The Northern Canada Power Commission was a federal Crown Corporation originally established in 1948 as the Northwest Territories Power Commission. Its name changed in 1956 to the Northern Canada Power Commission. In May 1988, its name was changed again to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation when it was transferred to the GNWT.
In May of 1973, a Northwest Territories Status of Women Conference was held as a precursor to a Western "Opportunities for Women" conference held in Vancouver. Sixty women, forty of whom were from Yellowknife, attended the Northwest Territories Conference. Women in Yellowknife saw the need for an on-going committee to work on their concerns including: marriage property laws; education and job benefits; childcare information and opportunities for all women. In response, the Northwest Territories Status of Women Action Committee formed and affiliated itself with the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. Alison McAteer was selected to coordinate the committee. In 1975, International Women's Year, the NWT Status of Women Action Committee organized the Yellowknife Women's Festival. They were also involved in the design and sale of a poster celebrating the NWT Status of Women Action Committee entitled "Our Time Is Now."
In 1976, the Commissioner approved the formation of the Status of Women Committee. In 1978, this committee was asked by the Commissioner to develop a territorial plan of action. This was in response to similar activities occurring at both the national and provincial levels in Canada. The aim of the plan of action was to promote equality between the sexes. The Status of Women Committee formed an ad hoc committee with representatives from each department to develop the territorial plan of action. The ad hoc committee examined numerous issues including: employment opportunities; education and training; family responsibilities; health and nutrition; political participation; communications and culture. A conference entitled "Breaking New Ground" was organized for May 2, 1979 in order for the ad hoc committee to gather the opinions of all interested Government of the Northwest Territories female employees. On May 23, 1979, because of the discussions of the ad hoc committee, departmental submissions and the recommendations of the "Breaking New Ground" Conference, a Territorial Plan of Actions was submitted to the Executive.
The Status of Women Council of the Northwest Territories was established by the Status of Women Council Act in 1988. The Council fulfills an advisory role and reports to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories through the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women. The Government of the Northwest Territories does not employ the members of the Council; rather the Council is funded through contribution agreements. The objectives of the Council are to: develop public awareness of issues affecting the status of women; promote a change in attitudes within the community in order that women may enjoy equality of opportunity; encourage discussion and expression of opinion by residents of the Northwest Territories on issues affecting the status of women; advise the Minister of issues that the Minister may refer to the Council for consideration; review policies and legislation affecting women and to report its findings to the relevant government departments or agencies; provide assistance to the Minister in promoting changes to ensure the attainment of equality for women; and provide the appropriate assistance to organizations and groups whose objectives promote the equality of women. The Women's Advisory, which is part of the Minister's Offices of the Department of the Executive, provides a point of contact within the Territorial Government on issues of concern to women and advice and support to the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women. Women's Advisory administers a Grants and Contributions program, which supports and provides liaison with the Status of Women Council and other organizations that enhance the cultural, economic, political and social participation of women in society.
The Task Force on Aboriginal Languages was established in 1985 for gathering public input on the long-term development, preservation and enhancement of aboriginal languages. The Task Force was comprised of a three-member Dene language and three-member Inuit/Inuvialuit group, with respective chairpersons. The Task Force members traveled to many communities where public meetings and consultations were held. Communities where formal public hearings were conducted included: Yellowknife, Fort Rae , Rae Lakes, Deline (Fort Franklin), Lutselk'e (Snowdrift), Fort Resolution, Inuvik and Fort Smith. Comments were also obtained from many government departments and meetings were held with officials from key departments. The Task Force also held a number of internal workshops and meetings to discuss their findings and to develop their recommendations. The recommendations were presented to the Legislative Assembly in March of 1986 in the form of a formal report.
The Task Force on Personnel Policy and Management was established in November of 1973 by the Commissioner. Its mandate was to evaluate the efficiency of the Territorial Government's administration. The Task Force was lead by Assistant Commissioner Ewan M.R. Cotterill. Participation of the members of the civil service was encouraged via a letter from the Commissioner asking for input on all aspect of organization and personnel management. The responses received formed the basis of the report of the task force and it was presented to the Commissioner in August 1974. The Executive Committee subsequently released a report based upon the nineteen recommendations of the August 1974 report. The Commissioner released his final report on the matter in 1976. One outcome of the work of the Task Force was creation of a new classification system and the re-classification of all positions.
The Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) was established under the Workers' Compensation Ordinance in 1977. The Worker's Compensation Act ultimately replaced the Ordinance in the mid-1980s. The purpose of the Worker's Compensation Act is to provide a method of compensating workers for wage losses due to accidents occurring during the course of employment. The Act places the adjudication of claims in the hands of the Workers' Compensation Board instead of the courts and makes the employer's liability collective instead of individual.
The Board operates with funds raised through assessments levied on employers in the Northwest Territories on the basis of a percentage of the payrolls in order to meet all claims payable during the year, including administrative costs. The assessments are also used to provide for payment of liabilities in respect of future compensation or accidents, which have or may occur and to establish reserves for employers. The WCB does not receive any funding through annual appropriation approved by the Legislative Assembly. This results in a more autonomous operation than would otherwise exist, with internal financial decisions being make by the Workers' Compensation Board. Annually the WCB submits its proposal for the Year's Maximum Assessable Remuneration (YMAR) to the Legislative Assembly for approval. The YMAR determines the upper limits upon which employers' assessments and claimants' benefits are based. Rates are adjusted as required by the WCB. These funds are used to provide compensation to workers who are injured on the job or who contract an occupational disease.
The Workers Compensation Board is unique among the Boards and Agencies created by territorial legislation. It has exclusive jurisdiction in all matters affecting compensation for workers injured on the job. Compensation includes the payment of medical expenses and the provision of medical and vocational rehabilitation. It also includes payment for loss of wages resulting from injury or occupational disease, pensions for workers who suffer permanent disability and pensions for dependents of workers killed in accidents. The Workers' Compensation Board is appointed by the Legislative Assembly and reports to the Legislative Assembly through the Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board. In addition to a Chairman, there are a fluctuating number of Board members. The management and staff of the WCB have the responsibility for providing a service to those involved in work related injuries and to employers. Their responsibilities include: adjudication of claims, administration of pensions, arrangement of rehabilitation programs, determination of and collection of insurance premiums from employers and management of the financial resources to assure that future costs related to past claims are fully funded.
From its inception the Workers' Compensation Board has undergone a series of legislative and operational reviews, which has resulted in amendments to its legislation and changes in policy. A Task Force was established in 1981 to study the operations of the WCB, the future developments of workers' compensation in the Northwest Territories and review how workers' compensation was practiced in other jurisdictions. A report was submitted and recommendations were made which facilitated changes to the Worker's Compensation Ordinance. A merit rebate plan, which was a type of assessment rebate program for employers, was also established at this time. The program was designed to encourage safety and reduce injury costs.
In 1983, the Board expanded its safety incentive program that provided dividends to employers with good safety records and levied additional assessments on employers with poor safety records. The Board also worked with St. John Ambulance in order to provide first aid training to workers, particularly workers in high-risk occupations such as construction and resource related industry. In 1984, the Board introduced a public information program to advise all registered hunters and trappers in the Northwest Territories that they were eligible for WCB coverage. Literature was sent to all communities and personal visits were made to some of the settlements in the Keewatin, Kitikmeot and Baffin regions. In 1986, a review committee was appointed to recommend changes to the Workers' Compensation Act (formerly the Workers' Compensation Ordinance) and these changes, which were approved by the Legislative Assembly, came into affect on January 1st, 1987. The Year's Maximum Insurable Remuneration (YMIR) was increased at this time and the basis for calculating disability benefits also increased. The increased YMIR was intended to ensure that eight out of ten workers in the Northwest Territories would have their full earnings covered for compensation during 1987. Dependents of workers killed in accidents after January 1, would also receive improved benefits as a result of the YMIR increase. Due to the high cost of administering workers' compensation in the Northwest Territories, the Board also commissioned a national firm of consultants to do a review of the systems and procedures and recommend changes in order to reduce costs. In addition, the report of a committee appointed to review the Workers' Compensation Act was tabled in the Legislative Assembly. Some of the committee's recommendations had already been dealt with, such as the provision of covering registered hunters and trappers, however, the revised Workers' Compensation Act was expected to come into force in 1988.
In 1989, a ministerial review panel was appointed to carry out a review of the Board's operation and responsibilities. The panel's report which was released in April 1989 contained a list of recommendations such as development of new terms of reference for all committees; in-depth actuarial and investment reviews; development of a new strategic plan; expansion of the rehabilitation program; review and updating of Board policies; appointment of four commissioners to the claim review committee; establishment of a Workers' advisor position; rewriting the Worker's Compensation Act; establishment of a new rate setting process and preparation of a Board of Directors Manual.
On April 1, 2008, both the NWT Workers’ Compensation Act and Nunavut Workers’ Compensation Act changed to create the amalgamated Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
The Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut (WSCC) was established on April 1st, 2008 when new Workers' Compensation Acts came into force in both territories, changing the name of the corporation to WSCC from Workers' Compensation Board. In addition to the Workers' Compensation Act, the WSCC administers the Safety Act, Explosives Use Act, and the Mine Health and Safety Act.
The WSCC promotes safety in the workplace and operates an insurance system to compensate workers for wage losses due to accidents occuring during the course of employment. Its responsibilities include providing guidance and safety inspections, adjudicating claims, administering pensions, providing medical and vocational rehabilitation programs, collecting insurance premiums from employers, and managing its financial resources to ensure funds are available for payments.
The WSCC reports to the Legislative Assemblies of the NWT and Nunavut through the Ministers responsible for the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission, and is directed by a Governance Council composed of seven members appointed by the ministers. It is an arm's length government agency and is funded by assessments levied on employers rather than by appropriations from the Legislative Assemblies of the two territories.
The WSCC originally included the following divisions: Corporate Services, NWT Operations, Nunavut Operations, Prevention Services, Legal, Medical, Human Resources, Communications, and the President. In the summer of 2009 these divisions underwent a reorganization. NWT Operations was broken up and its operational functions were grouped with related administrative functions, while Nunavut Operations remained as the WSCC's branch in Iqaluit. The new divisions created in 2009 were Client and Central Services (responsible for human resources, claims services, and medical services); Revenue and Financial Services (responsible for financial administration and the assessment of employer contributions); and Corporate Communications and Planning Services. The Prevention Services and Legal Services divisions continued and the President division was renamed Executive Services. In 2010, the Corporate Communications and Planning Services division was divided into Information Services, with responsibility for information technology and records management, and Corporate Communications and Policy Services, with responsibility for communications, policy, and the Review Committee.
The divisions were reorganized again in 2012, separating operational and administrative units. Financial Services kept only its financial administration functions; human resource functions were merged with Information Services to form the Corporate Services division; Executive Services and Legal Services were brought together as the President's Office, and Corporate Communications and Policy Services was renamed Executive Services; and the client and employer services functions were brought together to form Stakeholder Services. In 2015, the Prevention Services division was also merged into Stakeholder Services.
The NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and representing the mining industry. The years leading up to 1967 saw increasing attention directed towards government affairs in the Northwest Territories. As both the mining industry and government became aware of the need for a centre of contact that could represent the views of the mining industry, a group of interested individuals applied for a Charter to form the Northwest Territories Chamber of Mines. The original meeting held in February 1967, was chaired by Charles Vaydik and attended by several Yellowknifers. The Constitution and By-Laws were signed by Charles Vaydik, R.W. Spence, F.A. McCall, Norman W. Byrne and Mark M. de Weerdt, and witnessed by Carol Repchuk and Elizabeth R. Byrne.
The objectives of the NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines as outlined in the constitution: to encourage, assist and stimulate prosperous, orderly and environmentally responsible development and growth of mining and mineral exploration, in all modes and phases, in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada; to consider, study and discuss matters of public interest affecting the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and other parts of Canada in relation to mining and mineral exploration; to encourage, assist and undertake research and inquiries into matters relating to mining and mineral exploration, particularly in reference to the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada; to inform the public of matters relating to mining and minerals exploration particularly in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada; to cooperate with and seek the co-operation of all persons, associations, corporations and authorities, both public and private, to attain these objectives; and to be the leading advocate for responsible sustainable mineral exploration and development in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada.
The NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines elects a Board of Directors comprising 24 members. Executive positions of the Board are: President, Vice-President Northwest Territories, Vice-President Nunavut, Secretary/Treasurer and Past President. The Board of Directors meets as required to carry out the objectives of the organization.
The Chamber of Mines operates out of an office in Yellowknife, staffed by the Executive Director, Office Manager and Analyst, and an office in Iqaluit, NU staffed by the General Manager, Nunavut. The Chamber acts as the point of contact for the NWT & Nunavut Mining industry, researches current issues, arranges meetings, and assists in organizing special events including the annual Geoscience Forum and Nunavut Mining Symposium, NWT Mining Week, and the Chamber’s Annual General Meeting.
The NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines has the responsibility and mandate to represent the interests and concerns of the mining industry in theNorthwest Territories and Nunavut. The Chamber continues to address the major issues facing the industry, including: land alienation and single-use land withdrawals, increasing public awareness of mining’s substantial economic and social roles in northern development, mineral policy and legislation and environmental regulation, taxation issues, the long-standing need for a broader base of infrastructure support, and devolution of responsibility for mineral resources from the Federal to Territorial government.
The NWT Chamber of Mines publishes several promotional products and publications as well as a website. Services to members include use of a reference library, access to, and distribution of, government publications, and updates on mining legislation, land claims and other issues pertinent to the minerals industry.
Shortly after division of the Northwest Territories created the new territory of Nunavut in April 1999, the organization’s Board of Directors and members voted to change the Chamber’s name to “The NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines” to further express its representation of the mineral industry in both Territories.
In 1976, an informal committee was organized by concerned citizens to act upon issues affecting disabled persons. The participation of NWT disabled athletes in southern competitions, a manual entitled "Resources for the Handicapped in Yellowknife" and a study of recreation services for the disabled in Yellowknife were some of the first projects undertaken by the committee. In 1978, a registered society was created, initially operating under the name the N.W.T. Council for the Disabled; the name was later changed in 1980 to the N.W.T. Council for Disabled Persons. The goals and objectives of the Council are: 1) to encourage disabled individuals to identify and express their needs for a personally satisfying lifestyle; 2) to identify and help maximize the resources available to disabled citizens to pursue their chosen lifestyle; and 3) to promote and lobby for rights and interests of persons with disabilities. The focus of the Council has shifted from sports and recreation for the disabled, to all issues affecting the needs and rights of disabled people in the Northwest Territories.