Photo by Whitehorse Star
Yukon MP Larry Bagnell
More federal health money headed north
The Yukon is in line to receive $4.4 million in additional Canada Health Transfer funding, and $1.1 million as part of Canada’s COVID-19 Immunization plan.
The Yukon is in line to receive $4.4 million in additional Canada Health Transfer funding, and $1.1 million as part of Canada’s COVID-19 Immunization plan.
The federal government has announced more pandemic support for the Yukon’s health care system and municipal and First Nations governments.
Last week, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland introduced Bill C-25 in the House of Commons.
This legislation would provide an additional $7.2 billion in support for urgent health care needs across the country, the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, and for local infrastructure projects in cities and communities.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has added stress to the Yukon health care system,” Yukon MP Larry Bagnell said Monday.
“This bill will provide additional support to the Government of Yukon to mitigate the burden of the pandemic and support the cost of the vaccine roll-out strategy.”
In addition to support for health care and vaccines, Bill C-25 would provide a one-time doubling of the federal Gas Tax Fund.
The bill would see the Yukon receive an additional $16.5 million from the fund, for a total of $33 million for fiscal 2020-21.
Additionally, as part of this legislation, the Gas Tax Fund would be renamed to the Canada Community-Building Fund.
“Local infrastructure continues to be at the heart of our communities, as well as a creator of jobs in all parts of the Yukon,” said Bagnell.
“I am very pleased that our government continues to make municipalities and First Nation governments a top priority.”
Recent projects that have benefited from the gas tax fund in the Yukon include the new flexi-hall floor at the Canada Games Centre and a new electronic payment hardware and real-time bus tracking technology being installed in buses to make transit more convenient.
The Village of Carmacks has installed new streetlights and the Champagne-Aishihik First Nations have installed solar panels on the Da Ku Cultural Centre for greater energy efficiency.
The Town of Faro enhanced its wilderness trail system around and within the town for easier access by the community and visitors.
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Comments (20)
Up 12 Down 4
North_of_60 on Apr 3, 2021 at 8:40 pm
At a time when many Canadians face financial struggles due to COVID-19, the size of payments made to a couple of Government of Yukon contractors may turn heads.
Between April 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021, the Yukon's Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO) Dr. Catherine Elliot will have received $886,442.34 in public funds.
Dr. Brendan Hanley, the Yukon's Chief Medical Officer (CMO), will have received $727,515.44 for the same time period.
These figures mean that Elliot and Hanley are the highest paid DCMO and CMO in all of Canada even though the population they are responsible for is tiny when compared to other parts of the country.
Both are expected to receive a lot more than the published figures for this 18-month time period because new contracts for each of them are due to come into effect on April 1.
Whilst they are not the only government contractors receiving needlessly high payouts, their cases help shine a light on the harm done to communities where the Government of Yukon year after year receives more money than it needs from Ottawa.
The Yukon's deeply-ingrained system of paying unnecessarily large amounts of taxpayer money to government contractors and employees is one of the main drivers of the rapidly growing wealth inequality in the territory.
The cost of everything from property to rental units and used cars is being dictated by the government's uneven distribution of wealth that favours its own officials, employees and agendas.
A growing number of private sector workers, meanwhile, are struggling to compete with the government-spawned 'nouveau riche' and as a result are becoming increasingly dispossessed.
To put the Yukon's systemic wealth inequality in context, here is what some people are currently earning in one year (based on figures taken from public disclosure websites and employers' job postings):
Dr. Catherine Elliot, Yukon's DCMO (pop. 42,000) - $590,961.56
Dr. Brendan Hanley, Yukon's CMO (pop. 42,000) - $485,010.29
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada - $365,200
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's CMO (pop. 4,300,000) - $332,164.64
Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC's CMO (pop. 5,100,000) - $275,423.00
Yukon Government, deputy minister - $248.696
Yukon Government, manager - $192,419
Yukon Government, director - $151,281.00
Yukon government, social worker - $104,504
Yukon government, policy analyst $98,915.00
Private sector entry-level childcare worker, Whitehorse - $39,000
Security guard, Whitehorse - $32,011
Sales associate, Whitehorse - $31,200
Fast food worker, Whitehorse - $29,250
Kitchen helper, Whitehorse - $27, 447
https://www.whitewashnews.com/post/yukon-contractors-paid-over-725-000-each
Up 10 Down 1
marylaker on Apr 3, 2021 at 9:02 am
Streetlights in Carmacks? How about FAS prevention. Get serious about that health problem. It is 100% preventable and has one cause. Whatever it takes, stop the terrible brain damage being inflicted on the next generation. If someone chooses to have a baby, it is not okay to drink while pregnant. Everyone knows that. Help those women to stay away from the booze while pregnant, no matter what it costs. Provide deprovara (sp?) long term birth control for alcoholics. This is an enormous health care issue that gets very little attention for the damage it causes, maybe because it's too late for those who have FAS, and we don't care much about future generations or what's right and wrong.
Up 16 Down 2
Groucho d'North on Apr 2, 2021 at 12:02 pm
The "Bag-man cometh" sugar-coating our money to make it look like a gift of some kind. It's all borrowed money our kids and grand kids will be paying back during their careers.
Up 17 Down 4
Mike Grieco on Mar 31, 2021 at 10:45 pm
The dice are loaded - and the purse is bloated!
Up 14 Down 4
TheHammer on Mar 31, 2021 at 7:48 pm
JSM@ Relax, there's a good chance your kids will be on Social Assistance.
Up 13 Down 3
Charlie's Aunt on Mar 31, 2021 at 7:44 pm
Hmm; Grizzly Adams is beginning to look and sound more like Santa Claus; he'd better hook up his reindeer for a sleigh ride.
Up 13 Down 5
Beaker on Mar 31, 2021 at 5:01 pm
It was well known that as of April 1st carbon tax will go up significantly and thus gas prices. I noticed that as of March 30th local gas prices went up 5 cents a litre. If on April 1st they go up another 8 cents then that’s collusion.
Up 26 Down 3
Nathan Living on Mar 31, 2021 at 3:54 pm
Shameless promises and give aways federally and territorially.
Vote getting at its finest.
Up 8 Down 5
jason on Mar 31, 2021 at 1:40 pm
@bonanzajoe it was called gas tax because that's where the money came from ... taxes on gasoline ... also, pretty sure a main goal of the fund is to reduce carbon emissions/GHG so it is directly related to reducing fossil fuel usage.
Up 13 Down 7
Politico on Mar 31, 2021 at 11:41 am
So who said this is happening JJ, the voices in your head. Let's make the CONservatives all happy, refuse the money and send it back to Ottawa. Tell those Liberals we'll take care of our own!
Up 19 Down 12
Wilf Carter on Mar 31, 2021 at 7:00 am
Who going to pay back all the debt and free money given to other countries?
Up 19 Down 5
Taxed to death by the brain dead, scaredy cat, morons of political amorality on Mar 30, 2021 at 10:30 pm
Worse than that JSM... Anything one might leave for their children through inheritance will be taxed as well. So, you will pay with your death if not sooner in some form of equity tax in addition to all the other taxes... That carbon tax is gonna be a doozy! Hey, maybe you will pay off the debt before you die... Save the women and children... No life boat ride for you!
Up 13 Down 7
Liberals Lost in Space... We hope! on Mar 30, 2021 at 10:21 pm
Haha... You are absolutely right Artur’s - The Liberals are “taking” our health. They are creating an absolutely sick society both mentally and physically.
There should be an IQ test before the vote. Anything in the Liberal range, 1-100, and you cannot vote. If you score in the Conservative range, 101 +, you will be screened for a mental health issue that would put you at risk of being unable to exercise good judgment and therefore more likely to vote Liberal.
Let’s keep going... Hopefully that’s a reference to a sci-fi, thriller in which all the Liberals leave earth to proselytize alien worlds... Too show them that peaceful co-existence among their races is an illusion and that their children are the wrong gender and must have gender reassignment surgery... To boldly go where no Liberal has gone before... To convert new species on the spaceship, Hypocrisy.
Up 27 Down 7
Mike on Mar 30, 2021 at 5:58 pm
Sorry about your luck Liberals. You are done here in the Yukon and Canada buying votes and promising the world but credibility and trust are completely gone. Trying to make it sound like the Yukon benefits from this whether it's territorial or federal, it's still our tax dollars being flaunted around like the country can afford it.
Up 26 Down 3
bonanzajoe on Mar 30, 2021 at 5:19 pm
Carbon Tax renamed the Canada Community - Building Fund. Much more politically correct. And takes the heat off the gas tax. And what do all these programs mentioned got to do with fuel emissions? Absolutely nothing. Which is why the tax had to be renamed. Another Marxist Lieberal strategy. Works for most people I guess. And of course the Federal Libs have to help out their northern brother and sister Yukon Liberal Party during the Yukon election. And we all know that a federal election is coming as well. Notice how they are making the FN the top priority. How about making us taxpayers and contributors to this country a top priority. Well, that would be racist I guess. And heavens to betsy, we sure don't want any of that.
Up 20 Down 5
bonanzajoe on Mar 30, 2021 at 5:08 pm
Nice to see Yukon's Banker Larry wearing his cheque cutting suit again.
Up 8 Down 59
Arturs on Mar 30, 2021 at 4:12 pm
Liberals taking Yukoner's health first and foremost. Let's keep it going!
Up 57 Down 9
Old and tired on Mar 30, 2021 at 3:57 pm
The honey badger emerges from it's winter lair long enough to scatter a few scraps to the unwashed hoards, a sure sign an election is just around the corner. It quickly retreats to its warm dark cavern to slumber until the writ drops.
Up 52 Down 11
JSM on Mar 30, 2021 at 3:04 pm
Look, even more lieberal spending that my poor dearest children will have to pay off. This is getting out of hand.
Up 26 Down 9
Juniper Jackson on Mar 30, 2021 at 2:35 pm
uh huh. While i like the health care money, where will it be reassigned to when the Poly clinics come in and there is a big health dollar surplus?