A group representing Yukon non-profits says financial help is needed for the sector as the cost of living in the territory has soared and that despite previous commitments, the Yukon government is ignoring their pleas.

“These organizations and individuals are working every day on critical services for our communities,” Wendy Morrison, the chair of the Yukon Nonprofit Advisory Council, said in an interview with the Star today.

Morrison said these people are “not even being recognized by the government as valuable workers in this territory.”

The advisory council is seeking cost of living adjustments (COLA) in its government funding agreements, a fulfilment of the Liberals’ promise for more COVID-19 recovery money and for the government to create one point of contact to deal with all these issues.

Morrison said these measures are needed as non-profit employees – who she says make up over 10 per cent of all Yukon workers – struggle to make ends meet, and suffer from burnout.

“They came out of COVID exhausted, and then inflation started,” Morrison said.

This makes staff retention for skilled professionals harder than ever.

“At the same time, other territorial sectors and government employees were getting increases to salaries,” she said. “So, it’s even harder because now there’s even more of a wage gap than there was before.”

Morrison says the non-profits represented by her group were told during an all-candidates’ debate during the 2021 territorial election campaign that $3 million would be provided to the sector as part of post-COVID social recovery commitments.

So far, the government has only come up with $250,000.

Numerous letters were sent over the summer asking Premier Ranj Pillai to respond to these commitments and to meet with the group.

Both opposition party leaders and MP Brendan Hanley have all met with Morrison, she says – but neither the premier nor anyone else from the government leadership has.

Part of the problem, according to Morrison, is that there is no “point person” in the government designated to deal with non-profits like there is for other sectors.

This forces them to deal with the government department-to-department in a scattershot approach.

“The retail sector has a point person and tourism has an entire department and ministry to help them navigate challenges through COVID and through the economic challenges,” Morrison said.

“And the non-profit sector has no one – there’s no one in government looking after this sector through all of these challenges.”

This is why Morrison was forced to go directly to the premier with her requests.

None of Pillai’s responses directly address the group’s requests, but instead detail other efforts the government is making to recovery economically from the pandemic.

None of the responses even acknowledge the promised $3 million.

“Thank you for writing to discuss these questions regarding opportunities to support the post-COVID-19 recovery with the nonprofit sector and for sharing your next steps,” concludes one of Pillai’s letters dated June 19.

Nor do Pillai’s responses provide a commitment to deal with the COLA issue; they simply say they are committed to “understand these pressures.”

Many non-profits have transfer payment agreements in place that provide budgets for staffing. These agreements are made with specific government departments.

Morrison said some departments have been willing to make changes as inflation has soared, while others haven’t budged.

She simply wants a government directive to at least review these agreements across the board in light of inflation.

“It doesn't cost the government anything to do that,” Morrison said.

Pillai’s Sept. 13 response was to tell them to continue working with individual departments.

“I welcome you to continue meeting with departmental officials to further discuss the unique needs of your organizations as well as current Transfer Payment Agreements,” reads the letter.

This issue has now been picked up by the official Opposition, who asked on Monday in the legislature what the government plans to do to support the non-profit sector in light of these issues.

“Many of the NGOs represented in the August 2 letter deliver services directly on behalf of the Government of Yukon, and they make it clear that the premier’s multiple responses throughout the summer ignored the issue,” Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon told the legislature.

Because Pillai was in Halifax for a premiers’ conference on Monday, Deputy Premier Jeanie McLean responded to the questions.

“Identifying those pressures is resulting from the cost of living and the situation after COVID-19,” she said.

“We remain committed to working together with those partners to address funding needs and program opportunities.”