(October 21, 2020 – Cambridge Bay, Nunavut) Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) released the Nunavut Infrastructure Gap Report today, the first-ever comprehensive study of infrastructure in Nunavut compared to the rest of Canada. In every one of the infrastructure sectors reviewed, Nunavut faces a significant gap when measured against national standards.
The report analyzes a range of infrastructure priority areas including housing, broadband, health care, power, and ports and harbours. The research shows that Nunavut’s infrastructure is commonly inadequate, in poor repair, or altogether absent when compared with the Canadian baseline.
“Nunavut Inuit are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for the same level of infrastructure and services that other Canadians expect across the country,” said Aluki Kotierk, President of NTI. “The size of this gap isn’t a surprise to Nunavut Inuit: we live it every day. The gap is a barrier to our potential, and closing it is a necessary task of reconciliation”
Alongside the quantitative analysis of 55 infrastructure indicators, the report details the lived impact of this gap for Nunavut Inuit. A lack of adequate infrastructure is harmful to core issues of Nunavut Inuit equity and wellbeing, including economic opportunity, food sovereignty, and even COVID-19 preparedness.
Last month, the federal government re-committed to closing the Northern and Indigenous infrastructure gap as a part of the throne speech.
“Through this report, we now know the size of Nunavut’s infrastructure gap. Now the federal government needs to partner with Nunavut Inuit and make the investments needed to meet their commitment,” said Kotierk. “Inuit are ready to do this necessary work together with Ottawa.”
Key facts from the report:
- Nunavut has the highest rate of housing overcrowding in Canada, and the largest proportion of housing in need of major repair (nearly six times the national average).
- Nunavut has the fewest staffed and operational hospital beds per capita in the country (1,095 persons per bed, compared to a national average of 409).
- The fastest possible internet speed available in Nunavut is eight times slower than the Canada-wide average.
- Nunavut is the only province or territory with no central museum or heritage centre.
- Approximately half of the children born to Nunavut Inuit are delivered in Southern hospitals, and most major health care treatments must take place out of territory.
About Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) is the organization that represents the territory’s 33,000 Inuit and their rights under the Nunavut Agreement. Inuit make up over 83% of Nunavut’s population. NTI is governed by a Board of Directors elected by Nunavut Inuit 16 years of age and older. NTI coordinates and manages Inuit responsibilities set out in the Nunavut Agreement and ensures that the federal and territorial governments fulfill their obligations.
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For more information, please contact:
Karen Flaherty
Assistant Director of Communications
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
Tel: (867) 975-4900 Toll-free: 1-888-646-0006