Former NTI president appointed to lead external review of Nutrition North [Video]

The federal government has appointed former Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) president Aluki Kotierk to oversee an external review of the Nutrition North subsidy. 

Nutrition North is a subsidy program that aims to reduce the delivery costs of perishable items and some non-food products to remote communities, where food can cost much more than in larger centres. Retailers receive the subsidy, which is then supposed to be passed on to the client. 

The program has been heavily criticized recently, with allegations that retailers aren’t properly passing on the savings. 

Kotierk, who is from Iqaluit but grew up in Igloolik, served two terms as president of NTI. She has previously held senior positions with the government of Nunavut and is also a standing member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Gary Anandasangaree, minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs (CIRNAC), made the announcement of Kotierk’s appointment during a news conference in Ottawa on Tuesday. 

“As …