Ottawa announces $29.3M in new Covid-19 funding for NWT

The federal government on Friday pledged an additional $29.3 million in funding for the Northwest Territories to cope with Covid-19 and keep the territory’s airlines flying.

Of that sum, Ottawa said $12.2 million will strengthen supports available to people in the NWT, particularly vulnerable residents, during the pandemic.

The remaining $17.1 million will fund air carriers to ensure they continue to transport food, equipment, and medicine to people in remote communities.

Nunavut and the Yukon received similar funding under the same agreement.

“We know the Northwest Territories faces unique challenges due to Covid-19, and we will continue to work closely with the territorial government to offer the funding and the support to meet those needs,” said Dominic LeBlanc, federal minister of intergovernmental affairs, in a news release.

Full details of exactly how the money will be spent were not immediately available, and are likely to be largely controlled by the territorial government.

The $29.3 million top-up follows an earlier funding announcement in mid-September, in which Ottawa said the NWT would receive $14.5 million for similar purposes.