In an update to a similar plan that was implemented during last year’s evacuations, it was announced by Premier R.J. Simpson that should the NWT need to evacuate again this year, residents will be eligible to claim up to $800 in return.
Simpson made the announcement during Tuesday’s Wildfire Update. While current information is sparse, the Premier did state that every NWT resident over the age of 18 will be able to claim the $800, while every dependent under the age of 18 will be able to claim $400.
More information on the program is expected to come out later this week or sometime next week.
This will be replacing the similar program that the NWT used last year. The Evacuee Income Disruption Support program gave a one-time payment of $750 to northern residents displaced for more than seven days. While the payment was greatly accepted by many residents, there were also plenty who felt that the payment didn’t do enough to help, especially for those who were stuck in disorganized evacuation centres. There were even a few who were unable to receive the money due to a lack of assistance paired with rules that could be convoluted at times.
Premier Simpson has said on several occasions that his run for the office was driven by a desire to improve upon the services that saw the most criticism during the evacuations, and he hopes to make this new payment process much more smooth.
Additional information on the new payment strategy will be shared once it becomes available.
