Government of Nunavut services during the holiday closure

Public Service Announcement

Government of Nunavut services during the holiday closure

All Government of Nunavut (GN) offices will be closed from December 24 to January 3 with the exception of designated facilities that must stay open.

GN services will be provided according to the public health measures in place and could change suddenly.

Health

• Qikiqtani General Hospital will remain open with full services except outpatient rehabilitation.
• Home Care routine services will be closed on the statutory holidays, but will be available for emergencies.
  • Please note some home care services in the Kivalliq are suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Outpatient primary care clinics will be closed on December 25, 28 and January 1, but open all other days.
• Community health centres will be open, however, urgent and emergency services are available for care provision through on-call services with the following core services maintained:
  • Emergent/urgent care, sick clinic, and booked appointments for at-risk clients will continue to be provided. 
  • Well-child and prenatal clinics will function at full capacity.
  • Routine chronic disease and well-woman/well-man clinics will be suspended during this period to allow for increased acute care services.
• Mental health nurses and consultants will work at full capacity.
• Public Health Nurses, regional communicable disease coordinators, TB coordinators, midwives, community health representatives and support staff will work at full capacity.
• Laboratory and diagnostic imaging services remain open and operational. Collection of specimens and diagnostic images will be accessible 24/7 for all emergency and routine issues.  COVID-19 swabs will remain an urgent priority and all transport measures will remain in place over the closures. Routine collection of lab work will be suspended during this period.
  • medical travel services will continue as normal.
  • Cambridge Bay mental health facility:
    • Mental Health Nurses and consultants will function at full capacity
    • Mental Health and Addictions paraprofessional staff will be off but available to be called in at the discretion of the mental health nurse.
  • Akausisarvik Mental Health Facility in Iqaluit will function at full capacity.
  • Boarding homes will operate as normal:
    • Churchill – Iglualuk Boarding Home.
    • Edmonton – Larga House.
    • Iqaluit – Tammattaavik Boarding Home.
    • Ottawa – Larga House Baffin.
    • Winnipeg – Kivalliq Inuit Centre.
    • Yellowknife – Larga Kitikmeot Boarding Home.

Family Services

• Family Services Offices will have on call services available.
• Income Assistance Offices will have on call services available.
• Career Development Division will have on call services available.

Community and Government Services

• The following Community and Government Services divisions are available on an emergency basis:
  • Safety Services Division (Office of the Fire Marshal, chief electrical inspector, chief building inspector and chief boiler inspector).
  • Facilities Management Division.
  • Emergency Management Office.

Economic Development and Transportation

• Nunavut airports will be open.

Education

• Financial Assistance for Nunavut Students (FANS) office is on call for travel emergencies at 867-857-6950.

Finance

• The Nunavut Liquor and Cannabis Commission (NULC) will continue to sell low alcohol content products (beer, wine, cider, coolers) through the Iqaluit NULC store during the holiday closures, with reduced hours.
• The NULC store will be closed from December 24 to the 28, reopening on the 29 and 30 from 1 to 6 p.m. and December 31 from 12 to 4 p.m. The store will be closed on January 1, 2021 and will resume normal business hours on January 2, 2021.
• Liquor import permits and community orders will not be processed from December 24 to January 3. Customers who are planning to import liquor during this time are encouraged to purchase a permit by December 23 from one of the following locations:

  Iqaluit NULC store
  In person:

            Monday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m. ET.
            Tuesday to Friday from 9 to 11 a.m. ET.
     By phone call 867-975-6869.
     Rankin Inlet
     By phone call 867-645-8575 or 855-844-5488 Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m. CT.
     Cambridge Bay
     By phone call 867-983-4048 on Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. MT.
     Kugluktuk
     By phone call 867-982-6509 or email @email. 
     Please note that the Kugluktuk office will only process permits from within the community.

Human Resources

• The Employee and Family Assistance Program will be available over the holiday season. Employees and their families can call the toll-free number 1-800-663-1142 for personal counselling in all of Nunavut’s official languages or visit https://homewoodhealth.com.  
• During the GN holiday closure, @email will be monitored for emergencies only.

Justice

• Legal Registries will remain open.
• All correctional facilities will remain open:
  • Baffin Correctional Centre and Makigiarvik Correction Centre.
  • Rankin Inlet Healing Facility.
  • Kugluktuk Ilavut Centre.
  • Uttaqivik Community Residential Centre.
  • Nunavut Women’s Correctional Centre.
  • Isumaqsunngittukkuvik Youth Facility.
• Community Justice Offices will be closed but Emergency Protection Orders are available by calling 1-844-534-1038 or by calling the local RCMP detachment for assistance.
• The Office of Public Guardian and Trustee will be closed but can be reached at 867-222-1805 for emergencies only.
• Community Corrections Officers will be available on call. The on-call schedule is as follows:

Environment:

• Emergency spill response is available 24 hours a day at 867-920-8130.
• Emergency wildlife response is available 24 hours a day at 867-222-0167.

Qulliq Energy Corporation

• Qulliq Energy Corporation offices will be open during the GN’s holiday closure days (December 24, 29, 30 and 31), but closed during the statutory holidays (December 25, 28 and January 1).
   

Nunavut Housing Corporation

• Emergency contact number for Iqaluit staff housing: 867-877-4118. Do not send text messages.

Nunavut Arctic College:

The following NAC buildings will remain open until December 24:

• Kivalliq Hall Offices – Rankin Inlet*
• *Single unit student residences in Kivalliq Hall will close on December 18.
• Sanatuliqsarvik, Trades Training Centre – Rankin Inlet.
• Nunatta Main Campus – Iqalui.t
• Kitikmeot Campus – Cambridge Bay.

The following NAC Buildings will remain open (for students) during the closure:

• Family Housing Units - Cambridge Bay.
• Family Housing Units - Rankin Inlet.
• Family Housing Units and Student Residence (Old Nova Building) – Iqaluit.

More contact information can be found at: www.gov.nu.ca.

All GN offices will reopen on Monday, January 4, 2020 for regular business. Happy Holidays!

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Media Contact:

Janis Qaunirq
Communications Specialist
Department of Human Resources
867-975-6239
@email