Quebec spending $5M to encourage sustainable greenhouse gardens in Nunavik

The Quebec governmentis putting $5 million over three years into developing greenhouse gardening in the far north, where the normal growing season lasts for less than 100 days.

Two community greenhouses already existin Kuujjuaq, 1,400 kilometresnorth of Montrealthe main town in the Quebec Inuit territory of Nunavik. There, local greenhouse participants have been growing food for themselves and their neighbours for several years.

The Socit du Plan Nord, the agency charged with planning sustainable development in Northern Quebec, is spearheading the initiative in the hope that it will lead to commercial vegetable productionto feed residents in Nunavik's far-flung villages.

"There has been more and more interest from the population to grow vegetables up there. Now, we want to go one step further," said Robert Sauv, the agency's president and managing director.

Fresh produce must now be flown in, driving up prices and limiting the variety and availability of fruits and vegetables.

"We're really confident [greenhouse] production will be much cheaper," Sauv told CBC's Quebec AM. "It's not only a matter of cost. It's a matter of quality and availability."

If the pilot project is successful, it could extend the growing season to eight months of the year.

Garbage as fuel

The key to the commercial greenhouse's success will be to provide it with a source of heat, Sauv said.

The plan is to use garbage, now burned in the open air, to be incinerated at a thermal waste treatment station instead.

"The heat recovered from this production would heat the greenhouse and maybe some buildings as well," said Sauv.

The project is still in the early stages, with this year dedicated to planning, building partnerships, conducting a feasibility study and working on the structural design.

Sauv said the intent it to have an operating greenhouse by the project's third year.

Quebec is also dedicating another $3 million over five years to about a dozen new non-profit and communal greenhouses in any territory touched by Quebec's northern plan, including Nunavik, the James Bay territory and the Lower North Shore.