Farmers cry foul over lack of spending by Yukon government
Territory spends millions with food services giant Sysco Canada
Yukon farmers are calling on the territorial government to follow its own advice – in the wake of a tariff war with the U.S. – to buy local products.
Bridget Hurlburt owns and operates Horse Haven Ranch west of Whitehorse with her husband, Cody. When calving season begins they'll be up every three hours – but right now, what's keeping her awake at night is a lack of business from the Yukon government.
The territory buys food for government-run facilities such as hospitals, schools, jails and continuing care homes. It said it has spent more than $9.6 million on food ordered through food services giant Sysco Canada between 2021 and 2025.
Between 2021 and 2024, it spent $124,000 on locally-produced goods.
Bridget says the government placed one order with Horse Haven Ranch last year for 50 pieces of beef jerky.
"It would be really great to have that support so that we could have the means to keep living this lifestyle," she said. "Because we don't have that local support we need to figure out how to make ends meet."
Bridget said one way to make things work is to export their cows.
Two-thirds of the farm's cattle, about 90 animals, are sold to Alberta, B.C. and Alaska.
"A market animal takes about two years to finish so we're making an investment about two years before we can sell the animal," said Bridget. "We've gotten into exporting because without the reliable sales in the Yukon we might as well export."
She said with government support, Horse Haven Ranch would be able to grow its business.
Ministers pushing for more local procurement
The Yukon government says it has taken steps to support local growers.
Last year, it soft-launched an internal website featuring products from Yukon growers. The idea is that those responsible for buying products for the Yukon government can use it to find local food producers – but so far, uptake has been low.
John Streicker, the minister of energy, mines and resources, said in an interview Wednesday morning that the government buys a "very low" number of local food products, and that "we need to do more." He said the government was "re-doubling" its effort to get government-run facilities to buy from that online marketplace in light of what's been happening with the U.S.
Streicker said the territory's ministers of health and of education are "giving direction that there needs to be a significant bump in local purchase … I think the target is 10 per cent of the purchase should be local."
Asked why local procurement hasn't been more of a priority until now, Streicker said: "I don't know."
"Like, is it down to the local level of the chefs and they're just used to purchasing some other way?" Streicker asked. "I'm trying to figure out what the challenges are so that we can get this working in the right direction."
Geoff Holmes, a manager of procurement with the Yukon government, said that they're still getting the word out about the new online marketplace.
"Education is what we are focusing on right now," Holmes said.
Tough market to crack
Al Stannard owns Mandalay Farm north of Whitehorse, where he and his wife have run a small poultry farm for the last 8.5 years that sells eggs under the brand Little Red Hen.
They have 4,400 birds and Stannard says business is good – but it could be a lot better. Ideally, he'd like to have 10,000 birds at the farm.
Stannard says he sold just one per cent of his eggs to the Yukon government last year.
"I'd love to sell more," he said.
"Economies of scale [are] what's going to bring our prices down and make us more affordable to everyone, not just the folks who can afford a brown egg."
Stannard said it's time for the territory to put its money where its mouth is, adding that it could be a make-or-break year for some farmers.
"I don't believe we should depend on the government, but it would give a lot of farms here that constant that the banks would like to see in order for farms to do an expansion," said Stannard.
"When people will spend more on a Starbucks coffee than eggs or local vegetables, we need a little more support to get us off the ground."
Trevor Amiot owns Hinterland Flour Mill in Whitehorse, which sells flour, pancake and brownie mix and recently entered into the snack market with its Yukon Curls puff product.
Amiot said last year sales to the Yukon government amount to less than half a percent.
"How do we get local food security while competing with larger providers down south?" said Amiot. "I think the government could play a massive role in that if they used their dollars correctly."
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