Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Premier and it has to do with the high cost of living in the Northwest Territories. In Sachs Harbour, Trout Lake, Colville Lake, Lutselk’e or Gameti, these communities are in remote isolation of the Northwest Territories. The cost of living is astronomical.
I want to ask the Premier, in his discussions with their federal counterparts, is the Government of the Northwest Territories looking at how we can reduce the cost of living in those small communities where there are high unemployment rates.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a government, we are always looking at ways to reduce the cost of living in the Northwest Territories. We’ve taken a number of initiatives over the years. We realize and recognize that the best way to reduce the cost of living is to have improved infrastructure in the Northwest Territories. We’ve also looked at the northern resident income tax credit deduction. We’ve looked at that very closely. We’ve talked to our territorial counterparts to see if we could move in that direction. I think one of the best ways would be to look at our use of energy and to find ways to reduce those costs as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
About a week ago, I spoke about a coffee can I bought in Norman Wells. I bought one can there. Here, I can buy three cans of coffee, the same type. That’s what I’m asking, the cost of living in that specific area in those communities that I named. Is that something that the government is looking at, where those prices would be comparable such as in larger centres like Yellowknife, where costs are pretty high up in the small communities at the store for food?
There are a number of programs that are tied to the cost of living in Yellowknife. For example, the employees’ of the Government of the Northwest Territories northern allowance is compared to the cost of living in Yellowknife. As you move further and further away from Yellowknife into the smaller communities, the amount of northern allowance that employees receive is increased. That’s one way of doing it.
We also have a significant amount of subsidy programs. I think the last time I checked, this government was providing about $180 million in subsidies and various programs throughout the Northwest Territories. So we are doing a lot in that area already. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the cost of living, as the Premier has indicated, increases when you go further and further away from Yellowknife. Is that cost sufficient enough for people in Sachs Harbour or Colville Lake or Lutselk’e or Gameti or Trout Lake where you know that they will be able to provide their family of four, five or six in a good manner that is equivalent to living in Yellowknife?
Mr. Speaker, a number of years ago, we did a survey where we looked at every community in the Northwest Territories to see how much money an individual or family would have to make in order to be able to afford to live in a community and I think Sachs Harbour was the most expensive. I think a family had to make at least $93,000 to be able to afford to live there without a subsidy of any sort. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the Premier for noting that it is very true that communities like Sachs Harbour where, my friend Mr. Beaulieu would say, the employment rate, not the unemployment rate, the employment, because only so many people can work in the small communities that would have a job that would provide for them.
I want to ask the Premier, is the government looking at the Social Assistance Program where it would up the cost to help them with the cost of living.
Mr. Speaker, we review the cost of living on a regular basis. We have a food basket that we calculate the costing, and the income assistance rates are adjusted accordingly. We’ve also done a lot of work on the housing costs so that with the rental scale adjustments and so on, it’s tied to the income that a family brings in. We adjusted our housing rental scale so that no matter how or what situation you are in, if you go to work you are always in a better situation than if you are not working at all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
