Budget 2021

Healthy and Educated People

Budget 2021 includes more than $950 million to provide all NWT residents with equal access to health and social services, and career and education opportunities so we can achieve our vision of a healthy and better educated population.

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Strong Families

A $1.1 million investment in the Healthy Family Program will support expectant parents and families with young children to help them get a great start in life. Budget 2021 also provides $500,000 in subsidies for licensed child care providers to repair or renovate their facilities—helping to increase the number of daycare spaces and advancing our goal of universal child care availability and affordability.

Career and education opportunities

Budget 2021 invests $1.2 million for the Northern Distance Learning Program and $508,000 to establish Career and Education Advisors in all NWT regions, so that residents in all communities have access to the same opportunities available in larger centres and the rest of Canada.

Long-term and continuing care

The GNWT plans to significantly increase long-term care spaces where they are needed most and has added $406,000 the budget to address increased costs for long-term care and help residents age in place. Budget 2021 also includes $8.4 million for the First Nations and Inuit Home and Community Care program to support First Nations and Inuit people with disabilities, chronic or acute illnesses and the elderly, and provides Aurora College with $1.1 million to train more personal support workers and Licenced Practical Nurses to provide long-term care. The budget for the Paid Family Caregiver Project will be increased by $290,000 to help elders, seniors, and persons with disabilities live in their homes for as long as possible.

Increased access to programs and services

Health and Social Services spending will increase by $7.5 million in 2021 to support 24/7 service delivery. Budget 2021 will also provide $1.8 million in supplementary health benefits for NWT residents and support health care across the NWT by providing $7.6 million for medical travel and out-of-territory health care. Budget 2021 includes $7 million in new funding to increase the number of community social services workers, family preservation workers, foster care and adoption workers, and case aid workers to help vulnerable children and their families across the NWT. A $280,000 investment in a Peer Support Program will also help care for people with mental health and addictions issues.