N.W.T. NGOs say cost of living a key issue in this federal election

The cost of living is a concern for many N.W.T. community organizations and they want to know how candidates running to be the territory’s next MP intend to address it. 

Tony Brushett, executive director of the Salvation Army in Yellowknife, reached out to all the candidates by email asking how they will support organizations like the Salvation Army.

“Two of them came back by email with very detailed answers to my questions … that they feel and share the same views that we do,” Brushett said. “I wouldn’t expect anything less but I will hold them to the fire [if they are elected]  … and remind them of the conversations we had.”

Four candidates are running for N.W.T.’s lone seat in Parliament. Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Atly is running for the Liberals, Angela Davidson, also known as Rainbow Eyes, is running for the Greens, Kimberly Fairman for the Conservatives, and Kelvin Kotchilea for the NDP.

The cost of living is on the minds of N.W.T. voters this election and according to a recent report from Statistics Canada the cost of living in the territory’s capital is well above the national average.

Most vulnerable affected by rising costs

When Brushett thinks about the cost of living, he says he thinks about the high cost of groceries and the people who use his food bank, which he says is at the lowest level of inventory that he’s ever seen.

“Some of the donors like supermarkets and those types of places, they’re probably bringing in less and there’s a lot of product that was coming from the United States that likely is not coming up now,” he said. “And we are seeing new families coming in who probably never used a food bank before in their lives.”

Brushett worries that if the tariff battle with the U.S. continues, organizations like the Salvation Army won’t be able to keep up with demand.

Gloria Francis, manager of the Yellowknife Women’s Centre, says she’s also seeing an increase in demand for the shelter’s services. She says that so far, only NDP candidate Kelvin Kotchilea has addressed the issues that affect the women she serves.

“I think Kelvin has definitely touched on some of the issues with our homeless population,” she said. “And I’ve seen his thing about drugs and addictions and stuff within his community, which is like a big thing because communities are really overrun with substance abuse.”

For people in the 2SLGBTQ+ community, it’s a challenge to find a job that will cover the rising costs of living, says Chelsea Thacker, the executive director of the Northern Mosaic Network, an N.W.T. organization that provides advocacy and peer support and a safe space for the queer community.

“We know that trans and gender diverse people often have a harder time finding employment and stable employment, which means that their income is really inconsistent…. And so people are really left in very precarious housing situations and/or, like, house-less.”

Smaller communities hit hard

Outside of the territory’s capital, many smaller communities have been hit hard by rising costs and face challenges transporting supplies into their communities by ice road or barge.

Communities like Norman Wells have declared states of emergency in response to the high cost of living.

In December, leaders in the Sahtu region, including MLA Danny McNeely, started talking to Food Banks Canada and Nutrition North about setting up food banks in their communities as a way to deal with the high cost of groceries made worse by barges that were cancelled over the past two summers.

Vernon Amos, the former chair of the Sachs Harbour Community Corporation, says tax hikes have led to precarious living conditions for families in smaller communities.

“The incredible cost of everything through the carbon tax. I know it’s been repealed … but all of the damage that was done through that with the incredibly high cost of everything, all of the taxes added up…. We’ve seen the costs of almost everything double and triple in some cases.”

Amos says he thinks the Conservatives are offering some relief to the high cost of living.

“A tax break for one, instead of all of these gradual increases every year. All of the red tape that would be removed from building houses — that’s something that I support.”

Federal parties offer tax cuts

Each party has proposed ideas to address the rising cost of living.

The Liberals say they would trim one percentage point off the lowest income tax bracket. They would also cancel a proposed hike to the capital gains inclusion rate.

The Greens would raise the untaxed income threshold to $40,000. They would also create a guaranteed livable income.

The Conservatives say they would drop the tax rate on the lowest income tax bracket from 15 per cent to 12.75 per cent. They would also defer capital gains taxes if the proceeds are reinvested in Canada.

The NDP pledges to raise the basic personal amount, the threshold under which Canadians do not pay tax, from $16,129 to $19,500. The party would also eliminate GST on essentials like energy, internet and mobile phone bills.