The Government of the Northwest Territories has been ordered to pay $15,000 to three NWT residents after a human rights adjudicator ruled its income assistance food voucher program was discriminatory.

Last year, a Tuktoyaktuk woman filed a human rights complaint claiming the territorySA国际影视传媒檚 method of delivering income assistance through food vouchers SA国际影视传媒� not cash or cheques SA国际影视传媒� made her feel "hurt and humiliated."

The food voucher system, applied in Tuktoyaktuk, was a departure from the GNWTSA国际影视传媒檚 previous model that saw residents relying on income assistance receive payments directly.

But with concerns from community members that children were going hungry under the direct payment model, the territorial government moved to adopt the food voucher method.

The woman, joined by two other complaints, argued the new system was discriminatory. In November 2017, an adjudicator with the NWT Human Rights Adjudication Panel agreed, ruling the voucher system was based on the SA国际影视传媒渟uspicion that recipients in Tuktoyaktuk were spending money on drugs and alcohol instead of food for children,SA国际影视传媒� and that the policy was rooted in generalizations and stereotypes rather than fact.

The decision also stated the voucher system failed to provide SA国际影视传媒渋ndividualizedSA国际影视传媒� assessments of the needs of people on income assistance.

In February, in wake of the ruling, the GNWT returned to its previous direct payment model.

Despite reverting back its standard approach, a decision, handed down on July 5, ruled the GNWT must still provide compensation for the three complainants.

The territory must pay each complainant $5,000, for injury to SA国际影视传媒渄ignity, feelings and self-respect.SA国际影视传媒�

The GNWT must also SA国际影视传媒渞efrain in the future from discriminating against income assistant recipients based on stereotypes.SA国际影视传媒�

In the decision, the NWT Human Rights Adjudication Panel adjudicator acknowledged the GNWT was acting in SA国际影视传媒済ood faithSA国际影视传媒� by adopting the policy, and that discrimination occurred SA国际影视传媒渋ndirectly and unintentionally.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淪tereotypes underlying the policy originated with community leaders who were trying to grapple with legitimate social issues not directly related to income assistance,SA国际影视传媒� stated the adjudicator.