 | |
| Current series | |
|---|---|
| Size | 12 in × 6 in 30 cm × 15 cm |
| Serial format | 123 456 |
| Introduced | 2012 |
| History | |
| First issued | 1999 |
The Canadian territory of Nunavut was formed in April 1999, by the splitting of the Northwest Territories.
At the time of division, the governments of both territories agreed to Nunavut continuing to use the NWT's polar bear-shaped license plates, which had been in use since 1970. Although the design of the plates was shared, the government of the NWT held the copyright. Nunavut's version of the plate differed from the NWT's in the name of the jurisdiction at the bottom and the presence of an 'N' suffix in the serial.
In 2010, the government of the NWT decided to update its version of the polar bear-shaped plate. In turn, the government of Nunavut opted to go with a new plate design.[1] On 3 August 2011, Nunavut announced that a contest would be held to create the new plates.[2]
The contest was entered by 123 people, who between them submitted 200 designs. On 6 March 2012, Iqaluit resident Ron Froese was named the winner. His design consisted of a night scene featuring a polar bear, an inuksuk, three sets of northern lights to represent the three regions of Nunavut (Kitikmeot, Kivalliq and Qikiqtaaluk), and 25 stars to represent the communities of the territory. This design was first made available to motorists in July 2012.[3][4][5]
In 2024 the Government of Nunavut announced it would be returning to the polar bear shape, which it would be using under an agreement with the Government of the Northwest Territories. Aside from the shape the plate design would be different from the design used in the NWT.[6]
- ^ "Nunavut could lose polar bear-shaped licence plates". CTV News. August 4, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ^ "Nunavummiut are encouraged to tap into their creativity and enter a contest to design the territory's new licence plate". The Nunavut Echo. August 4, 2011. Archived from the original on August 26, 2011.
- ^ "Nunavut has a new Licence Plate". Government of Nunavut Department of Economic Development & Transportation. Archived from the original on May 29, 2014.
- ^ "Nunavut unveils new licence plate". CBC News. March 7, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ^ "GN launches new licence plate". Nunatsiaq Online. March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ^ "Polar bear licence plates coming back to Nunavut". Nunatsiaq News. 8 November 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2024.