Education in the NWT is getting a boost of up to $14 millon to fill the gaps left by changes to the Jordan's Principle program.
"The GNWT has been urging the federal government since February of 2025 to reconsider these changes in the Northwest Territories," said Education, Culture and Employment Minister Caitlin Cleveland on Aug. 28. "Jordan's Principle has never been supplemental. It has been essential. Rolling back these supports now would risk years of progress in building safe, inclusive, equitable learning environments.
"While Ottawa has recently indicated that its operating procedures are under further review, students are returning to school now, and they need certainty. That's why we're stepping in with up to $14 million of interim funding to support education bodies that have not received the funding they have applied for."
Cleveland added the funding is temporary and the GNWT is lobbying Ottawa to establish a stable long-term commitment for the programs that Jordan's Principle was previously supporting. She said the goal is to avoid a change in programming for students.
Many of the staff who were laid off earlier this year have been invited back as guest and substitute teachers to keep them available for students, said Yellowknife Education District No. 1 superintendent Shirley Zouboules.
Cleveland noted that since the Jordan's Principle and Inuit Child First Initiative came into effect in 2018, the NWT has accessed over $211 million of funding. In the past year, that funding helped cover 205 education assistant positions in the territory.
