Mr. Speaker, your Standing Committee on Social Development is pleased to provide its report on long-term post-pandemic recovery recommendations to the GNWT and commends it to the House.
Introduction
The Standing Committee on Social Development developed the following recommendations to the Government of the Northwest Territories concerning the Northwest Territories long-term, post-pandemic recovery, with a specific focus on the departments for which the Standing Committee has oversight: NWT Housing Corporation, Education Culture and Employment, Department of Health and Social Services, and the Department of Justice.
Coordination of Social and Health Responses to Pandemic
Overall, committee appreciates the work of the GNWT to integrate and align systems and resources to address the needs of NWT during COVID. Committee is especially supportive of coordinated efforts taken to make available housing, income, health, and addictions supports to residents most in need. Committee will be focusing on these areas in more detail as longer-term work undertaken over the four years of the 19th Assembly.
Limited access to programs and services in small communities is a long-standing concern. Throughout the government's COVID response, committee Members observed differences between the resources and planning made available to address the needs of residents in communities and those made available to address the needs of residents in Yellowknife. To improve the GNWT's response to future pandemics, including a potential second wave of COVID, committee would like to see an increased focus in the coordination of social development resources, policies, and programming to support emergency management planning with Indigenous and community governments.
At this time Committee recommends the following important resources and policies remain in place to support NWT residents during the GNWT's post COVID recovery efforts. Committee acknowledges that additional research and cost analysis may be needed by the GNWT in order to fully investigate and advance the following recommendations.
Income Supports
Committee appreciates ECE's recognition and responsiveness throughout the pandemic to support clients by making key policy changes to the territory's Income Assistance Program. Committee fully supports the department's use of client-focused policy and programming to address immediate financial needs. Preventative measures that have been put in place by all levels of government to cope with the pandemic and slow its spread appear to have succeeded in fending off worst-case scenarios. Preventative measures include ensuring vulnerable populations have access to stable and consistent income.
Stable income is one of the most important socioeconomic factors to positively influence all aspects of life and reduce downstream costs on other areas of social systems. The lack of adequate income underlies poverty and contributes to nutritional vulnerability, inadequate shelter, and compromised health and well-being. Committee recognizes economic recovery planning may increase the use of the Income Assistance Program as many NWT residents were ordered to reduce their hours, stop going to work, and have lost jobs. Many private businesses have been ordered to shut down or reduce operations and are now struggling financially to reopen. Committee feels continued support from ECE is required to support NWT residents to access a stable and reliable source of income.
Recommendation 1
Standing Committee on Social Development recommends ECE make permanent the policy changes made to support clients in response to COVID:
- to continue to reduce the amount of verification information required to apply for Income Assistance, to ensure clients are registered as quickly as possible, and automatically assessed for both basic needs and enhanced benefits;
- to continue with the allowable income exemptions and to increase the annual income limit for unearned income per year, on top of the money received from Impact Benefit Agreements, Treaty, or Land Claim agreements;
- to continue to allow for clients to select self-care as a productive choice option, and reduce the requirement for face-to-face monthly reporting; and
- to continue to payroll long-term, vulnerable IA clients, to increase consistent payments to a three-month reporting.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to turn it over to the honourable Member for the Deh Cho at this time. Thank you.