I first heard about Growcer some time back when they were helping Squamish Nation set up a 40-foot container garden. Then this week, I heard about it again. This time, it was about how it has been helping people grow fresh produce in Churchill, Manitoba. And this time, I wanted to learn more.

Maybe you’ve seen pictures of Churchill and its polar bears? It’s a chilly place in winter, like many of the places where Growcer operates – Yellowknife, in the NWT, where winter can last half the year. Norway House, in northern Manitoba. Kuujjuaq, northern Quebec.

Like a lot of northern Canadian communities, a lot of Churchill’s staple food comes in on the sealift or by rail. The rest is flown into town. And you can imagine how expensive that can be, even in the best of times.