Top-up program ‘a thank you in the form of a financial boost to our lower paid workers who are continuing to help sustain the NWT economy’
Northwest Territories will allocate up to $6.2 million to the NWT Wage Top-up Program to temporarily top up wages for workers making less than $18 per hour, Caroline Wawzonek, minister of finance, announced on Tuesday.
“The NWT Wage Top-up Program provides a thank you in the form of a financial boost to our lower paid workers who are continuing to help sustain the NWT economy while the disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic continues,” says Wawzonek. “I call on all NWT businesses with employees to participate, and thank them in advance for helping to make this program successful.”
Under the program, businesses can apply for temporary funding to increase the wages of their employees who make less than $18 per hour, for a maximum of 16 weeks between. The program applies between April 1 and July 31, 2020, and is available to all workers in the NWT that are currently earning less than $18 per hour and are over 15 years old.
Businesses can start applying immediately for funding to top up employees’ wages from April.
The federal government has contributed $4.74 million for the NWT Wage Top-up Program, which is intended to assist all lower-wage workers working to keep the economy running while physical distancing measures are in place.
Northwest Territories also recently opened applications for the Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development (SEED) program worth $4 million.
Northwest Territories extended the territory-wide Public Health Emergency and State of Emergency effective May 13, 2020. It will expire on May 26, 2020.
This extension of the Public Health Emergency allows the Chief Public Health Officer to continue to take strong, binding actions to protect all Northwest Territories residents, and swiftly respond to the daily evolving needs of the healthcare system as it tackles a pandemic, said the government. Extending the State of Emergency ensures the Emergency Management Organization (EMO) continues to be in a position to support the orders issued by the Chief Public Health Officer.
