Nunavut considers incentives for nurses amid shortages and burnout

Nunavut’s health minister says he’s looking at ways to sweeten the deal for contract nurses working in the territory, as burnout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic continues to exacerbate a country-wide nursing shortage.

“We have to make our incentives that much better in order to get them to come up,” Lorne Kusugak said.

“We’re asking them to [be] away from their families for [weeks] or months at a time for us, so it’s a struggle.”

On top of offering higher pay or bonuses, Kusugak said other options could be providing vacation travel assistance or supporting nurses in bringing their families up North with them.

“We have to think outside the box.”

Making sure nurses have access to more after-work activities, for example, could help create a better work-life balance, he said.

The new health centre in Kinngait has a fitness centre, coffee room and shower for staff to use.

“I really hope [we] continue to build bigger, better health centres and that, in turn, will help retain and recruit nursing staff because they have a better facility to work in,” Kusugak said.

In the small communities, nurses tend to be unofficially on call around the clock, which can lead to burnout.

“Down south, you could get off work and go to the park and relax or go to a gym and interact with people in areas where nobody knows who you are,” he said. “We don’t have that luxury here.”

Many nurses from Nunavut aren’t working in the industry “for their own, very understandable reasons,” including always being on-call in their communities, especially when they are caring for family and community members, Kusugak said.

“It’s a challenge for us to try to get them back into the health centres and get them back into the profession they trained for.”

When asked whether Nunavut-based nurses get the same signing bonuses and other perks short-term southern nurses get, Kusugak said “we’re not offering them any less.”

Bayshore, the company that recruits nurses to work in Nunavut, declined to say how much its nurses are paid or what kind of signing or retention bonuses are offered.

Job descriptions on the company’s website include fully paid travel assignments, “highly competitive” wages, four to six-week placements, a benefits package and annual bonuses.

If a nurse is hired from southern Canada and wants to come to Nunavut, a lack of housing for health staff is another challenge that arises in many communities.

As of Aug. 31, the territory had 32 fewer nurses on staff than it had a year ago, with 164 vacancies, up from 132, said Danarae Sommerville, a Health Department spokesperson.

As of Tuesday, three nursing stations, in Igloolik, Gjoa Haven and Sanikiluaq, are only offering emergency services due to staff shortages, she said.

During the recent sitting of the legislature, John Main, the MLA for Arviat North-Whale Cove, asked David Akeeagok, the minister of human resources, how many units the department is short to fill vacant health positions across the territory.

David Akeeagok is the minister for human resources. (Photo by Mélanie Ritchot)

Akeeagok said staff housing is “very limited” overall, but the department doesn’t track vacancies by department.

In response, Main said, “it’s very troubling to hear our government is struggling to provide these very important professionals with staff housing.”

“These are people who we rely on to save lives.”

Akeeagok said health staff are at the top of the priority list and “typically” get housing first when it becomes available.

Main also asked Akeeagok to commit to paying health-care professionals competitive wages to make Nunavut an attractive place to work.

Akeeagok said that work is underway, but “we are in the middle of our collective agreement negotiations” with the Nunavut Employees Union, which represents the territory’s staff nurses.

The current collective agreement expired three years ago, in September 2018, so wages haven’t gone up since that time.

When Main asked Akeeagok another question about the negotiations on Sept. 14, he said he encourages the union to “get back to the table.”

Negotiations have been held up since the NEU sued the GN in 2020 for bargaining in bad faith after a mistake was made in calculating potential increases in the Nunavut northern allowance benefit.

“They don’t want to sit with us until that court case is done,” Akeeagok said. “That has dragged on far too long.”

In an interview on Tuesday, Bill Fennell, the president of the NEU, said the GN isn’t participating in negotiations and they’re the ones waiting.

“They won’t even come to the table to negotiate,” Fennell said.

“There’s been no economic increase, there’s been no change in working conditions,” he said. “It’s three years, this is ridiculous.”

A prominent concern Fennell hears from nurses, he said, is workplace conflicts.

“There’s a lot of competition between colleagues and there’s a lot of toxic managers.”

Fennell said with nurses being in high demand across the country, health employees can easily get a job elsewhere instead of staying in a toxic environment.

“There seems to be a lot of racism as well to visible minorities.”

(73) Comments:

“… there’s a lot of toxic managers” Yes, there are! And yet they remain and are allowed to keep doing what they do, even with documented complaints that go very high up the chain and corroborated by multiple people. People with too little experience are given too much power, and it’s not just the managers in the health centres, it’s the ones higher up who are made directors when down south they probably wouldn’t even be team leaders on a unit. Directors on a power trip are part of the downward spiral of disappearing nurses. The revolving door is not even revolving any more, it has almost run out of willing nurses to chew up and spit out. Why these toxic managers are protected from any consequences of their mismanagement and maltreatment of nurses is a mystery.

I agree with you as I see this happening everywhere in work places. True, once a person gets a higher position at HC, as I seen this happen where the nurses left on account of the individual. Yes, complaints have been launched but nothing been done about it -same for other departments.

Because of apathy, inertia and incompetence. Look at the failing grade delivered in the auditors report for the department of justice, the same kinds of problems. I am sure it is no different throughout all the GN. If the government were serious they would do an independent internal audit and act on what they found. I have no confidence, however, that they are serious about these issues or that they will do a single thing about them. No one does.

Can I have the mandatory leave to care for my sick dependent? Denied, it’s an emergency. Can I have my annual? You can have January 10-20 but my friend can have the month of July. Can I leave Nunavut? For leisure you can’t leave without isolating for two weeks on your vacation, but if a new nurse is coming up they can skip the hub. Hey this doctor went berserk and is unstable and it’s not safe for patients? There there dear, the chief doctor will do something. Hey I am not getting paid my OT I submitted? Oh I know you said that to me 100000 times but someone at HR ‘lost’ your form.
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This is what people tell prospective nurses when they ask about working in Nunavut.

I heard the directors got their vacation leave though! Even in the summer of 2020, when there was supposed to be almost no movement in and out of the territory. They didn’t manage to sneak out unnoticed …

Yes the Deputy Minister secured “essential worker” exemptions for directors and senior management to enjoy some time off in the summer while the working staff had their vacations cancelled in 2020. Kind of like how the Premier secured an exemption to fly his seaplane back that same summer I think.

What about the Contract LPN. I personally have been here 2 years and worked on the Frontline during Covid. Vaccine and swabbing 7 days a week only to watch RNs who never left their desks to help get 10k for simply being RNs indeterminate. It was the biggest insult. I want to make Nunavut my home but was left feeling unappreciated . Yes I am a Contract LPN who never ran home when the going got tough. I put myself out there because of the need 7 days a week and felt good about my contributions until I was insulted and left feeling unappreciated

I fully agree. Trying to file a harrassment claim and getting walls up. Almost like the directors are being protected with no accountability or checks and balances. Too much power given to one or 2 people. Good people leave and the “friends” get all the benefits, even if that means unfair treatment.

So….the lesson here is that it is time to upgrade professional qualifications – it seems to have more than enough benefits to make it worthwhile.

How does this even make sense? And not to mention all the other hard working individuals who worked endlessly throughout COVID in the hospital that haven’t even received a “thank you.” Then when you go seeking support from your union (NEU) they say they can’t do anything for you. It’s a broken system.

Completely agree.
Emphasis is always on nurses.
How about non-nursing staff? What about front desk staff, Clerk Interpreters? Housekeepers? Drivers? etc.
If they were not there who would have supported these nurses? Support staff who are first contact between patients and nurses are ALWAYS OVERLOOKED. It is extremely unfair and surely insulting! Everyone is working tirelessly around the clock but only nurses “get thanked”.
Support staff make 3-4 times less than nurses and often struggle financially as it is but GN do not care about them. It’s ridiculous and absolutely disgusting. Kusugak said, “We have to think outside the box.” He doesn’t know which box. Shame on you GN!

This guy has no idea what goes on in this Department. If Nunatsiaq.com made a call for anonymous reports from nurses they’d get an earful. It all stems from the top, and the Minister should seriously consider looking for a new ADM of operations.

Nunatsiaq, I beg of you to ask nurses what is really going on in their place of work. several times while being seen by a Dr at the clinic here in Iqaluit, I have seen nurses crying over toxic managers. I always wonder how bad is it that employees are crying while at work, these are grown women and men.
one time I witnessed a Dr yelling at a nurse right in the hallway! something has to be done!

1. Mr. Premier, it’s time to put your big boy pants on, get to the negotiating table, and keep everyone there until an agreement is reached.
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2. With regard to attracting and retaining nurses, how about asking the nurses what they want?
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3. With all those vacant nursing positions the GN should have lots of vacant staff housing. Where did it go?
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4. Can you imagine holding an election while GN employees are on strike?
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5. What promises will the candidates make during a strike? How will the incumbants explain the failure of their government to reach an agreement for 3 years?

I wanted to say that I don’t think that the Minister of Health gets it, but judging by his statement ““We have to think outside the box.” he really doesn’t have a clue.
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At the very least Nunavut is competing with every jurisdiction in North America for a nurse. Especially during this pandemic any nurse is worth his or her weight in gold.
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And the GN can’t even provide staff housing for them in some of the communities? Shameful. And 3 years without a contract? That’s not bad faith bargaining, it’s criminal.
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And where are all the Inuit nurses working in their home communities? Home grown nurses should have been on the agenda as a priority from 1999 with full support from the GN and every RIO.
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Heck you could have made course specific streams in high school to prepare the students for nursing, dental techs, medical techs, and then given them full support through college courses and practical experience.
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Anyone who completes the course and works in their field in their home community, or any Nunavut community gets their own subsidized house. Plus a great salary and bonuses.
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GN get your act together. I know that you would rather make lawyers than medical professionals, but seriously would you rather have another lawyer today or another nurse?
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Time for the federal government to step in and run the territory before things get any worse.

The problem of educating Inuit professionals is complex. There was a report recently that indicates that the nursing programs over years and years have only seen a handful of graduates. Any Inuit with a university degree, of which there are less than 100, would never work as a nurse for long. They are fasttracked to executive positions like ADM. Inuit frankly just don’t apply for nursing positions. Why would you when you can make $100k answering phones with grade 12?

3 years without a contract because someone screwed up in their calculations ? On the staff housing, it would appear that the allocation committee might have struggled to make the tough decisions that were necessary when staff and social housing is in limited supply . Give to all and now we have nothing and the cycle continues.

No contract for Nurses now for 3 years, yet the teachers contract expired in 2021 and within 6 months had a new contract. Clear to see where their priorities lie.

Very different situations. The teachers have their own bargaining unit, and the union and employer only have to deal with issues that are relevant to teachers. Makes for much easier bargaining. The nurses are part of the GN NEU bargaining unit, along with almost every other GN employee, including correctional workers, admin staff, program officers, finance, social workers etc…makes for a much more complex bargaining situation.

Completely agree with your thinking. Is the GN even capable of thinking “outside of a box”? That’s a big stretch. Also agree that some DM (most?) have been sitting too long in their office chairs, time to think outside of the box and get rid of them and hire professionals.

Nurses are the true unsung heroes of the North. To become a nurse requires 4 to 6 years of intensive training, and then going to work long grueling hours in the north is not an easy feat. Unlike down south, nurses in Nunavut have to fear for their safety and are often victims of verbal and even sometimes physical abuse. No dollar amount or incentive will make up for that. The shortage is sad, but you can’t force anyone to work if they don’t want to. It’s sad that barely any Nunavummiut want to become nurses because it is such an important part of the community, but when you look at vacancies everywhere in Canada, why would a nurse pick Nunavut over Newfoundland?

THE most fascinating concept in Canadian government is that those appointed as ministers, including Premiers and Prime Ministers have zero ability to perform their jobs. That is indisputable The ONLY ‘skills’ they bring to their workplace are a willingness and commitment for self-promotion

Quebec just announced a plan to spend $1 Billion to fill 4,300 nursing positions…so good luck with that box you plan to think outside of.

How’s this: “Are you tired of working with COVID-19? Come live and work in a community where there’s no COVID.”

How about “it is so remote and isolated that there is no covid most of the time, but when there is we have some of the worst per capita rates in Canada because a great deal of adults in Nunavut refuse to vaccinate”. Yes, I’m sure it’ll work. Do you work for the Minister?

Future is looking grim for NU, govt has been a failing grade since 99 yet we recycle the same people in govt to continue this downward spiral. Even if they somehow continue to keep their jobs after weak performance reviews that are no secret. It’s not time to think out of the box but it’s time to replace the box.

To renew your license in the south with CNO, it cost about $300. Nunavut licensure cost 3 times higher. I find this ridiculous. I renewed my license last year with the intention of coming this 2021 on a few weeks contract. However, the nursing agencies pay rate was nothing attractive to leave south for Nunavut. Leaving the comfort of your home and the environment to the middle of know where is a great sacrifice. The board of nursing in Nunavut should reconsider. $1000 for licensure renewal is +++ ridiculous. And the Staffing agency should as well do better.

It is of course difficult in all jurisdictions to hire and retain nurses and other health staff for that matter. In Nunavut I often wonder why any nurse would want to work here. People in general are so abusive to nurses in person and on social media. It’s no wonder they leave or don’t come up at all. Teaching is another problem area. We are still short teachers all over Nunavut and in the trades there are so few Inuit who can get jobs in the trades because they don’t have the education and training to get those jobs in construction, the mines etc….. And yet people continue to bitch and complain about southerners getting the jobs and every time someone can’t give them what they want because they don’t have the credentials they are calling for their heads in the media or social media. The fact of the matter is Nunavut has a very tiny population in the grand scheme of things. We are not going to be pumping out doctors and lawyers and teachers and nurses and electricians and carpenters and plumbers left right and centre. If anything it will be a trickle. There’s a very small portion of the population that is even capable of going into those careers and with the social assistance net being what it is there is no incentive to improve one’s lot. Begging and searching for the next handout has become a profession. We are in crisis mode and it’s going to get much worse. We will need to attract people to Nunavut and stop treating them like s__t! when they are here. Posting pictures of the land and animals etc…. is not going to do it because they almost never get to enjoy those things anyway.

NWT was the best , Nu nothing but downhill for every political decisions
Made for betterment of man . May god be with the people.

Give incentives to locally hired nurses and more locals would go to school to be nurses. Why can’t the Government see that? They keep offering more and more to non residents so the gap widens. It’s the same for teachers, managers, directors. Priorities have to change to stop in the influx of non Northerners taking the jobs that were intended for locals.

it is not that simple. yes there are people that could do it, however overcrowding while growing up, having kids young, struggling to finish high school (not enough Inuk teachers and social passing), having to leave your family without support for furthering your education is all part of it. and then they would still have to deal with the biases from southern staff that come to make a buck and dont respect Inuit.
So when you can get a 80K job and not have to graduate even high school and leave your family or have the same stress as a Nurse or teacher would have why?

“There seems to be a lot of racism as well to visible minorities.” Complaints about ‘non-residents’ and ‘non-Inuks taking our jobs’ and whatever else really casts a light on the animus at the core of this quote. That is, the perpetual sense of grievance against ‘outsiders’ and ‘the other’ that runs not just through the GN, but through our entire society. In a very real way this is the dynamo that is, at least in part, driving much of the toxicity and misery in the departments that rely most on people from outside the territory. Granted, as others have shown, it is not the entire picture.

I too have experienced this first hand. Being treated badly just for not being from here and the GN allows it. Shameful bigotry in this Territory makes is very unwelcoming.

It’s true, but we also need to understand that the success of relationships between migrants from the south and Inuit is one built on reciprocity and mutual respect. It’s not enough for us (southerners) to expect fair treatment and understanding, yet not concern ourselves with our understandings of the people of the north. With that in mind a strong program of cultural orientation should be a must for any professional coming north. I am aware that the GN offers these from time to time, and perhaps they are required at health, I don’t know. Yet even here, the relationship and dialogue should run both ways as well. Southerners have their own values and experiences and it would be equally helpful for Inuit to learn those too. The better we can understand and respect each other the better it will be for all of us, and for Nunavut.

Please enlighten us on how “southerners” are supposed to reciprocate feelings on staff that works 1 day a week with no form of disciplinary action? Maybe we finally are by “going home”, enjoy your staff shortage and the chaos it causes.

“Give incentives to locally hired nurses and more locals would go to school to be nurses.” Shame that experience has shown this isn’t the case. There’s been priority hiring for Inuit for what’s approaching decades now: have a postsecondary degree and you’re pretty much guaranteed your choice of job with the possibility of rapid advancement. Oddly enough, despite knowing this, high school graduation rates in Nunavut are still abysmal. There are a lot of reasons for this, but assuming that simply waving a magic wand and declaring more benefits will result in people showing up isn’t a solution, because it hasn’t been a solution.

The GN is a miserable place to work for a southerner, especially in the small communities. Most people hired with an education and work experience carry the workload of several positions, filled by people who do nothing but collect a paycheck. The leaders are promoted based on how long they’ve been with the organization, not how good they are at their job. There are no performance bonuses and no recognition for hard work. Consultants are paid more and treated better than GN’s own staff. All of us have families down south that we had to leave permanently (unlike rotation workers or those who work remotely). If the GN give incentives to nurses, there better be incentives for the rest of us.

Perhaps the reason you dont get treated well is that you dont see yourself as part of the community. Like you said your family is down south and you had to leave them. If you are taking a job up here why not do what people do when they get a job in a new place… Move your family up here to. have your kids in school, join the teams, play with the other kids. Make this your home. Instead of being sad you left your family and continuing to let everyone you meet know that this is not your home and that you dont want to be here. If you wanted to be here you would also want your family to be here. I also dont think the GN should pay employees that quit their job with relocation fees (yes pay to get people here but not to leave), unless they pay everyone to quit, that includes those that live here.
But i do agree that the GN treats Contract workers better then permanent staff. I see the need for contract workers but how about pay them southern rates since they have southern bills.

Ummm, the deep and wide-spread xenophobia among beneficiary Nunavummiut is a turn off, that’s why. I have never seen anywhere so insular and bigoted against other ethnicities. It permeates all of society and people are not shy about saying “We don’t want you here”. It doesn’t take long for a person to decide not inflict that on their kids.

there’s no housing for me, where are my husband and kids going to live. you made a very ignorant comment