Month In Review – Northwest Territories

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Month In Review – Northwest Territories

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LAWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Industry Challenges

Apr 16: The Northwest Territories completely revised the fees it charges for applications, inspections, and other government services under Schedule B of the Elevators and Lifts Regulations. The new Schedule B takes effect on June 1, 2026.

Seasonal Safety

Apr 20: Premier Simpson announced that the Northwest Territories will follow British Columbia and Alberta in moving to end seasonal time changes and adopting a permanent year-round daylight-saving time standard. The government will announce the details of the transition later this year.

Action Point: Studies show that workplace injuries increase during the first three working days after daylight saving time begins each spring due to lingering fatigue and disruption to circadian rhythm. Find out how to help your workers adjust to daylight saving time changes.

New Laws

Apr 16: The Government of Northwest Territories (GNWT) announced that June 22 is the deadline for employers to submit their expression of interest profile for the next Expression of Interest draw for the Nominee Program’s Employer-Driven Stream. Although the intake system has changed, the mandatory eligibility criteria under the Employer-Driven stream remain the same.

Industry Challenges

May 4: Arctic Canadian Diamond Company, which owns and operates the Ekati Diamond Mine in Northwest Territories, filed for creditor protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act. The GNWT says it’s closely monitoring the situation and will take actions to support affected workers by connecting them with income and employment programs, career and mental health counselling, job referrals, and retraining.

Training

Apr 17: With unemployment in the territories at 6.2%, Ottawa and the Northwest Territories announced a joint investment of $1.5 million over three years to support workers in diamond mining and other sectors hurt by US tariffs and global market shifts. The money will be provided via the new Canada–Northwest Territories Workforce Tariff Response, which will be integrated into the NWT’s existing labour market programs, to finance employment services workers need to retrain, upskill, and transition into new opportunities.

Workers’ Compensation

May 4: The Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) revised the formula it uses to annually adjust pensions and other workers’ compensation payments and benefits to reflect changes in the cost of living due to inflation. The Board of Directors is expected to approve the policy changes at its upcoming governance meeting in June.