Human Resources

The Department of Human Resources
(HR) is responsible for all functions related
to the management of personnel within
NTI.
NTI’s overall Inuit employment rate
sits at 78 per cent. A total of 62 per cent of
senior management positions are filled
by Inuit. This does not include Executive
Officers or Executive Assistants, which sit
at 100 per cent Inuit.
The department also is responsible for
the administration of NLCA Beneficiary
Programs, which include Elders Benefit
Program, NHSP, Bereavement Travel
Program, Compassionate Travel Program,
Nunatuqaminut (Home Land) Travel
Program, and the Enrolment Program.
Accidental Death and Dismemberment
Insurance benefits are administered by
the Nunavut Benefits Corporation.
Specific human resources functions
include staffing, overseeing the recruitment
and relocation process, retention,
position evaluations, performance
reviews, compensation and benefits
administration, employee relations, staff
training and development, recognition
awards, employee assistance referrals,
maintenance of employee personnel files,
leave and attendance administration,
development and updating of all HR
forms, and human resources management
support through the implementation of
human resource policies.
The Human Resources Division of the
department consists of a Director, a
Human Resources Manager, a Training
Coordinator and a Human Resources
Clerk.
In managing the recruitment and
staffing process for NTI, Department of
Human Resources employees are involved
in recruiting senior management, professional,
administrative and clerical/officer
level positions in all four NTI office locations.
The department also recruits shortterm
and casual employees for all NTI
departments. The staffing and recruitment
policies and procedures were
revamped to ensure there is a consistent
and fair process.
The department coordinates an NTI
committee which reviews the position
evaluation process using the Hay Group
method of compensation.
Human resources employees ensure the
performance management process and
performance reviews are completed for all
employees. Employee relations issues are
handled by the department as well.
The department also maintains and
administers the salary review process to
ensure that NTI remains competitive and
compensates an attractive salary and benefits
package to its employees. The review
process incorporates an established and
internationally acceptable set of criteria
and the results reflect both the value of
staff within the organization and the
reality of the labour market in Nunavut.
Staff professional development and
training is coordinated by an HR employee
who is also responsible for maintaining
contact with individuals or agencies who
are involved in providing professional
development in various themes and
for certain capacities. The Training
Coordinator position ensures there is
anti-harassment training and investigation
coordination, assists in updating the
employee orientation program, establishes
a recognition awards program, coordinates
the training of Occupational
Health and Safety Committee members
and monitors the student employment
program (summer students, upgrading
students and college students) for NTI.
Progress in the area of NTI employee
development and training include:
• Six employees from Iqaluit, Rankin
Inlet and Cambridge Bay attended free
anti-harassment workshops delivered
by the GN. The group developed an
action plan to update NTI’s antiharassment
policy.
• The Beneficiary Programs Admin -
istrator attended a GN workshop on
anger and aggressive clients.
• The HR Manager attended a management
skills workshop delivered by the
National Seminar Group.
• Prepared final expense statements for
Nunavut Implementation Training
Committee (NITC) employee development
funds for the fiscal year end
2005/06.
• Training Coordinator participated in
the Nunavut Literacy Council
Conference sponsored by Nunavut
Arctic College.
• Training Coordinator participated in
the Nunavut Federal Council Learning
Event sponsored by the Nunavut
Federal Council.
• Arranged for NTI’s CEO, Director of
Government and Public Relations and
Training Coordinator to participate in
a governance training workshop.
• Submitted a proposal of $126,000 dollars
for NTI trainee expenses, NTI employee
professional development, capacity
building and board governance awareness
training for the new fiscal year to
NITC.
• Submitted two proposals to Kakivak
Association and Kivalliq Partners in
Development (KPID) for summer student
funding to allow four students to
gain employment experience in
Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit offices.
In progress - to be completed by summer
2006
• Coordinate professional development
for the ABRA Suites Program (human
resource and payroll information system)
for finance and HR employees.
The courses will be delivered in May
2006.
• Provide job description writing training
to ensure that an effective and
understandable program is used by all
NTI directors involved in developing
job descriptions.
• Adopt and implement a recognition
program to recognize and reward
employee achievements and contributions.
This would produce increased
motivation, morale, and qualitative service
and attain a higher retention rate.
• Revamp the employee orientation program
to include a career day presentation,
pamphlet and checklist covering
general NTI information including its
mission, policies and work plan for new
employees.
• Revamp the existing performance
management system to reflect organizational
objectives, personal performance,
and internal services provided by
HR. The ABRA Suites program will be
programmed to alert HR that perform
ance reviews are due on the anniversary
date of employment.
• Establish a credible Prior Learning
Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)
system to assist staff to gain credit from
colleges and universities for certification
and designation by enrolling in
PLAR training at various educational
institutions.
• Design and deliver governance training
to NTI’s Board of Directors.

Nunavut Beneficiary
Programs
The Nunavut Beneficiary Program
Division includes an Elders Benefits Plan
Administrator, an NHSP Manager, an
Enrolment Administrator and a Bene -
ficiary Programs Administrator, all of
whom report to the Director of Human
Resources.

Elders Benefit Plan
NTI’s Elders Benefit Plan provides
monthly financial support to assist
Nunavut Inuit Elders to pay for basic
expenses like food, clothing and shelter.
Monthly benefit payments are provided
to Elders born on or before Dec. 31, 1948.
An Elder who turned 55 after 2003 is not
eligible because the policy states recipients
must be born prior to 1948. The
monthly benefit payments vary from
$90-150 per month. All payments are
made from funds received from the
Government of Canada for the NLCA.
Inuit enrolled under the NLCA who
were born on or before Dec. 31, 1948 are
eligible to register for NTI’s Elders Benefit
Plan. The benefits are sent on a monthly
basis to Elders. The amount of the payment
depends on the age of the Elder.

Year of Birth Monthly Payments
1944 and earlier $150
1945 $135
1946 $120
1947 $105
1948 $90
NTI intends to set up a direct deposit
option for Elders by the summer of 2006.

Nunavut Harvesters
Support Program
NHSP provides harvesting equipment
and resources to eligible NLCA
Beneficiaries who need equipment for
hunting, supplies for sewing, or supplies
for traditional knowledge enhancement
projects.

Capital Equipment Program
The Capital Equipment Program, which
is funded by the Trust, is designed to provide
assistance in the form of snowmobiles,
boats and motors and all terrain
vehicles (ATVs) to harvesting households
that cannot adequately finance investment
in the equipment they require to
carry on a traditional harvesting lifestyle.
During the 2005 calendar year, a total
of 273 pieces of large equipment were
distributed at a cost of $2,050,430.

Small Equipment Program
The Small Equipment Program, which is
funded by the Trust, is designed to provide
small equipment to harvesting
households so they may adequately carry
on a traditional Inuit harvesting lifestyle.
Small equipment includes global positioning
systems (GPS), high frequency
radios, satellite phones, fish nets, sleeping
bags, floater suites and sewing machines.
Small equipment is purchased by NHSP
and sent to HTOs to sell to Beneficiary
harvesters at a subsidized cost.
During the 2005 calendar year, a total
of 1,059 pieces of small equipment were
distributed at a cost of $345,954.06.

Community Harvest Program
The Community Harvest Program is
designed to provide financial assistance to
HTOs to organize a community harvest to
benefit community members. Local
HTOs may be provided with a maximum
amount of $3,000 to lead a community
harvest.
During the 2005 calendar year, a total of
$55,961.55 was distributed to HTOs.

Atugaksait Program (formerly
Women’s Role in Harvesting
and Traditional Knowledge
Enhancement Programs)
The Atugaksait Program is designed to
provide financial assistance to teach survival
skills, harvesting knowledge or traditional
sewing techniques that contribute
to the preservation of Nunavut Inuit harvesting
knowledge or lifestyle at the com-
munity level. Projects considered for funding
will enhance the traditional Inuit
harvesting lifestyle by supporting activities
based on Inuit values and traditional
knowledge. A total of $100,920 was used to
fund projects in 2005.

Beneficiary Programs
Bereavement Travel Program
NTI’s Bereavement Travel Program provides
financial assistance for air travel for
a maximum of two family members who
wish to travel to attend the funeral of a
family member in another Nunavut community.
A total of $28,800 was distributed to
Beneficiaries for the Bereavement Travel
Program during the 2005/06 fiscal year.

Compassionate Travel Program
NTI’s Compassionate Travel Program provides
financial assistance for air travel for
a maximum of two family members who
wish to see a family member who is terminally
ill and facing imminent death.
This program also allows 10 per cent of its
annual budget to be used by individuals
who wish to visit gravesites of loved ones
buried in southern Canada.
A total of $32,000 was distributed to
Beneficiaries for the Compassionate
Travel Program during the 2005/06 fiscal
year.

Nunatuqaminut (Traditional
Lands) Travel Program
The Nunatuqaminut (Traditional Lands)
travel program provides assistance (one
time only per family) for travel of up to a
maximum of $500 per individual or up to
$5,000 per group, (whichever is less) who
wish to travel to visit their nunatuqaminut
(traditional lands).
A total of $57,500 was distributed to
Beneficiaries for the Nunatuqaminut
(Traditional Lands) Travel Program during
the 2005/06 fiscal year.

Enrolment Program
NTI is responsible for enrolling individuals
as Beneficiaries of the NLCA. The
process is administered by NTI through
the Enrolment Division of the Depart -
ment of Human Resources, and the
Community Enrolment Committees
(CEC). As of December 2005, there were
26,500 registered NLCA Beneficiaries.
Each year, the Enrolment Division publishes
a booklet that lists all NLCA
Beneficiaries. To ensure the information
in the booklet is correct, and to ensure
that new Beneficiary cards are correct,
NTI placed an advertisement in Nunavut’s
newspapers in January 2006 to ask NLCA
Beneficiaries to send NTI any new information
including mailing addresses,
changes of address, changes or corrections
to names, dates of birth, etc.
In addition, Community Liaison
Officers (CLOs) were sent current data on
the Beneficiaries that reside in their communities
to allow Beneficiaries to review
the information prior to the publishing
of the booklet and the distribution of
the cards.
The CECs assist the Enrolment
Division in keeping the enrolment list
current. Most CECs meet twice a year to
review enrolment applications. Larger
communities meet more frequently.
The Enrolment Division is also designing
a new pamphlet that describes the
Enrolment Program for Beneficiaries.
The pamphlets will be distributed to
Beneficiaries with their new cards or
their replacement cards
Enrolment information is available
through the NTI website. The information
includes lists of the Nunavut
Enrolment Appeals Committee members,
various application forms and other
pertinent information relating to the
Enrolment Program.