The budget wasn’t anything groundbreaking, remarked Yellowknife’s Mayor Alty, regarding the 20th Legislative Assembly’s first budget, unveiled last Friday by GNWT Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek. Alty says it was interesting to see that it was their first budget and they were going with something a little bolder; the fact that they are considering closing the Fort Smith corrections facility, Alty noted with a pause, was big news.
She appreciates that they looked at everything and then asked the question, Is this the best use of our money? Can we do better? Since we need a wellness centre, is there a way to use some of the current underused assets? We will see.
From a municipal perspective, Alty wanted to see more when it came to closing the funding gap, as 23 out of 33 communities in the GNWT are underfunded. Without adequate funding, drinking water, waste management, roads, and recreational facilities are at risk. Post-pandemic, with recent emergencies heightening stress levels, recreational opportunities that bring people together are important.
When putting together the budget, she said it’s important that GNWT look at the whole picture rather than making cuts to meet a financial target. For emergency preparedness Yellowknife needs more money for the preparedness aspect to reduce the costs when it gets to the response level. Alty added that investing one dollar in preparedness can save $10 in response. With the increasing frequency of emergency events, it’s wise to invest ahead of time to save money over the long term. Alty added, Yellowknife has not received the amount they wanted … yet.
She sees the territorial government is adding staff to do the work, but at the municipal level, the city also needs staff to do the work. That is just another area where, without adequate funding, Alty said they are not able to do their part at a city. So, she hoped to see an increase in funding for community governments.
Housing is also a critical piece. With investment in addiction treatment and aftercare, without housing for people, it’s challenging for individuals to get back on their feet, said Alty. More needs to be seen in the housing space, but she was happy to see there was funding for transitional housing for addiction recovery in Yellowknife. However, that is one house, and they have to expand. The territory needs to invest now to save money later. Alty can appreciate it’s tough on budgets, but it is costing money not doing anything when it comes to addictions and homelessness. That is where we really need to accelerate investments.
