If you thought food prices were on the rise here, our neighbors to the north have an entirely different definition of high-priced groceries.
Residents of Nunavut, Canada have taken to Facebook to protest the high cost of groceries where they live. How high?
And, before you think “Well, that’s in Canadian dollars,” keep in mind that as of today, June 12th, the Canadian dollar is worth $1.02 to one U.S. dollar — close enough to being the equivalent of dealing with these kinds of prices in our own country.
Why are prices so high? Nunavut is located in “Canada’s Arctic,” in an extremely northern and isolated area of the country. The cost of transporting groceries to this area is high… but this is just crazy high. (And, couponing in Canada does not work at all the way it does in the United States… and even if it did, a dollar coupon isn’t making much of a dent on these prices.)
Several news outlets have more information on the food prices in Nunavut today:
High Costs Of Northern Businesses Leave Some Inuit Unable To Cope With Expenses
Facebook group documents food crisis in Northern Canada
Northerners blast high prices for basic food, including $20 for jug of milk
Images from Facebook used under Creative Commons license.
Momma Goddess says
. . . . they have FREE healthcare :o) – ok, so that was a little political. Sorry, Jill.
fodacima621 says
And they buy gasoline in Canada by the liter and if we compute the same amount we pay here, they have higher gas prices.
It is spine chilling to think that we are heading that direction with the continuous fall of the US dollar and subsequent currency devaluation. Thanks to the Feds for more quantitative easings aka printing money.
Personally, if we start comparing prices of goods/services in other countries to make us feel better (?), it doesn’t solve our financial problems here at home; it just gives us a false sense of security we’re in better condition. Far from the truth. If we focus on solving our big budgetary deficit maybe we’ll get out of depression.
hwendt12 says
having to shop under those same conditions-it’s CRAZY!!!! I also wonder how/if their food pantry is able to exist under such conditions. I know many of us are quite generous to the pantries, but donating a $104 case of water is WAY out of my price range. You also must wonder if it would not be easier/cheaper to have friends or relatives MAIL you care-packages from other areas, unless getting MAIL there is as difficult as FOOD????
Rocketmom60 says
If you look at where this town is, it is in the extreme far north, above hudson bay. Any food would need to be flown in and if you understand the cost of airplane fuel, pilot cost, insurance etc. it doesn’t seem unusual that especially fresh items like vegetables etc would cost a lot. When we were north of the arctic circle a few years back, in Coldfoot, Alaska, their milk was $8 a gallon if fresh so most of the time they purchased shelf-stable milk which keeps for 6 months or more. Whenever one of the citizens made a trek down to Fairbanks, they took their pick up trucks and hauled a lot of stuff back for other villagers. While I am not a fan of hunting, I do understand that they need to hunt to survive in those remote locations.
I won’t start on Obamacare…I could rant for days on that and it will just raise my blood pressure so I’ll keep silent for once.