Yukon gov'ts new affordability measures 'tardy' and not enough, says Yukon Party, NDP

The Yukon government is getting flack from the Official Opposition Yukon Party and from the territorial NDP for its new affordability measures.

In a few news releases this week, the Yukon government said it would be rolling out a raft of measures to help alleviate the financial stress from the rise in inflation on Yukoners.

On Tuesday, the government offered up one-time $150 payments to social assistance recipients and to Yukon Seniors Income Supplement recipients. It also said it will give a one-time, 10 per cent payment to Pioneer Utility Grant (PUG) recipients; a six-month extension of $500 per month to caregivers of children in out-of-home care; and $100,000 to Food Network Yukon to "continue to support food security across the territory."

"These new measures will provide some financial relief during a challenging time for many low-income Yukoners,"  said Tracy-Anne McPhee, the minister of health, in a statement.

"We will continue to work with community partners to help find ways to provide support to Yukon families, seniors and other Yukoners who need support the most."

Later that day, John Streicker, the minister of energy, mines and resources, said in a news release that a $50 credit would be applied on all residential and commercial electricity customers' bills starting this October, which would continue each month through to December.

Then in a Wednesday news release, Streicker announced a new firewood rebate. Yukon households will get $50 for each cord of firewood purchased, the release said, to a maximum of 10 cords. People have to apply for this one and applicants have to submit a proof-of-delivery form signed by their firewood supplier. It's available for firewood bought between April 1 to March 31, 2023.

But in the views of the Yukon Party and the NDP, it's not enough.

According to Patti McLeod, Watson Lake MLA and member of the Yukon Party, the new measures don't "amount to very much."

"A $150 one-time payment … I don't think that covers very much for people these days," she said.

"Obviously, we're happy to hear that they did what they did. And I think that there are people that are going to be quite happy to get even that small amount. But it doesn't really help a lot."

In a news release from the Yukon Party, it says the territorial government needs to "improve their tardy measures specifically designed to help seniors and elders."

The party's release, issued Wednesday, also said the measures are in "stark contrast" to the Yukon Party's suggestion of doubling of the PUG grant from $1,173 for Whitehorse, and $1,257 for rural Yukon, and McLeod added, for a longer period, possibly up to three years.

"If the PUG increase were actioned this past spring when it was first raised, seniors would have realized the benefit before winter," the release said.

The party also calls for the government to increase the amount claimed through the Home Owners Grant to a maximum of $1,000 for those eligible seniors and elders "until the inflation crisis is over."

'Piecemeal approach'

Meanwhile, what chafed Kate White, leader of the Yukon NDP, was the "cause and effect" approach to the measures.

"It's short-term. It focuses on some folks, but not on a broad broad spectrum of people. And we're not talking about systemic changes," she said.

Her party's announcement Wednesday called for permanent changes to the territory's child tax benefit a with a one-time adjustment from $820 to $983 per child, then pegging the benefit to the annual rate of inflation going forward. The party also suggests bumping the social assistance program up by $300 per month to "reflect the cost of living in the territory in 2022" and to increase the next quarterly Yukon carbon rebates of between $250 and $500 based on an "income-tested increase."

She said the measures her party put forward are measures the territory can do now.

"This is something that government can do and this is something that governments should do," White said.

When it comes to the firewood rebate, she said that too is not addressing the underlying shortage problem.

"Having the government release it right now, just ahead of the heating season … is not answering the problem, which is there isn't access to firewood," she said.

"[It's] a short-term, again, near-sighted way to actually deal with the problem. What we need to do is make sure that there's wood available for woodcutters."

She thinks there's an opportunity right now for the government to look into affordability issues "in the broad spectrum."

"And I think unfortunately, what we're seeing right now is a piecemeal approach."