Back in 2009 I blogged an article in the Winnipeg Free Press on food deserts in Winnipeg. The most problematic areas in Winnipeg are the North End in general and Point Douglas specifically.
This week the CBC ran a piece on a joint program between the Public Health Agency of Canada and the North End Food Security Network that provides a shuttle service to residents. The free shuttle takes the residents to a grocery store (the article specifically mentioned the Sobey’s Cash and Carry near Arlington) and them brings them and their purchases home.
Giving low-income and limited-mobility people a chance to get good, healthy groceries is vital to combating diet-related problems such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Residents who take the bus to a grocery store face not only a long trip (and sometimes a difficult one in deep snow), but are limited to what they can carry. With limited mobility or other health problems, a person can only carry so much. Taking the taxi is not an option for many others, as a round trip can cost as much as $20-30.
The shuttle service will run until March, when a decision will be made whether to continue the shuttle. Hopefully this valuable service for area residents will continue.
