Employment minister outlines N.W.T.'s changes to income support during pandemic

The N.W.T.'s employment minister says that most people in the territory on income assistance should have already seen a one-time emergency allowance distributed as part of the territory's COVID-19 relief package in their bank accounts.

Minister R.J. Simpson discussed details of the allowance, as well as other changes to the income assistance program, with The Trailbreaker's Loren McGinnis on Thursday morning.

The one-time allowance — of $500 for a single recipient, or $1,000 for households with two or more people — is being automatically distributed to everyone on income assistance in the territory in March, Simpson said, and recipients don't need to apply again to receive it. He said that as of the last update he had been given, over 70 per cent of those eligible had already received the funding.

"It's rolling out to everyone, and hopefully within a day or two, everyone should have it, who was eligible," he said.

The allowance is part of an $8.2 million "wave two" relief package announced by the government earlier this week. That complements an initial $13.2 million package, announced earlier in March.

Simpson also outlined temporary changes to the income assistance program, including the exemption of "gifts or unearned income" until June 30 from calculations.

This change, he said, was designed to allow people to receive funds for on-the-land activities from their First Nation or other COVID-related assistance, without having it count against their reported income for income assistance.

"We didn't want to punish those people who receive that money," said Simpson. "Any money you receive that's related to COVID[-19], essentially, we're not going to count against your income."

Elimination of monthly income reporting

Other changes to the program include the elimination of monthly income reporting for the time being. Instead, clients will report their income every three months, a change Simpson said was designed to keep people in their homes and out of the income assistance offices, which are currently closed.

New clients will also apply over the phone instead of in person, he said.

The final change Simpson outlined relates to "productive choice," a requirement for clients to participate in their communities through activities like schooling or volunteering.

"What we've done is moved everyone who collects income assistance to one productive choice, and that is to take care of yourselves and your family, and essentially stay home," Simpson said.

For those seeking more information or looking to apply for income assistance, Simpson said that they can look for information on the department's website, or call their regional office.

"The client service officers are still working, and they'll be the ones in the best position to let people know how to apply and what they may be eligible for," he said.