Consolidation of Public Health Act, S.Nu. 2016,c.13

The purposes of this Act are to protect and promote the overall health and wellbeing of people in Nunavut by (a) taking public health measures, including measures relating to health promotion, health protection, population health assessment, public health surveillance, disease and injury prevention, and public health emergency preparedness and response; and (b) promoting policies, processes, activities and behaviours that enable Nunavummiut to increase their control over and improve their health. The Public Health Act establishes measures relating to health protection and promotion, population health assessment, public health surveillance, disease and injury prevention, and public health emergency preparedness and response. The Act provides for the requirements and for the duties and powers of the Minister, the Chief Public Health Officer, and other officers tasked with protecting the health of all Nunavummiut. It also outlines requirements related to food and water safety, sanitation and the reporting of and response to communicable diseases. In concrete, section 4 defines the legal regime for the municipal water supply service and the conditions for water supply system operators. The operator of water supply under this act is entitled to inspect the water supply system, test the safety and quality of the water being supplied and report the results of the inspections and tests. The document also regulates the Municipal sewage systems.
The Public Health Act recognizes that Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit are important to the protection and promotion of public health and are therefore reflected and defined in the Act. The Public Health Act outlines regulations to ensure the sale, manufacture and processing of food for Nunavummiut is safe and sanitary; it outlines the standards and requirements to ensure the delivery of safe and clean water; and safe and efficient waste disposal. To ensure compliance, the Act includes enforcement tools such as inspections, searches and investigation by Environmental Health Officers. Section 5 deals with the Declaration of Public Health Emergency.