NWT extending income assistance Covid-19 relief
The Northwest Territories government says it’s extending Covid-19 relief measures for income assistance.
That means the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) will continue to be exempt from income assistance calculations.
“Over the last several months we have made numerous changes to provide further support to the people of the North during these rapidly changing times,” RJ Simpson, minister of education, culture, and employment, was quoted as saying in a Wednesday news release.
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“The last thing we want to do is add any additional stress as residents keep their families safe and navigate the challenges of this pandemic.”
Other modifications the government has made to the income assistance program during the pandemic include payrolling clients so they receive payments without having to report in-person every month, and exempting donations from being counted in benefits.
These measures will be extended until the end of September when they will be reviewed again by the government.