Nunavut teachers told to avoid non-essential holiday travel
“At this time we are not entertaining any educators to work from isolation hubs”
Teachers at Inuksuk High School in Iqaluit are on holiday from Dec. 18 to Jan. 6, 2021, leaving not much time to travel outside Nunavut and then go into isolation before returning. But Nunavut’s Education Department says they need to stick to the school calendar. (File photo)
Going home for the holidays could prove hard this year for Nunavut teachers who would like to head south.
The territory’s Education Department says it does not plan to offer breaks to any teachers who go south and then must quarantine before their return to Nunavut.
That’s prompted criticism from the Nunavut Teachers’ Association, which says it’s not acceptable to deny teachers the possibility of travelling over the holidays.
“A blanket ‘No’ response to leave requests from our members during the Christmas break is not an acceptable approach,” the union said in a statement to Nunatsiaq News.
Education Minister David Joanasie told the legislature on Tuesday, Nov. 3, that the government “has been adamant that Nunavummiut avoid non-essential travel, especially outside of the territory,” when asked by Hudson Bay MLA Alan Rumbolt about how the pandemic will impact teacher travel outside Nunavut during the Christmas holidays.
Joanasie said that they want to ensure teachers and students are able to work together in the classroom, rather than have teachers working remotely during the quarantine period they would have to observe before returning to Nunavut.
“This has been something that we want, to maximize teacher and student face time in the classrooms as much as possible, given that the last school year ended abruptly,” Joanasie said. “With that in mind, we’re going on that path.”
In the Northwest Territories, teachers have until Nov. 6 to apply to leave the territory over the holidays.
To go, they must prepare two weeks of lesson plans ahead of time, say why they want to leave and be prepared to give up two weeks of pay during their isolation period on return.
“We’re aware of the situation in the N.W.T. and at this time we are not entertaining any educators to work from isolation hubs that are currently in place,” Joanasie said.
Nunavut teachers are supposed to keep to the school calendars, he said.
These see Christmas breaks starting between Dec. 14 and Dec. 21 and ending on Jan. 4 to Jan. 7, 2021, depending on the community and school.
“At the regional school operations level the expectation has been put out to teachers that they follow the school calendars as per the district education authorities have set out for the school calendar,” Joanasie said. “There are expectations that they report to work based on that schedule.”
About 700 teachers work in Nunavut.
Joanasie said his department staff had indicated the NTA supported the government’s position on avoiding non-essential travel outside the territory.
The NTA said in its statement that the union has “consistently supported” the chief public health officer’s recommendation for all Nunavut residents to not travel outside Nunavut unless absolutely essential.
“That being said, the NTA also believes that any leave requests to accommodate the mandatory isolation period, made by teachers who contend it is essential they travel, should be carefully considered by the Department of Education in the context of supporting the mental health and well-being of their employees,” the NTA said.
Were in the middle of a pandemic. Anyone entertaining the idea of leaving for non-essential purposes just to spend xmas with their families, should rethink their decisions to live and work in the north in the first place.
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Traveling to the south to spend Christmas with your families is selfish, ignorant and dangerous.
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Now the GN should do the same for all GN workers, not only teachers. They should also make anyone staying in an isolation hub for non-essential travel out of the territory pay out of their own pockets.
Stay put and keep the region safe! Non-essential is non-essential, we are in a pandemic!
I know that people want to get home to see their families, especially during Christmas, but people need to understand this is not a normal scenario. Many people won’t be seeing their families this year and in some parts of the world some won’t be seeing their families for worse reasons than travel restrictions.
The lawyers would be chompin’ at the bits to get in on the action for anything that silly. Lots of money to be made suing the GN for that sort of silliness.
Get my popcorn!
Your comment reeks of privilege and entitlement.
The GN MUST offer paid leave for isolation time. Treat employees with dignity, or risk losing them.
– Former GN employee who left the territory over this discriminatory & unethical policy.
The GN “must” do no such thing! I cannot think of a single employer in the territory, government or otherwise, who is contemplating allowing its employees to work from the isolation hubs after taking discretionary travel. The GN is not banning travel, it is simply saying if you choose to voluntarily leave the territory, be prepared to use your vacation credits whilst hubbing upon your return.
I’m sure many ARE reconsidering their decision to work in Nunavut — not the North in general because yesterday NWT released a very different policy. If this rule and logic is going to be applied to all GN employees as well as essential workers like nurses then great! But otherwise it’s ridiculous to once again single out teachers for exclusions. As well, this decision could have and should have been relayed to newly recruited teachers months ago so that they could move up fully aware of what they were getting into — it wasn’t and yet easily could have been. I give it two to three days before we see the GN backtrack on this just like they did their plan to charge thousands for isolation stays.
What sort of example is this setting for the kids who are sitting in a classroom and their teacher is not there? Is teaching just a job or a passion?
It’s a job…just like any other job. It may surprise you to know but you can be very passionate about your job without letting your employer walk all over you!
Your employer is keeping you and the communities safe.
What is the normal policy? You can never extend the Christmas break in regular times. You can go if you want but you have to be back on time
“Traveling to the south to spend Christmas with your families is selfish, ignorant and dangerous.” Yikes!!. How are teachers not viewed as essential workers?. Damn. Government has near full control of peoples lives up here nowadays?.
Why does this only apply to teachers and not the rest of GN employees? Didn’t you learn from the last debacle when you signalled out the teachers and treated them differently than others employees of the GN? Do you not know how important it is to treat all your employees fairly? It appears teachers are treated differently once again. Where is HR in all this? Something is fundamentally wrong here.
Yeah, and while we’re at it, how about we let all GN employees are able to leave for 2 months in the summer. Why does that only apply to teachers and not the rest of GN employees? Where is HR in all of this? Why do teachers have to be in classrooms to teach kids during the school year? Why do the teachers have a different Collective Agreement than other GN employees? Whyyyyy?
This is the recommendation for all Nunavut. GN employees can use their vacation if approved to do so. NEU is fighting this saying it is not their choice to quarantine so they shouldn’t have to use vacation time. It is their choice to travel against the recommendation of the CPHO.
This is no different than any other year for teachers. Teachers can still travel but have to return to work on time. The policy is you can’t extended Christmas break. What they are looking for is extra time to make up for the quarantine.
All Non essential travelers should pay their own quarantine
No, all non-essential workers should not pay for their own quarantine. Those of us who are able to and responsible enough hunker down at home should be able to do so, like in other places like the Atlantic bubble. But you can’t single people out and designate them as too irresponsible to handle it, so this is where we are at. This is probably the last time my friend will get to see someone she grew up with, her best friend for 35. The friend is dying. They are not blood relatives, couldn’t be considered essential. She should pay for her own quarantine because others in the territory are not able handle quarantining themselves like in other parts of the country? Who are you to declare what is essential and what is not? There are a crap ton of vacant positions in Nunavut that should have been filled long ago, but there is a lack of qualified workers to fill them at this time. People are not banging down the doors to get here to fill them, and people from the territory are not lining up to you to school to become teachers, etc at this time. Hopefully that changes soon, but until then, don’t make people feel like crap for wanting to check on their loved ones. I agree, it’s better if everyone stays put, but don’t judge those who are at the end of their rope and feel like they need to do otherwise.
Essential workers are considered critical to preserving life, health and basic societal functioning.
This includes, but is not limited to, first responders, health care workers, critical infrastructure workers, hydro and natural gas, and workers who are essential to supply society by critical goods such as food and medicines.
Visiting friends or family is not essential, with all do respect.
Lovely. Your definition of an essential employee does not change the accuracy of the rest of my comment. Non-essential workers should not be paying for quarantine if they are residents of Nunavut.
Encourage people to travel within Nunavut this Christmas, make Canadian North have more flights between communities and have a sale. It could also help the economy if a lot of the teachers spent a few days in a different community just so they at least get a break from their house and community (or they could all just go to Iqlauit).
But we do need cheaper flights this Christmas within Nunavut.
if you are from Nunavut and have family in other communities that makes sense, but most Nunavut teachers are from outside the territory and so wouldn’t have much or any reason to travel to another community.
My son and husband are in Iqaluit. I’d like to see them this Christmas. Flights scheduled with discounts would be great
Instead of jumping up and down like a 5 year old, the union should be actively pursuing a compromise here.
Here’s an idea: Extend Xmas break by 2 weeks to factor in the isolation requirement but eliminate Spring break week and/or remove all “O” + PD days for the rest of the year.
There has to be give and take on both sides.
What if you are going to a province that requires a 2 week quarantine then what?
So we are then at a month of quarantine might as well add an extra month at Christmas and take it out of the summer break??
This thought came to my mind off the bat as well. but then i thought about my kids in school and that means they done get those long weekends for hunting and camping or just so they can have a break from school.
perhaps allow every teacher an option to take leave (the 2 week quarantine added on) at different times this year… might not be able to travel as Christmas but travel in Jan or Feb instead (but not all at once so the school doesnt have to close). then in June after the school is closed require those teachers that took the time off to pay it back to the community running summer programs for kids.
I am sure this is not the solution but just trying to think outside the box as well.
I am honestly concerned with how many educators will choose to leave the North at Christmas time. Any given year a small percentage leave at Xmas and do not come back. Now think about all the educators who are away from family and friends who rely on Christmas break to rejuvenate. Being an educator in Nunavut is emotionally and physically exhausting, some educators will have a hard choice this Xmas…..do I stay and risk burnout or do I resign…..I think a significant portion will resign.
Completely agree.
If you’re young and single you can go one Christmas without seeing your family. If you’ve been here for a while you should have made some friends you can spend time with during Christmas.
If you’re married with children and they don’t live here maybe it’s time to move them up here with you.
The reason you won’t find a lot sympathy for people who work here, but don’t live here is because Iqaluit’s transient population isn’t committed to building a life here.
This is your home is it not? Why do you feel the need to leave your home to “rejuvenate”? If working and living in Nunavut are so taxing that you must leave it in order to recharge your batteries perhaps it is time to consider moving somewhere more amenable. But that big fat pay cheque stays here so that it can be given to someone who sees this place as something other than a cash cow.
How about all the teachers coming online here to say that if this is how your treat us then this is how you should treat the rest of the GN. Congratulations, management has what they want – division.
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Instead we should all be saying that the GN needs to get its act together and give all employees a way out for a break. It’s in the GNs interest to do this since fatigue will set in and people will leave, making more work and strain for all.
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If anyone can work remotely, they should be allowed. Those who cannot should be exempted from isolation or given special leave.
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Our unions are gutless here and need to do more.
Keep the bubble strong.
Sometimes how you deliver a message is as important as the message itself. A hard “no” with no message of empathy of how this might be a rough xmas holiday for teachers is an indication that teachers don’t rate highly on the list of GN employees.
I will adhere to the rules set forth and remain until the end of the year, but there is no way I can be away from my family and friends like this next year. I will have to resign after this year.
You must have come up with binders on. It was pretty clear at the start of the school year that the isolation hubs would still be in place.
No one is saying you can’t go. The “hard no” is for extra time. Go and come back in the break that you have.
This whole thing is sensationalism. Go read Article 13 section 5b of the nta collective agreement. This is not new…
I feel for you as I do for everyone who hasn’t seen their family. Many people in Nunavut including many teachers have not traveled since before covid started because they are taking Dr. Patterson’s orders of no non-essential travel seriously and do not want to place an info financial burden on the territory. People having the GN pay for their isolation because they want a holiday is not sustainable that is the real story NN
I think you’re the one with “blinders” on. More than two thirds of Nunavut teachers are from the south. If the GN was going to take a hardline policy, they could have released this decision back in August (many of us were asking about it in July!). They chose not to and instead, somewhat disingenuously, continued to recruit many new, inexperienced teachers who thought they’d be able to see their families at Christmas and who obviously want to more than ever during a pandemic. It’s great that you personally are such a stoic, but you certainly are not representative. My family had no plans to leave this Christmas, but that’s because we will be permanently leaving in June. If I thought that this would be one of the last chances my children might have to see their grandparents down south (something that is probably on many teachers’ minds right now), I would be leaving at Christmas.
Coming the day after the NWT release of their completely opposite policy, I think it’s the GN that has blinders on. I look forward to seeing the GN release a statement confirming this will be the policy for all other southern employees who might wish to use vacation time over the year.
Again go read your collective agreement. This is nothing new. Go if you want but be back as per the school calendar like ever other year.
Blinders? I’ve been in the north a long time. I said I would not leave and follow the rules GN has set , I mearly said they should do a better job of delivering bad news.
And next summer there is little incentive to come back knowing it’s 11 months away again and I’m sure I’m not alone in this thinking. Hardly blinders, I’d say.
Johnny, my reply was to the person who commented right after you — who used the named “Blinders.” I completely agree with what you wrote. No dispute here. 🙂
No worries, I clicked to reply to bLinders, but it went under you. Thank you for your comment!
Again this is not News this is the normal policy and it under special leave in the collective agreement.
John is usually right on the money with his criticism but to argue against something that had been in the NTA collective agreement for years seems silly.
Again people can choose to go but if you only have 2 and a half weeks well that’s up to you if it is worth spending 2 weeks in quarantine
All southern teachers should go on stress leave. Let’s see how the GN feels about that???
I wish to go south for Christmas and send time with family while they are still with us.
I should be able to do this without spending my vacation in a prison called quarantine.
Health came up with this plan about 14 day quarantine in March. What have they done since then? Sick and wait for other provinces to fix the problem typical GN.
If wanting to see my loved ones makes me selfish then I am selfish.
These rules by GN is not only effecting GN employee but other who don’t get 6 to 8 weeks of vacation. The little guy and girl who only gets 2 weeks can’t go out at all.
Teachers are asked to stay they just got back in September what about the others who have been unable to leave since March.
I have been in the territory since August 2019. I did not go home last Christmas (2019) and on the advice of the CPHO I stayed in Nunavut during the Summer. I have tickets booked for travel this Christmas, and will most likely cancel them. I will be going home this summer to rejuvenate as it would have been 22 months without seeing family and friends (or trees).
What I picture happening is the GN cancelling the isolation hubs in January….just in time to screw over a significant portion of the educator workforce…..
Meanwhile in NWT and Yukon teachers are being approved. Why not Nunavut? Because they have road access. Simply unfair considering Nunavut’s collective agreements stem off of these sister territories. It’s a “powertrip” issue.
The GN wonders why they struggle with both recuitment and retension of employees and these kinds of policies are exactly why. Yes people chose to come and work in Nunavut, but we all know how hard it is to live here, so far and removed from our friends and families. This time of the year is dark, we know there is bullying and harassment in the workplace. Christmas is a time to relax and take a break from all that and refresh your mindset.
I personally do not want a disgruntled teacher in class with my child. Why would you not want to put the mental and emotional health of your teachers first? There will not be quality instruction if teachers are experiencing burn out or any kind of emotional of mental distress. It is very selfish of the GN and many of you here to expect that just because people live and work here, they owe you their lives.
Teachers, GN employees and anyone else who wants to spend the holidays with their families should be able to do so and an effort should be made to accommodate this. I really hope the GN reconsiders this policy and put the mental health of their employees first for once.
Some people dont get it – Were in the middle of a pan-dem-ic. Be grateful for our safety up here in the north.
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Most provincial/territorial CPHO’s are advising against any family gatherings this holiday period. Leaving the territory, travelling thousands of miles, then getting together with a bunch of people you haven’t seen in months or years is the perfect recipe for covid transmission.
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For me, I’m gathering around a pseudo-christmas tree on Face Time with my loved ones, because I love them enough to know that visiting them is grossly irresponsible.
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For those bashing about “I should be allowed to isolate at home”. Sure, it might work for you, but it wont work for Nunavut as a whole. So many households have people coming and going at all hours of the day/night, other households are overcrowded, and some people may not take the order seriously. Our health care system is not capable of handling an outbreak.
this is an excellent comment – thanks for your clear headed and thoughtful approach to the holidays. I’m with you.
Can we please first deal with the biggest misconception…… Vacation Time being used entitles you to time away from work with pay. Thats it. How you choose to use that time is at your discretion and does not automatically mean you get to hop on a plane. You can stay home and watch netflix, go on the land, paint your house etc. The policy is clear you have to be back to work when school starts.
I think it is selfish and inconsiderate of people to go south for “vacation/discretionary” travel. You are taking up isolation hub space from medical travellers and essential workers! Not only that you are the reason Nunavut will have the largest financial deficit in its existence! You will be the reason we won’t be able to build more houses, or renovate schools, or build elders centres in the coming years. You will be the cause of program cuts and wage freezes! Everyone needs to do there part and stay put! Everyone worldwide is missing family, friends and events.
Is it a bit tougher in Nunavut? Sure. But you are employed. Have a roof over your head (probably staff housing) and food on your plate. Be thankful you can even consider traveling due to your financial situation. Check your privilege and protect those who are at the highest risk in Nunavut!
And we are the safest place to be right now. you can go to the store, visit friends in town and generally live without COVID fear. Also i hear in Ontario they are advising against even doing Christmas gatherings. so you spend all the money to go south to see your family and they may not be allowed to see you.
So you are saying that essential personnel stays in the hubs? Wrong! You are saying that by going through the hub will be the cause for not being able to build more houses, renovate schools, etc.? Wrong..but at least it makes me laugh. You say that the rooms in the hubs are needed for medical travelers? Wrong!. I do not consider Nunavumiut going on medical travel for a new pair of glasses justified. You are saying that it is selfish to travel to the south? Wrong. People can travel where they like, unless there are restrictions. Please educate yourself before posting your comments. If children would behave better in schools and don’t verbally or physically abuse teachers maybe they would not be burned out. Who is responsible for this? The teachers or the parents? Nunavut is doing great, we have no cases,but this is not to be contributed to the behavior of residents in Nunavut. Do you still see the hugging, kissing, no face masks, etc.? If COVID will come to Nunavut it will not be the “Southerners” who will spread it, it will be the people who are not acting responsible
Why is it so hard to get our high school grads to enter NTEP and become teachers? You have been through the system form 13+ yrs, you know intimately the successes and failures of the system, and are in a great position to change all for the best.
Would make for providing a great education program!!!
BLDEA Chair
Having a familiarity with the system as students would definitely provide a specific and perhaps useful kind of insight; but by itself that seems limited too. Within that, where are the insights into the workings of a successful or better educational system coming from? This is what post-secondary education is meant to provide of course and if we are serious about the development of teachers and leaders in general, we need to focus on high quality education. Does NTEP provide that? I don’t have an answer to that, but we need to seriously engage the question and not give in to the temptation to romanticize the benefits of in house learning, just because it is in house.
Sorry not sorry, but NTEP is a garbage program.
The Dept has been boasting about it’s new Edsby program, this is a great opportunity to test it. The first couple weeks after Christmas are never conducive to learning as students are fixing their sleep anyways. The Dept or the RSOs are sending out mixed messages in terms of how they are concerned about the mental health of their employees. Here’s a website about self-regulation; now go spend 2 solid years in a dark, cold community rife with sexual exploitation, neglect and abuse. There will be a large turnover rate as a result of this myopic approach. In the years to come, Nunavut’s teaching shortage can be attributed to asinine decisions like this. There are teaching jobs open in other jurisdictions who have been more fluid in addressing the abnormalities presented from this pandemic and teachers are taking note.
Perhaps you had a different introduction to edsby than we did, because in ours, it took very little time to determine this was not a platform to exchange course work or instruct students with, it is a system to keep calenders and email parents. We can even check to see if parents have been checking in to their allowed area. But we cannot instruct or recieve written responses. So, that emperor has no clothes. Teachers, stay home, save your money, pray for easter, visit yk. Summer is already coming, after winter. More has been asked of others and Christmas in nunavut is simple and lovely. If you go to certain areas of the country there would be no visiting anyway. Remember this is our last year of a contract we signed way to quickly, we are significantly behind in wages to the gnwt, and hopefully our union is listening. Gosh, wouldnt it be nice if someone was listening!
Yes and good luck with your new position. As the old saying goes “don’t let the door hit you in the derriere on the way out”.