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Displaced people who spoke to cabin radio for this article described not only inadequate financial help, but also the sudden, troubling loss of aid they were receiving.
The Territorial Government is currently offering payments of up to $1,000 for evacuees on income support, a one-time payment of $750 for people whose income is disrupted, and per vehicle for people who move themselves to safety during the evacuation Offering payments of up to $750. Businesses can receive up to $5,000 in assistance.
But the uncertainty of many evacuation conditions, from initial ambiguity about who will foot the bill to a lack of clarity about when everyone can go home, is taking a serious toll on some displaced residents.
“Besides that payment announcement, $750 per vehicle, I have not received any other assistance. I am the carer for my brother, Fred, who has dementia,” said 71-year-old Beatrice Lepine, a Cree elder who set out with her brother from the Hay River on August 16.
The two moved into their nephew Chris’ home in Edmonton, and Chris and his wife moved into her parents’ home.
This was done out of necessity, Chris said, as the conditions at the evacuation center and hotel accommodation would be unimaginable for his aunt and uncle – the lights and noise, the large number of people and the pre-arranged food would clash with the complex. The health needs of two elderly people.
Weary Beatrice and Fred arrive after a 19-hour drive. “It was tough on them. When he came in on Thursday night, he looked downright miserable,” Chris said. “It was unbelievable.”
He says it would have been worse if he had used public services.
“My uncle must have had a bad mental health, because he wouldn’t wake up in a huge space with hundreds of people around him, not knowing where he was or how to get to the bathroom,” Chris said.
“My aunt, who already bears the responsibility of taking care of him, will have no place to go, no one to help him.”
“Big places, lots of people – that’s not it. ‘He shuts down when he goes to places like this,’ Beatrice said. ‘He just can’t work. He gets all confused.”
Supporting his aunt and uncle, Chris has taken on a financial responsibility, fielding requests and questions, and traveling an extra hour to and from his parents’ home. There is no end in sight to this.
Chris said, “I’ve effectively turned from a daily IT guy into a homeowner.”
Asked whether the financial support from the GNWT was enough, Beatrice said: “There are a lot of additional costs that people don’t even realise.”
She continued: “No, it doesn’t cover much, and it certainly doesn’t cover things like my nephew’s utilities, his electricity. All those services that are being provided to us in his house, by the government Not covered. It’s wasteful, really, when you think about it.
Chris raised questions about any provision to help the elderly, such as their relatives.
“I haven’t seen anything specifically offered to help people like Fred and Beatrice,” he told Cabin Radio. “Both his medical condition as well as his age.”
Beatrice and Fred both have diabetes and must eat carefully. “Fred and I follow a low-carb diet, so we have to eat salads heavily,” Beatrice said. “It means a feeling of well-being because your blood sugar is in the normal range. And since we were so stressed out when we got here, Fred was sleeping a lot. I also used to sleep a lot, until I finally fell asleep… It took two or three days before I felt better. With diabetes, staying healthy is important.”
Fred has symptoms of dementia to balance with his other medical concerns.
“That’s one area where I look [the government] As in failing diabetics and the elderly,” Beatrice said. “In fact, our health care system has basically left you on your own.”
Chris worried about what would happen if his relatives were forced to pay for reasonable housing themselves.
“They have effectively shifted the burden of responsibility, the financial responsibility from the government onto the families of senior citizens, which I find shocking,” Chris said. “I’ve never seen a government effectively change what we call refugees by simply throwing them over the border.”
Chris is not the only one with experience accessing services for special needs migrants.
Shirley Cook was concerned about the kind of care she would receive if she were to be emergency airlifted from Yellowknife. She has a disability that hinders speech and complicates communication.
Shirley decides to take a flight to Regina, Saskatchewan to be with her daughter-in-law Kelly and grandchildren.
Kelly has six children ranging in age from eight to 13 and is pregnant with her seventh. Her husband is out of town on work, while Kelly resumes her job as a school bus driver. Having said this, Shirley arrived at a busy house.
“She came here to be family and paid her own way,” Kelly said. “We are having trouble finding funding or any kind of service, anything, in Saskatchewan to help her because she decided to come here.
“I haven’t had any luck. I’ve been calling all services around here — Mobile Crisis, 811, 211, everywhere — and they weren’t very helpful.”
Shirley hastily packed three changes of clothes, and nothing else. Kelly says that since she arrived, she has spent more than $1,000 to help her mother-in-law.
“We are selling items from our home to financially support her dietary needs and her special needs,” Kelly said.
“I want to comfort her while I’m at work, help her around the house, or take her for walks or things like that.
“There’s no clearance center where she can eat or get some clothes. Even at thrift stores, I’ve talked to managers and said, ‘Can we at least get a discount for clearance? ?’ The thrift store couldn’t even give her a senior’s discount, so we’re paying full price for everything.
The only help so far has been the local church, supplying a chair for the shower, proper handrails, a dresser and even sweaters for the colder nights. “There’s been a lot of community support, but no resource support,” Kelly said.
Since leaving Yellowknife more than a week ago, Shirley has received $500 in income support. As it stands, he is not eligible for GNWT’s Income Disruption Assistance, Evacuation Travel Assistance, or Organized Re-entry for Evacuees.
Because Shirley decided to move to Saskatchewan to be with family, and because she paid for it herself, Kelly worries how Shirley will come back without financial support.
Kelly says they have space at home and want to take care of Shirley, but she needs some help stocking up on food and clothing, and personal care during the work day.
The NWT government has stated that the assistance available in southern jurisdictions is not a matter over which it has control, and has thanked provinces such as Alberta for the help provided so far by local authorities.
But concerns about financial support are affecting people across the Northern Territory.
For Jamin Fraser—a nickname the Yellowknife resident uses—the situation is devastating.
After following government instructions under the evacuation order and getting himself out of Yellowknife, Fraser’s car broke down in High Level, an incident which he said required $3,000 in repairs—a bill he accepted. Yes, it is not necessarily the fault of the region. However, his income has been disrupted due to the eviction and he will have to pay an additional $1,500 in rent due on September 1st.
Because he cannot afford the car repairs, Fraser is staying at a friend’s house in High Level and has not been able to reconnect with his wife in Calgary.
“I do not expect GNWT to pay for my vehicle damages. However, if we had known there would be no support, or very little, I would have opted to fly,” Fraser said. He says his monthly income of about $4,500 has disappeared.
Fraser’s wife was in the cardiac ward for three weeks last April, he said, so he was already reeling from the financial blow. They believe that the financial assistance announced by the GNWT is indifferent to the needs of evacuees whose income has been wiped out, and who are struggling to make ends meet in a growing pool of evacuee-related expenses.
“I’m not sure we have enough money to finish it by the beginning of next month,” he said.
He said of the Income Disruption Payment, “$750 from the Territories for the first time is more or less a slap in the face.” The other $750 for travel, he added, “hits the other cheek.”
“You’ve heard all about Northview. well that’s great. But what if you don’t work for GNWT and what if you don’t rent from Northview?”
With these challenges in mind, Fraser thanked the networks that helped her.
He said, “I am very grateful for the help I have received and I am also very grateful to the people of Alberta.” “But I really think there are a lot of people like me who are going through troubles and who are looking at the looming date of September 1st, thinking: ‘Oh my God, what do I do?’”
Chris Lepine believes that a billing agreement should be drafted between the GNWT and the families hosting the displaced to compensate for the cost of the care and services provided. “There is no emergency funding at the moment, which is in the pockets of those evacuated,” he said this week.
Beatrice Lépine said, “I wish they would provide compensation payments to the Alberta landlords who resettled those who were evicted.” “It is not fair. Hotels, commercial properties will get compensation.
NWT Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek addressed concerns regarding financial assistance to those laid off in a Facebook post earlier this week.
In essence, she suggested the sector had little money to work with and was prioritizing cash as much as possible.
“Given our limited revenue from a small population served across a vast geography, we also want to ensure that any evacuation program we design is done in anticipation of being able to access the federal disaster financial assistance system,” He wrote giving a reference. Federal program that gives money to provinces and territories hit by disasters like wildfires.
“More personalized responses to this humanitarian crisis are often better served by the nonprofit sector, which can respond in a more targeted way than government can,” Wawzonek said.
He added, “After seeing the incredible ability of United Way NWT to work with front-line partner organizations during this year’s fire season, GNWT has made another $250,000 donation to United Way NWT.” “
The organizations funded by United Way NWT are currently unclear. The charity has said it will issue a list in its 2023-24 annual report.
Wavzonek emphasized the availability of free housing and food in Alberta through evacuation centres, and the availability of free camping sites.
“We rely on Alberta’s emergency services for deliveries but GNWT will ultimately pay for all of this,” he wrote. “These costs will be in the millions.”
At the legislature on Monday, Wawzonek said the more than $100 million bill for this year’s wildfire season means the NWT government has “completely squandered” its surplus – which typically Instead of money saved, there is money spent on infrastructure – and it is facing a “lot of problems.”
Wavzonec expects the cost of travel-related evacuation financing to reach $10 million. He said the $750 income support has been expanded to include self-employed residents, public housing tenants have their rent waived during evacuation, and foster families are receiving a $500 income supplement.
Finally, he said the cost could be significant even in communities without an evacuation order.
“A working group has been formed to address emerging challenges to food security in small communities affected by reduced transportation capacity through Yellowknife,” the finance minister wrote.
“Depending on how this all unfolds, it could even be in the millions.”
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio
Source: www.bing.com
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