This is the story of the community of Atlin, a remote non-Indigenous community located in the far north of BC, as told by five residents – Lori, Donna, Vincent, Carol and Scott.

Where are we located?

The town of Atlin is situated in the far northwest of BC on the shores of Atlin Lake, the largest natural lake in the province.

Atlin is the Tlingit place name for “big water” and is on the traditional lands of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation. Located in a wide valley, it is surrounded by snowcapped mountains, forests and waters.

It is home to many types of animals including moose, caribou, sheep, bear and salmon.

Atlin is only accessible by road via the Yukon and is located 175 kilometers south of Whitehorse, the closest city centre.

Four to five hundred residents call Atlin home year-round. In the summer the population can see a large influx from summer residents and recreational visitors looking to camp, fish and hunt.

Community services

Atlin offers a range of community services including a health clinic, a post office, a public library, and a recreational centre. The recreational centre provides facilities for community members to enjoy curling, yoga, carpet bowling, walking programs. The Tarahne Park has skateboarding, baseball, basketball, children’s playground, and horseshoe pits.

The town has a school with 34 students ranging from kindergarten to Grade 12. Although community members have access to the internet, Atlin lacks cellular reception. The town’s economy relies primarily on tourism and mining industries.

Accessing food in Atlin

Atlin is served by two small grocery stores offering produce, meats and other foods. While some residents noted improvements in selection and quality of foods over the years, most expressed ongoing concern about the challenges of limited selection, poor quality, and high cost of food.

“There is usually not exotic food or anything, so things like fresh pineapples, or sometimes, no avocados. Some types, or the amount, of fresh fruit or vegetables is limited.”(Donna)

“It’s more the quality of foods that’s not available here in the community during the winter as much. It’s very hit or miss…” (Carol)

Costs of food are high in Atlin, similar to other remote locations. Residents attributed these high prices to elevated costs of shipping to their town.

“Locally, groceries are much more expensive than they are in Whitehorse. That relates directly to the cost of transportation, and freight is tremendously expensive because of the cost of gas or diesel.” (Donna)

“Because freight is so expensive, meat is, too. To buy meat locally is almost prohibitive, for people like ourselves, who are retired with a limited income.” (Donna)

Supplies are brought into the community via transport truck on a weekly basis, usually travelling from Alberta. Transportation is limited to just one road in from the Yukon. If a weekly delivery is missed, the community goes without. This can happen when severe weather, washouts or slides occur on the local road or elsewhere such as the Alaska Highway. A local grocery store owner, Scott, described transport challenges.

“The last couple of years we’ve noticed quite a few delays that stop our trucks coming up; some of those [delays] were associated with a shortage of truck drivers and some were associated with a lot of natural disasters in the Lower Mainland, Alaska, Edmonton and Whitehorse, where our trucks go between.” (Scott)

Challenges with transportation into the community directly impact residents’ access to foods, especially perishable items. Some residents connected the increased frequency of transportation disruptions with climate change, ultimately contributing to higher food prices.

“...We lose on the cost of food, on the cost of fuel to get the food or bring it in, we lose on the freshness. If the truck doesn’t come on time, we get stuck with the grade b or grade c stuff and half the time you have to toss it out even though you just spent an arm and a leg on it. So, climate change happens with mother nature in the past and we are making it go quicker and we are paying for it…” (Lori)

Travel to Whitehorse to “stock up”

Many community members choose to embark on a 4 to 6 hour round trip journey to Whitehorse for better selection, cheaper prices and to buy in bulk.

“...when I’m at a larger centre where I can get it at almost half the price, I stock up. I rarely buy a can of anything at the stores here. Same with fresh frozen fruits and veggies too, I will save my purchasing until I’m doing a stock up trip to Whitehorse, that’s partly to offset the gas price that it costs me to go there compared with buying here.” (Carol)

Getting to Whitehorse takes significant time and energy. Unreliable weather and road conditions complicate the shopping planning process, especially during winter months. The cost of fuel is also an added burden, and those without a reliable vehicle may have added challenges. Residents often combine getting groceries with other tasks to maximize the money spent on fuel.

“I don't just go grocery shopping. It's usually doctors or dentists, or appointments or haircuts, or going to the bank, or the hardware store, or whatever else - we combine it. But still the cost of groceries in Whitehorse is about half to two-thirds of local costs. But one has to consider the cost of gas to get there.” (Donna)

Many described trying to navigate a balance between making the trip to Whitehorse, which takes a lot of time and planning, or to purchase from the local stores, which takes less time but is more expensive and offers fewer choices. Some choose to shop in Atlin for day-to-day items, reserving trips to Whitehorse for less frequent shops, while others may choose to shop locally for convenience or to save time.

“So now because of the cost of fuel, and you know, maybe I'm busy… I shopped at the grocery store locally despite it being a little bit more money…it's there if I can't drive up to Whitehorse.” (Vincent)

However for some folks, such as elders and lower income families, shopping in Atlin is the only option. For them, it is extra challenging to access lower cost and fresh foods.

“It can be an $85 gas bill to go get groceries. And for a lot of people, that’s not an option, so they have to settle for buying [food] only in town, and in the winter especially, that’s lower quality fresh fruit and vegetables. “ (Carol)

While each person interviewed recognized the impact of food cost on many residents, some make a conscious effort to try to buy locally grown and produced foods from Atlin or the Yukon, even if they cost more. While Donna looks for cost savings, she sometimes chooses to buy the more expensive local options.

“We know that if things travel long distances, that takes time that affects their nutritional values, so sometimes paying more for less, gives you more in the end.” (Donna)

Local and traditional foods

Atlin community members rely on hunting, fishing and harvesting to provide access to food from the land and local lakes and rivers. Residents described the significant role seasonal harvesting plays in their access to fresh food, such as berries, alongside growing food in their own gardens. Gardens play an important role in Northern communities like Atlin.

“Gardens, I think, are a big part of the North, and people feel a little bit safer if they don't have to rely on going down to the grocery store and getting potatoes or carrots, if they can just grow them themselves… it is an important part of living off the land.” (Scott)

For many residents, wild meat such as moose and caribou are an affordable source of food, although there has been a decline in the abundance of these animals. Both First Nations and non-First Nations hunters have been impacted by declining numbers and are concerned that dwindling populations are tied to pressures from non-local hunters.

“...every single person in this community who harvests wild meat for sustenance is suffering.” (Vincent)

Residents also said that increased regulations and restrictions on hunting and fishing have made accessing local and traditional foods more difficult. Some suggested the need for prioritizing local hunters over visitors. One solution to the limited supply of wild harvests may be through creating more opportunities to bring residents together to gather, share knowledge and learn from each other.

“A lot of people out here live off the land in one way or another, but it’s so individual, you don’t always know. You need a way to bring people together to share the knowledge and the resources.” (Lori)

Harvested or grown food can be sustained throughout the winter through freezing, canning, drying and other food preservation techniques - an important part of life in the North. Nevertheless, cost and access to supplies for food preservation can often be a barrier to participating in these activities.

“There are a lot of costs to consider though- transportation costs, freezer space, the cost of water for plants or gardens, the cost of hydro to run pumps and fridges and freezers, the cost of having or building a pantry and/or a root cellar, the cost of keeping those spaces heated enough to not freeze in the winter, the costs of jars and canning supplies, the cost of gas to go out and pick and forage. It all adds up.” (Carol)

There is a need for freezers, root cellars or other food storage options when purchasing food in bulk. Many residents have had to invest in backup generators to support food storage at a significant cost. This can be prohibitive for elders or those on a fixed income or with limited space, impacting their ability to keep food stocks at home.

Concern looms over how climate change is impacting access to local and traditional foods as well as the availability and cost of all foods coming into the community from other food systems. At the same time, it was noted that climate change is providing new opportunities in the North for longer growing and harvesting seasons.

“One of the things that I do see is that because the growing season is better than it has been in time past, because of climate change, more people have fresh foods from their gardens, even more than 15 years ago” (Carol)

Community generosity and volunteerism

Amidst these challenges, almost every resident interviewed described the invaluable role volunteer and donation-based community programs play in the community, and their appreciation for the generosity that sustains these programs.

This has become especially critical as the number of people supplementing their weekly food shopping with food from charitable food organizations has significantly increased over the last couple of years. Generosity and care for each other was described as a part of life in the North where, as Scott put it, the community works to “make sure that everyone's getting fed”.

The community’s Meals on Wheels program is run by volunteers and relies heavily on donations from residents. The program provides meals to over 30 people a week, and that reduced availability of wild meat creates challenges with receiving much needed donations.

“We've been largely dependent on donations of meat and salmon, and sometimes we buy some meat. But, in the last couple of years, because people aren't able to access moose as readily, those donations have gone down dramatically.” (Donna)

Other community programs include Atlin Supportive Living Society which supports elders in accessing food including local and traditional foods. A food bank hamper program, church pantries and First Nations community meals are also available for community members.

Hopes for the Future