N.W.T. government extends wage top-up program for 8 more weeks

The N.W.T. government says it will extend its wage top-up program for low-income earners for another eight weeks, until Oct. 3.

The program allows businesses to apply for temporary funding to boost the wages of employees who make less than $18 an hour. Those employees must be 15 years of age or older.

Businesses can apply to boost their workers' pay retroactively from April onward, the N.W.T. government said in a news release Tuesday.

The wage top-up program is meant to support workers who are keeping the economy afloat during the pandemic. Businesses that participate also get $50 to help cover the administrative cost of adjusting their employees' wages.

The program has cost $422,245 to date, the N.W.T. government says.

As of July 21, 50 businesses had taken part, allowing 933 workers to receive a financial boost of about $237 a month, according to the news release.

Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek said she would like to see even more uptake in the program.

"This extended program is intended to reduce the financial stress of employees who have continued to work since the pandemic began," she said in the news release. 

"I encourage all of those employers with applicable employees who have not yet taken the steps to apply for this financial boost to do so."

Wawzonek first announced the wage subsidy program in mid-May. The N.W.T. government said at the time it planned to make $6.2 million available to temporarily top up pay for low-wage earners.

The federal government has contributed $4.74 million toward the program.

Minimum wage in the N.W.T. is $13.46 an hour, but many small businesses already pay more than that.

The N.W.T.'s wage top-up was originally set to expire after four months.

Its extension is in line with the federal government's move to continue the Canada Emergency Response Benefit until October.