Social workers bound for High Arctic communities

Last Updated: Monday, January 4, 2010 | 4:59 PM CT

"Two new social workers are set to arrive early this year in Canada's High Arctic, which has been without any social workers for the past few months.

The newly hired social workers are expected to settle in the far northern communities of Resolute Bay and Arctic Bay, Nunavut, as well as provide support to people in Grise Fiord, Quttiktuq MLA Ron Elliott told CBC News.

Elliott, whose constituency includes all three High Arctic communities, has raised the issue of a lack of social workers there since March.

He was initially concerned that Grise Fiord and Resolute Bay had no social workers. Then, that fall, the lone social worker in Arctic Bay transferred out of the community.

"Without social workers in the communities, it put an extra stress on the social workers in other communities to try and work with families; they're working from a distance," Elliott said.

Elliott said both the new social workers are from outside Nunavut, but they have been in contact with the High Arctic communities to help understand some of what they'll face when they arrive."

taken from: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2010/01/04/arctic-social-workers.html