BackThe report, entitled An Ounce of Prevention: Fairness in the Income Assistance Program, considered service fairness in the Northwest Territories government’s administration of its income assistance program, which provides financial help to people who would otherwise have difficulty meeting basic needs.
The investigation specifically examined how the government receives and responds to income assistance clients’ complaints and concerns about service delivery, how it monitors service quality and looks for ways to improve, and how it supports its staff to provide impartial and people-centred service. The report includes 11 recommendations primarily aimed at improving the accessibility, efficiency, accountability, and responsiveness of the process for income assistance clients to bring concerns to the government’s attention, and at ensuring income assistance staff have the support they need to provide fair service. The government accepted the 11 recommendations and expects to have actioned them by September 2024.
In the course of the investigation nearly all staff involved with the income assistance program were interviewed, which helped provide a broad perspective on the issues under investigation. The report includes several direct quotes from staff to reflect their experiences in their own words.
The full report is available in English here. A French language summary is available here. Both reports can also be found in the donwload section below.
Source: Office of the Ombud Northwest Territories, Canada
