Income assistance recipients in the Northwest Territories are set to receive a one-time additional benefit payment next month, according to the territorial government.
The Department of Education, Culture and Employment announced the benefit payment in a news release on Tuesday.
According to the department, the benefit aims to help residents with higher food costs and will range from $343 to $717 depending on the community recipients live in.
The extra cash will be automatically included within March income assistance payments.
Northerners have long faced higher costs for food than those found elsewhere in Canada. Studies have suggested federal subsidy program Nutrition North is not doing enough to alleviate the issue.
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Following an investigation by CBC and APTN into Nutrition North’s pricing – and the amount of the subsidy that reaches customers buying food in northern stores – NDP leader Jagmeet Singh called on the federal government to reform the federal program.
