The NWT’s premier says a new budget commitment to non-profits is an example of how his government intends to better work with the sector.
In the legislature this week, RJ Simpson said the budget – which has yet to pass – proposes $2.3 million in what he called “new, permanent funding to help stabilize critical NGO‑delivered shelter and supportive housing services across the territory.”
More specifically, budget documents say $2.3 million in new spending is being directed toward “a contribution to the Yellowknife Women’s Society Spruce Bough supportive housing program.”
The budget also includes broader commitments to assign $8.3 million to emergency shelter supports and related homelessness initiatives, $4.1 million to transitional and supportive housing plus family violence prevention, and $460,000 to the Yellowknife day shelter and sobering centre.
Simpson said the $2.3-million investment “responds to long‑standing funding pressures raised by our partners.”
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“It provides stable resources to help address staffing challenges, rising operating costs, and the need for predictable funding that allows organizations to plan ahead,” he said.
“Most importantly, it helps ensure that emergency shelters and supportive housing programs remain open, reliable, and there for the residents who depend on them.”
Simpson said other improvements to the way the GNWT works with non-governmental organizations will include “service integration work” and regular engagement with partners.
“We are building a more stable and sustainable system of supports, grounded in the expertise of organizations that have been doing this work for generations,” he said.
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“We recognize the importance of ensuring these organizations have the stability they need to continue supporting residents for many years to come. The new funding included in this year’s budget represents an important step in strengthening that foundation.”
A perceived lack of support for the non-profit and charitable sector has been an issue in the legislature for years.
In 2021, for example, then-Great Slave MLA Katrina Nokleby questioned the GNWT’s help for NGOs as she described staff at non-profits going without raises to avoid programs being cut.
In 2023, one non-profit alleged it hadn’t been paid by the GNWT for some work for six years.
