Nunavut is paying foster parents more. Advocates say it still isn't enough

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-11 12:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Social Services, Indigenous, Affordability]

Nunavut’s Department of Family Services has increased daily foster care rates by 45 per cent, raising payments from $58 to $84.10 per day in communities such as Iqaluit, Arviat, and Rankin Inlet, with corresponding percentage increases in other settlements. The rate adjustment, which is the first of its kind in six years, applies retroactively as of April 1, 2026, to address rising living costs and increased demands on the territory's 218 foster homes. However, child and youth advocate Jane Bates and former foster parents report that structural program deficiencies, administrative communication gaps, and severe payment delays persist within the department.