As the start of the school year approaches, Nunavut is facing a teacher shortage that is being exacerbated by a housing crisis. The Nunavut Teachers Association told CBC that it is concerned that the Government of Nunavut Education department will not be able to hire sufficient teachers in communities such as Cambridge Bay, Arctic Bay, and Igloolik. More than 100 teachers are estimated to have decided not to return to Nunavut for the school year, explained NTA President Justin Matchett. While cost of living is lower in the southern regions of Canada, Matchett stated that the housing shortage, which often requires teachers to share housing, is a far bigger issue. “You get people in isolated communities living together, working together all day, and they go home and spend the evening with each other,” explained Matchett. “You can imagine that gets stressful.” Other issues in the territory include a general lack of direction, poor leadership on curriculum issues, and violence in the classroom.
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