The federal government has given the Northwest Territories $33.75 million through the Canada Community-Building Fund (CCBF).
That’s more than twice as much as the NWT received last year, when the pot of money was known as the Gas Tax Fund.
“The doubling of the Canada Community-Building Fund will improve the daily lives of people in the Northwest Territories by allowing communities of all sizes to plan important infrastructure projects while creating jobs and strengthening the economy,” said Michael McLeod, the NWT’s member of Parliament, on July 26. “The flexibility of the categories allows communities to plan for the long-term as we work together through the impacts of the pandemic.”
The City of Yellowknife and the Town of Fort Smith will use the money to continue to replace aging wastewater infrastructure.
A fire hall and fire station infrastructure category has been added to make those items eligible as expenses.
Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty said the city is appreciative that the funding is “flexible for the community.”
“When it comes to clean drinking water and garbage disposal and sewage and fire halls, it is an important service that the city provides,” said Alty. “So to be able to have funding available for all essential services so we can maintain our infrastructure is really important. We are really grateful for the federal government support.”
The Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk will improve its arena to support the public in pursuing healthy and active lifestyles.
All NWT communities can use the money they receive immediately, save it for later or pool it with other communities in shared projects.
The name change to CCBF from the Gas Tax Fund was to reflect the program’s evolution and the will not change the requirements of the program, according to the federal government.