The Office of the Chief Public Health Officer continues to recommend residents use re-usable cloth or disposable face coverings when in public places. Materials available from home can be used to create effective, do-it-yourself face coverings.

Access to these non-medical facemasks in all regions will be important as Northwest Territories (NWT) businesses begin to resume operations and we take steps to recover our economy.

The Department of Industry Tourism and Investment wants to know where NWT residents can purchase cotton facemasks in their communities.

The territory-wide Public Health Emergency and State of Emergency have been extended in the Northwest Territories. Both extensions will take effect as of May 13, 2020 and expire on May 26, 2020.

These extensions are due to the continued need for response to the COVID-19 global pandemic to protect public health in the Northwest Territories and do not indicate a significant change in circumstances or an increased risk to the people of the NWT.

Today, Minister of Finance Caroline Wawzonek announced that the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) will allocate up to $6.2 million to temporarily top up wages for workers making less than $18 per hour.

Under this program, businesses are asked to apply for temporary funding to increase the wages of their employees who make less than $18 per hour, for a maximum of 16 weeks between April 1 and July 31, 2020. The program is available to all workers in the NWT that are currently earning less than $18 per hour and are over 15 years old.

Today, the GNWT charted a path to emerging from the current public health measures implemented to contain COVID-19 in the NWT – and the easing could start within a week.

The plan, titled Emerging Wisely, outlines where we are today, how we got here, and a five-part approach for gradually moving the territory from the containment measures in-place today through four phases of eased measures. The path includes progressively-eased restrictions on people, businesses, and activities important to residents.

The Government of the Northwest Territories’  Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development (SEED) program, led by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI), is open for applications.

The Department of ITI has developed a program guideline for 2020-21 focused on keeping investment within our communities and supporting local employment. It will work to prioritize applications from NWT businesses whose proposals focus on economic recovery.

Good morning everyone and thank you for joining us today for this announcement.

This morning I am here to talk a bit about some changes coming out of the Department of Lands, in response to the impacts of COVID-19.

The physical distancing and isolation measures used to combat the spread of COVID-19 have created new and very real economic stress on Northwest Territories residents, families, businesses, Indigenous governments and communities.

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) understands the physical distancing and isolation measures used to combat the spread of COVID-19 have created new and very real economic stress on Northwest Territories (NWT) residents, families, businesses, Indigenous governments and communities. To ease some of the burden, Shane Thompson, Minister of Lands announced the Department intends to waive rent on existing surface dispositions on public land, for the fiscal year 2020-21.

The Government of the Northwest Territories recognizes how important it is for residents to be able to access information about COVID-19 in a single location, and has made some changes to address that need.

Information is power in the collective response to COVID-19 in the Northwest Territories – and now, it’s a whole lot easier to find. That’s because the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has launched a new, standalone, cross-government website bringing all the information and resources about the territory’s pandemic response under one roof.

Today, Minister of Finance Caroline Wawzonek announced that the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) will allocate $8.7 million in funding to support Northwest Territories’ (NWT) passenger-based airlines who offer scheduled service during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective today, the Department of Finance has introduced amendments to the Northwest Territories’ Liquor Regulations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The amended regulations allow all Class A and Class B licensed establishments in the Northwest Territories (NWT) to sell beer, wine and spirits for take-out and delivery without the need for an off-premises extension to their license.