GN raises income assistance to help with rising food costs
Basic allowance increases across Nunavut
The Department of Family Services has given a boost to its basic income assistance rates. The changes are meant to help Nunavummiut keep up with the rising costs of food, states a public service announcement from the department. (Photo courtesy of Unsplash)
This table shows new basic income assistance rates in Nunavut as of April 1, 2023. (Image courtesy of the Department of Family Services)
The Nunavut government has increased the amount it pays out to Nunavummiut who qualify for basic income assistance.
The Department of Family Services sent out a public service announcement about the increase on April 5. The changes took effect April 1.
Basic income assistance rates are calculated by the number of family members in a qualifying household and location. The payments are monthly.
A family of four in Iqaluit, for example, will now receive $1,840 per month. A family of six in Taloyoak will receive $2,731. The previous rates were $1,373 and $2,038 respectively, which is an increase of 34 per cent.
The increases are meant to keep up with the “increasing cost of food,” according to the announcement.
Nunatsiaq News reported March 1 that the GN included a $7-million boost to its income assistance funding in its 2023-24 budget. It’s spending $52.3 million on the program this fiscal year.
This chart shows the previous income assistance rates. (Image courtesy of the Department of Family Services)
People can apply for basic income assistance at their local income assistance office, according to a Department of Family Services fact sheet.
A worker at the office will assess eligibility and might direct an applicant to a career development officer or Inuit organization if he or she is unemployed.
Great, an ever bigger incentive not to work! Thank you GN!
Nunavummiut on Income Assistance get a 34% increase.
Iqaluit Housing offered a 1.5% increase, then locked out its employees.
The NEU settled for a 0% increase for GN workers in first year and almost nothing thereafter.
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Do the airlines have capacity to increase cargo by 34% to each community?
If not, the prices will rise to take the extra money, without Nunavummiut getting 34% more to eat.
If the airlines do have the capacity, will the stores use it, or will the stores just raise their prices to take the extra 34% as extra profit, without bringing in the extra food?
Taima.
The stores will definitely raise their prices for sure to suck up the 34%.
Proof, please. What is your source of information that backs up your ludicrous statement?
Great incentive to pump out more babies! Don’t worry they’ll build more million dollar houses
all good and hope for the best
will also state a crazy thought to provide incentives to have fewer children (as well as the current free health care like condoms, bc, and more) this in turn also helps with overcrowding
About time! With all front-line/entry level jobs going to foreigners, this is great news! Not only that, most small communities are not equipped to provide employment! To anyone who has had to resort to IA, they know what that feels like. It is not the first choice for sure, but it becomes the only choice for most who are on it. As much as we want to see other measures to alleviate the high cost of living, realistically it has not happened! Glad the little ones can eat some healthy foods without going hungry all the time.
I can think of several young adults who would rather stay at home drinking pop and playing pubg than putting in an honest days work. About time is right!
It’s great news, about time they are increase. Smaller communities have no choice but to shop at their only store and the stores usually have the monopoly to increase their price.
I heard of the prices in Resolute and Grise Fiord are extremely high. I like to know why their assistance aren’t higher to reflect the high cost of groceries.
And up go the prices for cigarettes, booze, and drugs as well. I mean the dealers and bootleggers have to live too! A hard life to live, isn’t it?
Just not fair!
Income Assistance should not be the only source of income. yes, small communities struggle with employers. Northern, Coop, Hamlet and Airlines are the only places to work.
But largers centers, a lot of them have different contractors with various jobs. entry level to apprenticeship. there are places to work if you want to find it.
sometimes it’s easier to suck on that government teet and stay up all night, play games and enjoy not having bills.
This increase will put many families over the public housing minimum income level for $60/month rent… I wonder if Income Support will cover the higher rent or will NHC raise their rent scale?
heaven forbid they need to pay more than $60 a month in housing, no heating, electricity, water, land lease, or fuel bills.
yes, I said fuel twice cause it hurts to heat your home.
Northern Stores have already raised their prices when Inuit started receiving money from the Inuit Children First Initiative (Jordan’s Principle) so for sure they will raise their prices again. Its all about profit never for the people. Even with a gov’t job or a good paying job in the private sector, everyone is struggling.
So the rich keep getting richer and the poor keeping getting poorer. Go figure!
Just go out and get a job and you can afford it.
Nut if you think that Northern and the Coop increase prices like that, you have no concept about what is happening world wide.
Perhaps a little education on your part would help you understand what is happening
No one with a government job should be struggling.
Perhaps a short course in budgeting would ve helpful.
I wish you a good day, yes, you are right, we need help, everything is very expensive and will be even more expensive, thank you very much
Unfortunately more money for the drug dealers and bootleggers.