Starting up in Nunavut
Nunavut’s communities are connected by air and sea, not roads, and local businesses carry a lot of weight. Here’s how new entrepreneurs start in Nunavut, and get online.
Nunavut’s entrepreneurial landscape
Iqaluit is the capital and the largest community, with government, health care, construction and services. Across Nunavut’s 25 communities, first businesses often meet everyday needs: equipment and small-engine repair, maintenance and cleaning, catering, child care, taxis and outfitting.
Inuit art — carving, printmaking, textiles and jewellery — is known worldwide, and artists increasingly sell directly. Tourism brings visitors for wildlife, the floe edge, cruises and cultural experiences, creating work for guides and outfitters. Fishing and mining add their own demand for services.
Inuit culture and Inuktut are at the heart of Nunavut life. Supplies arrive by sealift in summer and by air year-round, so planning ahead is part of running any business here.
Real help for new entrepreneurs
Help for new entrepreneurs in Nunavut:
- Nunavut Legal Registries — Nunavut’s Department of Justice registry for business names and corporations.
- Nunavut Business Credit Corporation — The territorial lender for Nunavut businesses. A lender focused on Nunavut businesses.
- CanNor — The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, for Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
- Futurpreneur — Start-up financing paired with a volunteer business mentor, for entrepreneurs aged 18 to 39.
- BDC — The Business Development Bank of Canada: financing, plus free guides and templates for people starting out.
Your first steps in Nunavut
- Register your business name with Nunavut Legal Registries if you operate under a name other than your own.
- GST only. Nunavut has no territorial sales tax. You charge the 5 % GST once registered with the CRA, and registration is mandatory when taxable sales pass CA$30,000 over four consecutive quarters.
- Plan around the sealift. If you sell goods, order stock for the summer sealift and say on your website when products will be available.
- Sell beyond your community. Artists and outfitters reach southern and international customers with a website, photos of their work and an email at their own domain.
Canada Revenue Agency: get a business number · CRA: GST/HST rates by province
How WebNewBee helps
A light, fast website matters where connections can be slow. WebNewBee sites are built for phones first, made in about a minute from your answers, with one of 30 designs, in English, French or both — and you can add any Inuktut text you like.
One simple price
CA$6.99/month · plus applicable taxes
- Website with up to 6 pages, written by our AI from your facts
- Up to 3 email addresses on your own domain
- Your own domain from CA$24.99/year, or a free yourname.webnewbee.page address
- Secure (https), fast, mobile-friendly
- English, French or both
- Cancel anytime — no contract
Questions
Can my website include Inuktut?
Yes. WebNewBee’s built-in languages are English and French, but you can write any text on your pages, including Inuktut.
Can artists show their work and prices?
Yes. Use a gallery page with photos and prices; buyers contact you by email or through your contact form.