The NDP’s Shadow Minister for Northern Affairs suggests 27 people from the La Ronge area over the past six months got scurvy because they can’t afford to eat healthy foods. Jordan McPhail pointed to some of the prices at a store in Stony Rapids on Monday, with a 4-litre jug of milk costing $18 and 900 grams of grapes for $20. He adds that Stony Rapids has a road, but consider communities like Wollaston Lake, which don’t have access. Groceries would cost even more there.

The NDP suggests the government could provide some immediate relief by suspending the provincial gas tax and removing the PST from groceries. McPhail says, “This would lower transportation costs and make essential items more affordable”.