Chris Puglia and Jake Kennedy
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 02/02) - Nurses in the NWT are making less than nurses in neighbouring territories, according to figures obtained by Yellowknifer.

While starting wages in Nunavut, NWT and Yukon are comparable, once the Northern allowances and signing bonuses are included the maximum pay scale leaves the NWT collective agreement in the dust.

Northern Incentive The following outlines the bonuses nurses receive to work in the North. NWT: Northern Allowance, $2,302 - $17,543; No signing bonus. Yukon: Northern Allowance, $4,500 per year after 12 months; $4,500 over two years for a signing bonus. Nunavut: Northern Allowance $11,303 - $22,251; Signing bonus, $24,000 over three years.

The NWT is the only territory currently not receiving a signing bonus.

Yukon and Nunavut salaries are between $20,000 and $25,000 a year higher than the NWT.

NWT salaries are nine per cent higher than in Alberta and British Columbia. At one time the NWT standard was 20 per cent above British Columbia, according to local doctors who spoke out during a public meeting last week.

Alberta and British Columbia salaries range from $46,000 and $47,000 to start to $60,000 and $62,000 maximum. NWT nurses make an average of $5,000 more a year.

However, with the cost of living difference approaching 25 per cent, nurses have continuously said they would be making more money in the South.

"You always have to factor in the cost of living and cost of housing in the North, that is the real picture," said Suzette Montreuil, president of Union of Northern Workers local 11, which represents nursing staff at the Stanton Territorial Hospital.

"It's significant that we are the lowest of the three Northern territories. It's also significant we are the only ones not offering a signing bonus."

The only advantage Montreuil could see was that starting nurses could make more money in the NWT than in most other jurisdictions. But that advantage is swept away by the difficulty in the NWT to recruit experienced staff.

"There might be a slight advantage early on in your career, but there is no draw for experienced nurses," said Montreuil. "This does support that wages and benefits are playing a role in recruitment and retention."

A significant barrier to higher pay for NWT nurses is their inability to bargain their own collective agreement.

"We're the only jurisdiction in Canada, to my knowledge, where health care workers are in the same bargaining unit as other government workers," said Montreuil.

The health department promised a new strategy on recruitment and retention would be completed by Sept. 20, but it has yet to be released.