Wilp Si’ayuuḵhl Nisg̱a’a Convenes in Special Sitting to Amend Budget to Increase Post-Secondary Living Allowance
For Immediate Release (pdf version below)
Wilp Si’ayuuḵhl Nisg̱a’a Convenes in Special Sitting to Amend Budget to Increase Post-Secondary Living Allowance
February 10, 2023 – New Aiyansh, B.C.: Nisg̱a’a Citizens who are funded as eligible full-time students under the Nisg̱a’a Post-Secondary Education Assistance Program, 2014 will receive an increase in living allowance after Wilp Si’ayuuḵhl Nisg̱a’a (WSN) convened in a special sitting this week to amend the budget for the current fiscal year 2022-2023.
Director of Programs and Services Denise Verreault and Chief Financial Officer Terry Holt provided WSN with an update on the ’Living Allowance increase for Eligible Full-Time Students’ report, which set out a number of proposed changes to the Nisg̱a’a Post Secondary Education Assistance Program Policy, 2014 in respect of living allowances.
Following receipt of the report, Wilp Si’ayuuḵhl Nisg̱a’a voted unanimously in favour of the proposed changes that would see each eligible full-time student (without dependents) see an increase from $1,300.00 per month, to $2,000.00 per month in living allowance, students with one dependent from $1,930.00 to $2,630.00 per month, and dependents from $130.00 per month to $200.00 per month.
Further details on the living allowance amendments are reflected below:
11.12 The living allowance amount that an eligible student may receive will be determined by the Education Administrator in accordance with the following:
(a) Students without a Dependent Spouse or any other Dependents will receive $2,000.00/month.
(b) Students with a Dependent Spouse or one other Dependent will receive $2,630.00/month.
(c) In addition to the base rates above, students will receive $200.00/month for each additional Dependent when the appropriate supporting documentation for the Dependent is provided.
Nisg̱a’a Nation President Eva Clayton celebrated the decision of WSN, saying, “Today we have demonstrated that our Government indeed will evolve to meet the needs of our people. Our Nisg̱a’a citizens who are pursuing post-secondary education in various fields of academia and the trades are the future of our Nation, and it is important that we continue to support them and equally as important that we ensure the living allowance support is reflective of the cost of living.”
The increase in living allowance will be retroactive to December 2022 and will be implemented through the regular monthly payment processes utilized by the Education Administrators in each of the four Nisg̱a’a Village Governments of Gitlax̱t’aamiks, Gitwinksilhlkw, Lax̱g̱alts’ap and Ging̱olx.
As part of the budget amendments deliberated by Wilp Si’ayuuḵhl Nisg̱a’a, they also adopted increased funding to support installation of fibre optic improvements throughout the Nass Valley with the hiring of 3 new staff to NLG’s Information Technology directorate and to implement enhancements to the administrative pension plans for Nisga’a Lisims Government, Nisga’a Villages, Urban Locals and Wilp Wilxo’oskwhl Nisga’a and to allocate funds to Nisga’a Employment Skills and Training to meet its contractual obligations under the Economic Recovery Program.
Wilp Si’ayuuḵlhl Nisg̱a’a will have its next regular sitting in late March for the debate and adoption of the Budget of the Nisg̱a’a Nation for Fiscal Year 2023-2024.
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For further information:
Bobby Clark, Director
Communications & Intergovernmental Relations
T: (250) 615 3786
