Karen Mackenzie
Northern News Services
Published Monday, August 11, 2008

NUNAVUT - Their workload is impressive. Every year, up to 100,000 hand-written cheques pass across the desks of Nunavut's income support workers.

Detailed statistics are recorded painstakingly by hand, income tax statements are issued manually, and countless face-to-face assessments are conducted.

Meanwhile, officers often withstand abuse and even threats to their family just for doing their work properly.

"It's not a popular job, and it's a tough job," said Sandy Teiman, director of income support and labour market development programs for the Government of Nunavut.

The $30 million program is a lifeline in many Nunavut communities, where employment is often scarce.

In a non-decentralized community like Repulse Bay, worker caseloads are extremely high, according to Akulliq MLA Steve Mapsalak.

He raised the issue last month at the legislative assembly, over concerns that his community had been left without an income support worker for the past couple months.

"Because there's no jobs, there's a lot of income support clients, and they depend only on income support, and some of them have a lot of children," he said.

"Everything had to be done by fax machines and phones, and it was very inconvenient for a lot of income support clients."

Mapsalak said he would like to see at least two income support workers based in his community full time.

"In all the non-decentralized communities they have a very hard time for employment, unless there's mining exploration near the community.

"Maybe employment could be created by that, otherwise it's very hard," he said.

According to Teiman, the worker in Repulse Bay resigned Feb. 11.

Replacements were flown in to deliver the services, and clients also had the option to phone a toll-free number in Rankin Inlet, she said.

The division had about a 42 per cent employee turnover rate over the two previous years, and "at any given time we could be down three or four income support positions," she said.

That's out of a total of 45 to 55 workers, but not all are permanent positions.

In cases where a community office is vacated, "the regional supervisors are called upon to be the actual issuers," Teiman said.

"They're reduced to issuing the benefits instead of supervising how it's issued."

With the exception of only one worker, all income support officers are hired from their communities, according to Teiman.

New hires are trained on the job, and must pass an exam for their statutory appointment.

While their grasp on the local community is an asset, it can also be a curse.

"An income support worker with a chequebook, where you could probably be related to everyone in the community ... that's a tough position to be in," Teiman said.

"We have an act and a set of regulations to follow. When the income support officer had to do their job and has to exit someone from the program ... (they) take a lot of criticism."

There are zero-tolerance policies against these types of issues, and workers are instructed to call the RCMP if they feel abused.

"That's your first line of defence," Teiman added.

In the meantime, the government is also looking to bring the reporting system into the digital age.

The development of a computerized case management system will free up the workers for things like training upgrades, according to Teiman.

"The day that system is rolled out will be the day I'll be grinning ear to ear," she said with a laugh.