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Doctor and nurses are leaving Nunavik over water shortages that affect care
Health professionals cite persistent water shortages as a key factor in burnout and leaving Nunavik, where staff typically stay only 18 months, union reports show.
- On Nov. 23, 2025, doctors and nurses in Nunavik said persistent water shortages push some colleagues to leave, with Durand noting, `Recently, we lost a really good doctor` citing lower-quality care.
- Health workers describe daily effects like limited showering and cleaning, enduring multi-day outages without showers and using emergency containers for toilets, which restricts cooking and hygiene.
- New recruits often arrive for brief stints, with average service lasting 18 months, while many stay only four weeks and a few remain about three years, the union says.
- Clinicians report leaving rather than provide compromised care as some departed over water shortages, while remaining staff face burnout and lowered morale, complicating infection control.
- While staff can return south for breaks, Inuit residents of Nunavik cannot, Desautels reported in the third of four reports supported by a 2025 Michener-Deacon Investigative Journalism fellowship.
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Nunavik's Inuit residents show resilience in the face of persistent water shortages
PUVURNITUQ -- In Quebec's Nunavik region, it's not unusual to run out of drinking water at home, or to have a full wastewater tank. But the Inuit residents demonstrate an impressive resilience to water shortages, with many adapting to the situation without complaint as they go about their lives in a remote region of Quebec dominated by the unique tundra landscape.
·Canada
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources32
Leaning Left20Leaning Right1Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution80% Left
Bias Distribution
- 80% of the sources lean Left
80% Left
L 80%
C 16%
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