Nunavut Birth, Marriage, and Death Records (National Institute)

Canada Nunavut  Vital Records

History
The background of the Northwest Territories is included here to set the stage for the history of Nunavut. The Northwest Territories once referred to all the Hudson’s Bay Company land and Rupert’s Land, which were united with Canada in 1870. The Northwest Territories were organized into provisional districts in the following years: Keewatin (1876), Alberta (1882), Assiniboia (1882), Athabaska (1882), Saskatchewan (1882), Franklin (1895), Mackenzie (1895), Ungava (1895) and Yukon (1895).

In 1880 the Territories were augmented by the addition of all the North American Arctic Island claimed by Great Britain. In 1898 the Yukon District was made a separate territory. In 1905 the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created. An Order in Council, effective 1 January 1920 defined the boundaries of the districts of Mackenzie, Keewatin and Franklin.

Since that time there has been a more recent change in the Northwest Territories, namely, the Territory of Nunavut has been established. It encompasses the central and eastern Arctic regions and is nearly one-fifth of Canada’s land mass. The balance remaining is now the Northwest Territories.

A territory now known as Nunavut was established under the Statutes of Canada 1993, Bill C-132, assented to on 10 June 1993. This Act was effective on or before 1 April 1999. Nunavut consists of all of Canada north of 60 degrees north and east of the Northwest Territories (i.e. includes the old Keewatin District to Hudson’s Bay) which is not within Québec or Newfoundland; the islands of Hudson Bay, James Bay and Ungava Bay that are not within Manitoba, Ontario or Québec.

Location of Pre-1 April 1999 Vital Records
Records for events in what is now Nunavut prior to 1 April 1999 are held by


 * Vital Statistics, Department of Health and Social Services Government of the Northwest Territories, Bag # 9 Inuvik, Northwest Territories, X0E 0T0

See Northwest Territories Birth, Marriage, and Death Records (National Institute) for more information.

Events that occurred outside the territory are often registered in the jurisdiction in which they took place. Many births and deaths occurred elsewhere because people were often sent south for medical or other reasons. The primary connections are directly north and south— Baffin/Montreal and Ottawa, Kivalliq/Churchill and Winnipeg and Kitikmeot and Kughoktuk (formerly Coppermine)/Edmonton and Yellowknife, but people have been sent elsewhere as well.

Tuberculosis patients ended their lives in a variety of locations, some of which still remain unknown to their families. This information was kindly shared with me by Carol Orr.

Although genealogical information with regards to vital statistics is not available yet, other general and genealogical information can be found at Nunavut.com and Nunavut Public Library Services websites.

Location of Post-March 1999 Vital Records
Vital records from 1 April 1999 on, can be ordered through VitalCertificates.ca, a private company.

The phone numbers for the Nunavut government are:


 * Toll Free: 1-800-661-0833
 * Telephone: (867) 645-8002

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