Aid for displaced Enterprise residents ends next month
Displacement allowances for Enterprise residents who lost their homes in last year's wildfires will end in August.
Presently, 20 Enterprise homeowners affected by last year's wildfires are either receiving displacement allowance or are staying in accommodation covered by the GNWT, according to Emily King, director of emergency management at the N.W.T.'s Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Residents unable to return home were entitled to receive aid for a maximum of six months once evacuation centres were closed, with the possibility of extension determined on a case-by-case basis, King said in a statement.
Displacement allowance amounts to a monthly payment of between $500 and $1,500 depending on the size of the household.
"The temporary financial supports currently provided to individuals who were unable to return home due to the 2023 wildfire are scheduled to end in August 2024," King said.
"Having said that, the GNWT is working to clarify with the federal government if there are other options available."
In the days since mayor Sandra McMaster resigned from council, Enterprise council members have said they will focus their attention on other issues facing the community, such as housing.
"All our residents have gone through a very tough and trying time. The events of the past year have affected everyone," said newly installed mayor Barbara Hart in a statement to Cabin Radio.
"The vision for the hamlet is ... that we start the rebuilding not only in the community, but also in the trust our residents need to have in us."
In May, the territorial government notified uninsured Enterprise homeowners and business owners that they would not receive disaster assistance to rebuild after a wildfire burned through and destroyed much of the hamlet.
At a June 26 council meeting, councillors heard ideas from residents about housing solutions, according to councillor Genevieve Clarke, who attended the meeting virtually.
"A lot of residents still want to go forward to see if they can still find some sort of help, to help us rebuild," said Clarke. "Sixty percent of our community is out right now."
Clarke says council is now exploring options for assistance from organizations like Housing N.W.T. and the Red Cross.
Dehcho MLA Sheryl Yakeleya spoke in the legislature last month regarding support for temporary housing in Enterprise. Another councillor, Jim Dives, says he is not optimistic this will yield results.
"Basically they shunted that off, as well as the letter we sent to the MLAs," Dives said, referring to a letter Enterprise council sent to the Legislative Assembly requesting financial aid for residents affected by wildfires.
"It was basically the same reply that we got, that there was no funding for people without insurance, period. It was disheartening to say the least."
"We are and will be exploring all avenues available to aid our residents in the rebuilding or replacing that which they have lost," said Hart.
"These are not always a quick or simple solution, as each situation is different.
"I believe in this community and its residents and thank all those that have been there."
Simona Rosenfield, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio
