An increase in testing and improved personal protective equipment procurement are some of the objectives of a federal investment.
The federal government is providing $19 billion in funding to assist provinces and territories navigate the next six to eight months of reopening.
The funding under the Safe Restart Agreement will touch on seven priority areas. These include increasing contact tracing, support for municipalities with public transit and child care as well as the creation of a temporary 10 day paid sick leave program.
In order to access the funding, provinces and territories will need to submit a plan outlining how the money will be invested.
Julie Green, Yellowknife Centre MLA, says she would like to see some of the money go towards GNWT programs established earlier in the pandemic that were recently discontinued.
“There were some programs that were discontinued at the end of June,” she says, “I would be interested in seeing the government restore those programs, because they primarily benefited people who I would describe with very low income.”
These include a child care subsidy and a wage top-up.
