World Food Day: Agnico Eagle and Breakfast Club of Canada highlight the impact and next phase of their Nunavut partnership

Five-year, $5-million commitment announced in May will sustain school breakfast programs and support long-term, Nunavut-led approaches to school food programming

RANKIN INLET, Nunavut, Oct. 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This World Food Day, Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (Agnico Eagle) and Breakfast Club of Canada are highlighting the impact of their three-year partnership and the next phase of their shared efforts to help address food insecurity in Nunavut. School breakfast programming supported through the partnership now reaches all schools across the Kivalliq and Kitikmeot regions, where Agnico Eagle operates.

The five-year, $5-million commitment first announced by Agnico Eagle in May 2026 builds on an initial $2.5-million investment launched in 2023. The expanded commitment will help sustain dependable access to school breakfasts while supporting more resilient, community-driven approaches to school food programming.

Since 2023, the partnership has expanded from five to 22 schools across the Kivalliq and Kitikmeot regions, reaching 100% of schools in the areas where Agnico Eagle operates and helping provide nutritious breakfasts to more than 5,000 students.

The next phase of the partnership will work toward longer-term solutions through the development of a Nunavut School Food Network, envisioned as a sustainable, Nunavut-led model that brings together organizations, institutions and partners around school food programming. The vision is to strengthen collaboration, diversify support and explore opportunities to better connect school programs with local and traditional food systems, with solutions grounded in the priorities and realities of Inuit communities.

"The success and growth of the program over the past three years have demonstrated what can be achieved through strong partnerships," says Christopher Adams, Vice-President Nunavut, Agnico Eagle. "As we enter this next phase, we want to do more than provide funding. We want to help connect Breakfast Club of Canada with local organizations, businesses and community partners across Nunavut, while contributing our knowledge of northern operations and logistics to help strengthen and expand the network over time."

Supporting food security in Nunavut

Geographic remoteness, transportation challenges, the high cost of living and the limited availability of fresh and nutritious food create significant barriers to food access in Nunavut. As a result, delivering school breakfast programs in the North comes at a substantially higher cost. In Inuit Nunangat, providing a complete breakfast exceeds $12 per child, more than six times the approximately $2 per child typically required nationally, underscoring the unique challenges of ensuring consistent access to nutritious food in remote communities.

This year's World Food Day theme highlights the importance of building resilient food systems through practical, community-driven solutions. In Nunavut, school breakfast programs are one example of how local partnerships can help improve access to nutritious food while supporting long-term community-led approaches. To learn more about the impact of Breakfast Club of Canada in Nunavut and other approaches to strengthen the food system in Canada’s North, tune in to episode 4 of The Arctic Edge podcast.

Observations, feedback and learnings gathered by Breakfast Club of Canada over the first three years of this partnership's school food programming in Nunavut suggest these programs are delivering benefits that extend well beyond the breakfast table. Participating schools report that students arrive more focused, engaged and ready to learn, while the programs provide a predictable morning routine and a consistent source of support that helps foster inclusion, strengthen school communities and ease food-related pressures experienced by many families.

“What makes these findings especially meaningful is that they reflect what school communities themselves are experiencing every day,” says Julie Desharnais, President and Chief Executive Officer, Breakfast Club of Canada. “Over the past three years, we have seen how access to nutritious food can help create the conditions students need to learn, participate and thrive. As we enter this next phase with Agnico Eagle, we have an opportunity not only to sustain that impact, but also to strengthen collaboration across Nunavut and support the development of long-term, community-led approaches to school food programming.”

“Our approach at Agnico Eagle has always been to listen to communities first and provide support to locally identified needs,” says Christopher Adams. “One message we heard consistently was that students need the right conditions to learn, grow and succeed. Access to nutritious food is a fundamental part of that foundation. When young people are healthy, engaged, and able to focus in the classroom, they are better positioned to complete their education, pursue future opportunities, and contribute to the long-term strength of their communities. Supporting student success today is also an investment in the future leaders and prosperity of Nunavut.”

Celebrating food traditions through storytelling

Food in Nunavut is about much more than access and affordability. For generations, it has been deeply connected to family, community, culture, Traditional Knowledge, and the land. Hunting, fishing, gathering, preparing and sharing country food carry skills and teachings from one generation to the next, strengthening connections between people, place and culture.

To help preserve and share these stories with a broader audience, Agnico Eagle is launching More Than a Meal: Stories of Food, Family, Culture, and Community Across Nunavut, an original storybook inspired by real stories and experiences shared by Nunavummiut and featuring artwork by Nunavut illustrators Kayla Williams and Saelym Degrandpre.

The book explores country food, harvesting and preparation techniques, seasonal traditions, family stories, and knowledge passed between generations. Together, the stories offer readers a deeper understanding of Inuit culture and the enduring connections between food, community and the land.

The storybook will be available in English, Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun, with Inuit words and expressions from multiple dialects woven throughout the English edition to help preserve the cultural context and authenticity of the storytellers, whose experiences span different regions of Nunavut.

Anyone can download the storybook for free at this link, with the option to make a donation to Breakfast Club of Canada to support its work.

Bringing Nunavut voices to the national conversation

To also mark World Food Day, Agnico Eagle produced a short documentary-style video featuring footage captured during a recent breakfast program visit at Leo Ussak Elementary School in Rankin Inlet. Through conversations with students, educators, community members and local partners, the video explores the role school food programs play in supporting student well-being while highlighting the cultural knowledge, traditions and shared experiences that shape food in Nunavut.

Released on World Food Day, the video helps bring Nunavut voices to a national audience, offering a closer look at food security in the North and the lived experiences that shape food, family and community across the territory.

About Agnico Eagle
Canadian-based and led, Agnico Eagle is Canada’s largest mining company and the second largest gold producer in the world, operating mines in Canada, Australia, Finland and Mexico. The Company is advancing a pipeline of high-quality development projects in these regions to support sustainable growth over the next decade. Agnico Eagle is a partner of choice within the mining industry, recognized globally for its leading sustainability practices. Founded in 1957, Agnico Eagle is proud of the prosperity it brings to its employees, their families and the communities in which it operates.

About Breakfast Club of Canada
Since 1994, Breakfast Club of Canada has been working with partners from all sectors to help children access a nutritious breakfast and reach their full potential. Accredited by Imagine Canada for its effective governance and recognized for its promotion of local food products, the Club helps reach children in every province and territory across the country. To learn more, visit breakfastclubcanada.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

About World Food Day 2026
World Food Day is observed annually on October 16 and raises awareness of global food security challenges and the actions needed to ensure everyone has access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food. This year's theme, "Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow", highlights the importance of building more resilient food systems through practical solutions, an innovative approach and collaboration.

MEDIA CONTACT

Amanda Albert, ChangeMakers
amanda.albert@thechangemakers.com
Tel: 647-567-7463