Overlooking the Northwest Territories

Information Management and Technology Policy Manual

Email Use Policy

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Policy Statement

E-mail services are provided to Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) employees for work-related activities and must be used and managed in a responsible manner and in accordance with related GNWT legislation, policies and standards.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance on the use of GNWT e-mail, explain the impacts it can have on shared technology resources, and provide clarity on related security, privacy and records management matters.

Scope

This policy applies to users in all Departments, Boards, Agencies and other organizations who have been granted access to any GNWT e-mail system.

Definitions

This policy complements the GNWT Public Service Code of Conduct (“The Code of Conduct”).

In this policy, the term “e-mail” includes electronic mail systems (e.g. accessed via a computer, webmail, or mobile e-mail), provided by the GNWT.

Authority and Accountability

The Informatics Policy Council (IPC), a committee of Deputy Ministers with responsibility for oversight and assurance of the information management and technology function for the GNWT, including approval and review of this policy.

Deputy Heads are responsible for ensuring information is managed appropriately in their respective departments including e-mail use, and ensuring adherence to all related legislation, policies and standards.

Employees/Users are responsible for exercising reasonable judgement when using government e-mail so that their actions are not illegal, do not degrade the performance of shared technology resources or compromise their security, or cause incremental expense for the GNWT.

Managers/Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that employees follow approved records management procedures for e-mail messages and for initiating action regarding inappropriate e-mail use as per the Code of Conduct.

The Department of Finance, Human Resources (HR) provides assistance with investigations and actions arising from employee behaviour that contravenes the Code of Conduct.

The Department of Finance, Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) is responsible for providing government e-mail services, and for monitoring and reporting on e-mail services and network use and performance. The OCIO is also responsible for policy interpretation, revision and recommending policy changes to the IPC.  The OCIO may also assist in investigations arising from this policy.

The Department of Finance, Internal Audit Bureau may be called upon to conduct investigative audits arising from this policy.

The Department of Executive & Indigenous Affairs, Corporate Communications is responsible for the Visual Identity Program and provides guidance for the content of e-mail signature blocks.

Principles

  1. Appropriate Use - E-mail access is provided to facilitate GNWT business communications; it can be used to provide timely and courteous service to the public, other governments, NGOs, etc.
  2. Privacy - Information created using government computers, facilities, networks or resources (including e-mail) is considered a government record and can be accessed by the public under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (ATIPP). Users should have no expectation of personal privacy regarding e-mail messages they create or receive using government resources.
  3. Security - Employees have an obligation to protect government information and the integrity of government assets, infrastructure and resources.
  4. Personal Use – Limited and occasional personal use is permitted under the Code of Conduct provided it does not negatively impact performance of work responsibilities. All employees are expected to use common sense and good judgement when using e-mail as they are responsible for e-mail sent using their sign on ID, and must ensure that their e-mail use does not negatively impact shared government resources or create incremental expense to the GNWT.  Employees should seek further guidance from their Supervisor if they are uncertain regarding appropriate use.

In accordance with the Code of Conduct, the following activities are expressly forbidden:

  1. Conducting illegal activities.
  2. Sending messages and/or attachments that contain racist, sexist or sexually explicit items or content including: pictures, jokes, hoaxes, or executable graphics.
  3. Sending hate mail, harassing others, making discriminatory remarks, or using objectionable language.
  4. Misrepresenting other employees on any GNWT network by sending e-mail from another user’s computer.
  5. Conducting or pursuing their own business interests or those of another organization.
  6. Political lobbying.

Provisions

  1. Employees are required to use the gov.nt.ca e-mail or other government address domains for all government communications, as e-mail messages are considered government records.
  2. Employees are required to identify themselves in e-mail messages in all communications involving non-GNWT parties. They may also do so for internal communications, but it is not necessary. Self-identification is commonly done through a signature block, and should contain the sender’s name, job title, and department, as well as appropriate disclaimers. Guidance on the exact format and content of employee signature blocks to be used can be found in the Visual Identity Program.
  3. While occasional use of e-mail for personal reasons is permitted and described in the Code of Conduct, employees are encouraged to obtain and use personal e-mail accounts for personal business, as personal e-mail sent from a government email domain such as gov.nt.ca can be perceived by recipients to officially represent the GNWT.  Additionally, government email addresses should not be used to sign up for personal online services.
  4. The following e-mail activities are not allowed because they present either a security risk, can negatively impact shared technology resources and performance for all users, or have the potential to cause additional expense to the GNWT:
    1. Creating or distributing messages with large distribution lists or attachments.  Employees are encouraged to use the GNWT’s Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) service for large file attachments, and collaboration tools available through Microsoft Office (SharePoint and Teams) for document sharing when possible, to minimize impacts on shared technology resources.
    2. Downloading content from personal e-mail messages and storing them on GNWT computers (chain letters, junk mail, advertisements, executable graphics, personal photos, music). Storing these items on government computers can takes up storage space on the network and creates additional expense for the GNWT.
    3. Divulging, sharing or compromising government authentication credentials with unauthorized users.
    4. Employees who violate this policy may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

References

Implementation

This policy was last updated June 12, 2026.

This policy replaces the “Use of Electronic Mail and Internet Guidelines” from March 26, 2008.