Wednesday dubbed a “tight 10.”

“Outside of your tight 10, your school-age children should only be interacting with their class cohort at this time,” she said.

There’s good news for anyone wanting indoor exercise, though. Gyms can open, along with arenas, pools and other recreational facilities. All those workouts need to be done solo, however, with group classes and team sports still off the table.

No more than 20 people can enter a facility, and they must keep masks on, even while exercising.

Residents of nursing homes can also now welcome two visitors.

Restaurants can also open their dining rooms.

Bars and cinemas will not open yet.

Funerals and religious gatherings can now welcome 20 people, with masks on always.

Today marks one full year since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, and since that time a lot has been made about the numbers related to the virus.

COVID-19 began in the province with the number one: A single presumptive positive case announced by Dr. Janice Fitzgerald on March 14, 2020.

Since then, the province says 1,010 positive cases have been identified, and over 118,000 people have been tested across the four healthcare regions.

51 per cent of positive cases have been men, and 49 per cent have been women. Six people have passed away as a result of the virus.

Our highest single-day case count came on February 11 of this year, when 100 new cases were announced as a part of the cluster in the metro region.

According to Health Minister Dr. John Haggie, 140 live COVID briefings have been held in the last year.

Nine months after the province’s first case of the virus was reported, the first vaccines were administered, with registered nurse Ellen Foley-Vick receiving the first jab on December 16th.

As of this week, the province says they have received over 48,400 doses of three different types of vaccines. Over 33,000 doses have been administered, 24 000 of which have been the initial jab, while 9,000 secondary shots have been taken.

Today has been declared the National Day of Observance in Canada.

It is a day to honor the family members, friends, neighbours, and coworkers who we lost due to the pandemic, and to recognize the major impacts that COVID-19 has had on all of us.

March 11th also marks the grim, one-year anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic.

Flags will lower to half-mast all provincial buildings from sunrise to sunset today, Thursday, March 11th, to mark the National Day of Observance for COVID-19.

The moose license has closed as of March 7th as the polar bear licenses remains open until June 30th.

Todd Broomfield is the Director for Renewable Resources for the Nunatsiavut Government.

He says out of the 12 polar bear licenses, only two have been filled: one in Nain and one in Makkovik.

The one license in Makkovik was filled with a nuisance bear as it was destroying a few cabins.

For the moose licenses, 15 out of 23 have been filled.

Stay tuned to our AtjiKangitut show today to hear more from Broomfield on the moose and polar bear licenses.

As of Saturday, at 12:01 am, the Avalon Peninsula will move to Alert Level 4, and the rest of the province will move to Alert Level 3

TODAY, Wednesday, March 10th, Newfoundland and Labrador has NO new confirmed case of COVID-19.

There are no new or outstanding presumptive positive cases.

There are 80 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.

The regional breakdown of the 80 active cases is as follows:
• Eastern Health – 72
• Central Health – 0
• Labrador-Grenfell Health – 1
• Western Health – 1

There have been six new recoveries in the Eastern Health region. This means 926 people have recovered.

There are three people in hospital. All three are in intensive care.

To date, 118,103 people have been tested.

The DHSD Food Security is holding a contest for this month for a 2022 calendar and recipe book.

You can submit your favourite healthy recipe, for example, it can be your favourite meal, baked goods, jams, etc.

Also please include a photo of your final product.

This contest is open to all Nunatsiavut communities and the ULM area; Nunatsiavut Government employees can also take part.

For every submission, your name will be entered to win a prize with a maximum of 3 entries per person and prizes include:

• Promotional items drawn every Friday for the month of March.
• 1 $100 grocery card/PO per community at the end of the contest.
• 3 big prizes at the end of the contest

The winners will be announced via Facebook live on the NG DHSD Food Security Page, so please make sure to “like” the page.

So, get busy cooking and baking, be creative and send in your recipes and photos.

All submissions can be sent to brenda.dicker@nunatsiavut.com.

With all the cold temperatures, the ice around Nain is finally thick enough for skidoo’s to safely travel on.

Rex Holwell Jr. is the Northern Production Lead with SmartICE.

He says he has been doing his Smart Kamutik runs to Satosoak, Edward’s Cove and Voisey’s Bay.

The measurements of the ice are from one foot and a half to two feet.

He will also be doing another run sometime today to Black Island.

Due to COVID restrictions, he will not be doing any programs until restrictions allow it.

The Nunatsiavut Government’s 2021-22 balanced budget, delivered during the first-ever virtual sitting of the Nunatsiavut assembly, will help address infrastructure needs in each of the five Labrador Inuit Communities while, at the same time, allow for the development and enhancement of programs, services and initiatives for Beneficiaries of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement.

The Nunatsiavut Government has delivered a balanced budget worth almost $158-million and covering five Inuit communities in Labrador.

Finance Minister Tony Andersen says they have an extra $7.5 million this year for capital works projects, primarily water and sewer.

He says housing also continues to be a top priority as they work to establish a semi-independent Nunatsiavut Housing Commission by this time next year.

The budget also sets aside $2.9 million for the Torngat Regional Housing Association to build houses in Nunatsiavut this summer. Funding is also being set aside for staff housing in Nain and Makkovik.

Andersen says they’re setting aside money for energy security initiatives such as the proposed Nain Wind Micro Grid project and installation of high-efficiency wood stoves in their communities.

The budget also sets aside money to address food insecurity.

For more information on the 2021-22 budget check out the website at Nunatsiavut.com

Fran Williams is an elder from Hopedale, she says that she is very thankful to the Nunatsiavut Government for thinking of the beneficiaries with the caribou meat that will be distributed to the north coast communities.

She adds that she misses speaking in her Inuktitut Language, with this pandemic it is preventing elders to gather.

She also would like to say hello to all the elders out there.

We will be speaking with Elder Fran Williams later in our PiusituKavut Program.