On Sept. 19, 2012, Nunavut’s public service employees ratified a new 4-year collective agreement with the government, which is retroactive to Sept. 30, 2010. Terms:

7.5% salary increase over life of contract
Changes to formulas for calculating general, annual, special and sick leave
Addition of new category of …

Inuit people don’t have the health information they need to make informed decisions about their personal and mental well-being, according to a personal wellness survey conducted by the Nunavut government and researchers from McGill and the University of Toronto. The report, which was published on …

Codes of Practice provide practical guidance to help stakeholders comply with safety standards required by the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Safety Acts and Regulations. The WSCC just released a new code of practice on traffic control persons on Sept. 10, 2012.

As in the Northwest Territories, on July 9, 2012, Nunavut announced that the workers’ comp average assessment rate for 2013 will increase dramatically from $1.77 to $2.05 per $100 of assessable payroll. WSCC says that rising healthcare costs and the lousy economy have made it …

On June 14, 2012, after nearly 18 months of negotiation, the territory reached a new collective agreement with the approximately 140 Qulliq Energy Corporation employees represented by the Nunavut Employees Union. Terms:

Salary increases of 2.5%, 2.0% and 2.0% for 2011, 2012 and 2013, respectively
One-time signing …

In June 2012, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Workers’ Comp Board issued codes of practice for hazard assessment and asbestos abatement. Codes of practice are guidelines setting out the specific steps employers can take to comply with workplace safety requirements. Following a code of practice …

On June 5, 2012, Nunavut introduced a new birth certificate that includes security features to prevent identity theft. You can get one of the new birth certificates from the Department of Health and Social Services; old birth certificates also remain valid and don’t have to …

On May 11, 2012, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. vice-president Jack Anawak says Canada’s first mental health strategy will benefit the territory if the government follows its recommendations. Anawak, who helped author the strategy, says mental health should be a priority in Nunavut, where there’s a need …

According to a StatisticsCanada report published on May 23, 2012, Nunavut and Northwest Territories have Canada’s highest domestic violence rates.  The overall national average was 294 reported incidents per 100,000 people. At 430 per 100,000, Manitoba’s rates were also alarmingly high.

According to an April (2012) report, Nunavut continues to have the country’s highest rates for the sexually-transmitted disease Chlamydia—around 15 times above the national origin. Gonorrhea rates in the territory are even higher. The spike in rates began in 2008 and the health department is …

On March 19, 2012, the territorial government and Inuit and First Nations leaders launched a new online fitness project to improve health and fitness among indigenous people in Canada. Just Move It – Canada, the first of its kind in Canada, highlights new and existing …

Projections from the territory’s budget tabled on Feb. 22,2012:

Revenues: $1.476.3 million
Expenditures: $1.341.6 million
Surplus: $37.7 million (after setting aside $78.5 million for contingencies and subtracting $18.5 million earned by revolving funds).

Two months in, the 2012 flu season in the territory has been quiet so far. But yesterday (Jan. 30, 2012), the first case of influenza in Nunavut was reported.

Work is expected to resume at the Jericho diamond mine, located 360 km south of Cambridge Bay, in January (2012). The mine has been closed since 2008. But in a few weeks, 20 to 40 workers will sift through stockpiled ore looking for diamonds that …