Patterns of Vulnerability by Linnea Lapp

Although Canada has no official measure of poverty, food insecurity (the financial and/or physical inability to access adequate food) is present in homes across the country, with a particularly severe prominence in Canada’s Northern territories of the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. Northern Canada’s unique geographical and social landscape make its residents especially vulnerable to food insecurity. Extreme temperatures, low population density, isolated communities, inconsistent access, and a higher Aboriginal population set Canada’s north apart. Declining physical and mental health, the deterioration of Aboriginal traditions, and a degeneration of society are at stake when food insecurity exists. Informed through current studies, reports, initiatives, and data collection, this investigation strives to synthesize the available resources into a single visual representation. The process revealed the inconsistency and lack of granularity within publicly available data related to Northern Canadian food insecurity, as well as the many determinants which intersect to create vulnerability within communities. The final visualization breaks down the complexity of the issue into an organized narrative in order to establish a foundational knowledge of Northern Canadian food insecurity.