IQALUIT - When it comes to Nunavut's population, the big are getting bigger and the small are getting smaller.

Statistics Canada released the results of the 2006 census March 13, and the numbers show some of Nunavut's smallest communities losing population at an alarming rate.

Overall, however, Nunavut's population is exploding, fuelled by Canada's highest fertility rate. The territory's population grew by 10.2 per cent in the last five years, with all three regions growing at almost identical rates, to 29,474.

Repulse Bay posted the largest population increase, growing by a whopping 22.2 per cent since 2001 to nearly 750 people. Iglulik and Iqaluit also posted rates of growth approaching 20 per cent. Iglulik is now home to 1,538 people, and Iqaluit becomes the first community in Nunavut to surpass 6,000 people, with 6,184.

Iglulik Mayor Paul Quassa said the rapid population growth in his community has the hamlet's infrastructure bursting at the seams.

"We have three churches here and now all three churches are looking at building a new church that would fit the congregations that they have," Quassa said. "They've been fundraising for the past year."

The mayor said schools in Iglulik are built for a community half the hamlet's size.

"Every public building that we have is way too small for the population," said Quassa.

And he sees no end in sight for his community's boom, with a young and fertile population. That doesn't help the already crowded housing situation, which is affecting people's health - especially children.

"We are seeing more medical issues rising up because of the fact that we have so many young (children) being in crowded houses," he said. "We're seeing a lot of sick children."

But not all communities are seeing a growth trend.

Grise Fiord, the territory's smallest community, lost 13.5 per cent of its population between 2001 and 2006, falling from 163 residents to 141. Qikiqtarjuaq's population dropped under 500 people, declining 8.9 per cent since the last census, and Kimmirut lost 5.1 per cent of its population. Chesterfield dropped from 345 to 332, a decline of 3.8 per cent.

The census figure of 29,474 is also down from a projection issued last year by StatCan which put Nunavut's population at 30,245.

Transfers from Ottawa to Nunavut are calculated per capita. In 2006-07, Nunavut got $874 million in transfers according to the Expert Panel on Territorial Formula Financing's website. That works out to $28,458 for every Nunavummiut, meaning a difference of 771 people in the census count could cost the GN $21.9 million.

A spokesperson with Finance Canada said their estimates of Canada's population take into account both StatsCan's census numbers and the "undercount" - the estimated number of people that the census missed. She said the revised population figures won't be released until September 2008, so transfer payments won't be affected until then.

Calls to a Government of Nunavut official for comment on the potential loss of funding were not returned prior to deadline.