2023 NWT Election
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Jane Armstrong
Candidate in the Monfwi All Ridings race.
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News that mentions Jane Armstrong
Elders in public housing should not be charged rent, says MLA
October 22, 2025
CKLB 101.9 - The GNWT should seriously consider removing public housing rent obligations for Elders and seniors across the NWT, says a Tłı̨chǫ Region politician. Many elders and seniors face public housing monthly rent that strains their limited income, forcing some to choose between paying rent or buying groceries, medication or heating fuel, says Monfwi MLA Jane Weyallon Armstrong. “Public housing is meant to ensure that individuals and families who cannot afford market rate housing still have a place to live,” Weyallon Armstrong said in the NWT Assembly on Tuesday. “Given that seniors currently receive a $1,000 monthly income deductions when calculating rent, what is preventing the GNWT, from going further and eliminating rent entirely for seniors in public housing? Thank you.”The request seemed to momentarily stump Minister responsible for Housing NWT Lucy Kuptana.
Tuktoyaktuk ‘told to find funding within’ after major flood
October 22, 2025
Cabin Radio - Lucy Kuptana, the MLA representing Tuktoyaktuk, is a cabinet member. Armstrong said the local council met but did not declare a state of emergency, unaware that such a decision would affect territorial and federal disaster funding. McKay replied that declaring a local state of emergency does not always guarantee access to disaster funding, which depends on the kind and scale of emergency. Rodgers said Tuktoyaktuk, like other Beaufort Delta communities, is already struggling with infrastructure debt because of a new water treatment plant and its shoreline erosion project. McKay said the hamlet can use its existing community funding “essentially any way they want,” and has about $2.8 million due from a federal fund that could help if certain reporting is received by the GNWT.
‘Being respectful isn’t an option — it is essential’
October 17, 2025
CKLB 101.9 - “Being respectful isn’t an option — it is essential. “It is not only Frank’s family or his community of a Aklavik that is expressing great concern for the whereabouts of Frank. “Many had to pay out of pocket for fuel, food, lodging and other essential things (while) often far from home and without access to support. She said when advocating on behalf of her older constituents, the response from Housing NWT is that they should contact the North Slave district office in Yellowknife. Lucy Kuptana, Minister responsible for Housing NWT, replied that location visits to the region are regularly done.
ANALYIS: The unprincipled state of Jordan’s Priniciple
October 13, 2025
CKLB 101.9 - Indigenous Services Canada is reviewing Jordan’s Principle processes and policies at regional and national levels with long-term sustainability in mind. In June, she stated: “Jordan’s Principle was working in the North. Yellowknife School Division had been receiving more money from Jordan’s Principle than it did from taxpayers — more than $6 million. It will not be easy to restore another breakdown in trust between First Nations’ families and the government. Considering that Canada’s total international assistance was $12.3 billion in 2023-2024, with the cost to fund Jordan’s Principle that same period being $1.6 billion.
ANALYSIS: Violent crime up 75% in 10 years, despite studies, strong words
September 11, 2025
CKLB 101.9 - Confusion around crime reporting and enforcement roles, with many unclear whether to contact the RCMP, bylaw officers, or another agency. And that’s where some attempts at cracking down on crime can sit in purgatory for years, before quietly dying. In 2015, NWT Supreme Court Justice Louise Charbonneau issued a decision which contained a passage that has become quoted in serious drug cases ever since. They can work on keeping drugs and crime out of their communities and providing effective connections to culture. We hear about cocaine in family court frequently, and the Territorial Court hears about it in child welfare court frequently.”
Lawyers take issue with proposed family violence law changes
September 2, 2025
Cabin Radio - A group of family lawyers in the NWT says potential changes to territorial family violence legislation won’t address issues and could cause fresh problems. The NWT government is planning to amend the Protection Against Family Violence Act, which offers protections to victims of family violence beyond those in criminal law. The NWT’s Protection Against Family Violence Act, or PAFVA, came into force in 2005. A justice of the peace may issue an emergency protection order in urgent cases for up to 90 days. PAFVA focuses on family violence – physical, sexual, psychological, emotional or financial abuse from a family member or intimate partner.
Home heating subsidy rates increased by up to $1400 per year for older adults
August 20, 2025
My Yellow Knife Now - The GNWT just announced that they are permanently increasing subsidy rates and expanding eligibility criteria for their Senior Home Heating Subsidy program. For the 2025 to 2026 heating year, the subsidy will be available to more older adults, with the income threshold being increased across regions by as much as $15,000. Minister Caitlin Cleveland, who is the minister of Education, Culture and Employment, acknowledged that older adults have been made vulnerable by the strain of inflation. The Senior Home Heating Subsidy program provides financial assistance to low-to-modest income seniors to assist with the cost of heating their homes. The home heating subsidy’s income threshold for older adults has also been expanded for each zone, which means that more older adults will be eligible.
Ministers call for federal action to protect Jordan’s Principle
June 12, 2025
My Yellow Knife Now - Following a trip to Ottawa, the Honourable Minister Caitlin Cleveland and the Honourable Minister Lesa Semmler issued a joint statement yesterday on recent changes to Jordan’s Principle, urging swift federal action to protect the program. “Across the Northwest Territories, children and families are being impacted by recent administrative changes to Jordan’s Principle. “In the North, Jordan’s Principle isn’t just a program—it’s a solution. Jordan’s Principle is named in honour of Jordon River Anderson, who was a young boy from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba. True North FM reached out to school board representatives in Yellowknife for more information on the proposed cutbacks to the Jordan’s Principle program.
Ottawa ‘undermining intent of Jordan’s Principle,’ NWT ministers say
June 11, 2025
Cabin Radio - Two NWT ministers say the federal government’s changes to Jordan’s Principle threaten to break promises that the program was set up to fulfill. Schools in the territory say dozens of educational assistants are set to be laid off following changes to Jordan’s Principle announced in February. The YK1 school district told those workers it had not heard back from Jordan’s Principle managers about the funding required to sustain the positions. Ministers met with Ottawa counterpartsIn their message, the NWT ministers said families were being “left to fight for services their children need and deserve” through the Jordan’s Principle changes, a blunt rebuke of Ottawa in terms the territory rarely uses. In sum, the ministers said the current federal approach “risks undermining the very intent of Jordan’s Principle” that no First Nations child should be denied access to services because of jurisdictional wrangling or administrative hurdles.
MLAs vote to examine tightening their social media rules
May 29, 2025
Cabin Radio - The existing code of conduct governs what MLAs can say in the House, where Speaker Shane Thompson is in charge of enforcing it, but does not expressly address social media or how MLAs communicate online. No specific examples of concerning social media posts were shared or discussed. (The rules of the House mostly prevent MLAs from directly confronting the perceived transgressions of colleagues during debates like this one.) “Because of social media, actions outside of this House have a far greater reach than the actions inside this House. Also on Tuesday in the House, Testart brought forward a motion setting out a range of healthcare actions to be taken.
Morgan’s nurses’ bargaining bill passes second reading
May 27, 2025
Cabin Radio - Yellowknife North MLA Shauna Morgan’s bill proposing more power for NWT nurses regarding collective bargaining passed second reading on Monday. She pointed to a recent survey by nurses’ regulatory body CANNN that suggested widespread support for nurses’ collective bargaining to be separated. Taking the bill to second reading allows you to do that,” said Danny McNeely, the MLA for the Sahtu. Morgan had said getting the bill through second reading was an important goal of hers as it allowed public consultation on the bill to begin. Had a majority of MLAs voted against the bill at second reading, it would have been defeated and gone no further.
Defence lawyer calls for improvements to NWT legal aid
April 28, 2025
Cabin Radio - A criminal defence lawyer says improvements are needed to legislation governing legal aid in the NWT to ensure access to justice. “The Legal Aid Commission is facing bigger problems now because of attrition, because of loss of lawyers.”Hale said while the NWT Legal Aid Commission has nine staff positions, currently just five of those positions are filled and the legal aid program largely relies on private lawyers. He suggested allowing people who have previously been approved for legal aid to demonstrate eligibility for further legal aid services by confirming their financial status has not changed, rather than having to reapply. The territory’s legal aid program provides legal services, advice and representation to NWT residents who would otherwise be unable to afford those services. “The department believes the act currently functions as intended and legal aid services are effectively administered,” Simpson said.
N.W.T. MLAs to discuss separate collective agreement for nurses
March 14, 2025
CBC North - MLA has brought forward a proposed bill for public discussion that would allow nurses to have their own bargaining unit when negotiating a collective agreement. She said she has been taking the lead from nurses and informally consulting with UNW member nurses across different N.W.T. "We rarely put health-care workers themselves at the centre of the solution. "From the perspective of workers, to hear from them directly so our recommendations can better reflect the realities of front-line workers," Morgan said. Regular MLAs voted unanimously in favour of a review of the challenges nurses and healthcare workers face.
With added housing cash, NWT’s 2025-26 budget comfortably passes
March 13, 2025
Cabin Radio - The NWT government’s 2025-26 budget was finalized on Thursday evening, coming through the House in a 15-3 vote. Finance minister Caroline Wawzonek added $41.6 million in housing cash following discussion with regular MLAs, alongside smaller amendments. Range Lake’s Kieron Testart, voting against the budget, said cabinet wasn’t proposing enough action in a time of impending crisis. This is the issue for me that I will defeat budget after budget over until we get movement on it,” Morse said, characterizing his stance on housing during budget deliberations. “I would have liked to have heard: ‘We’re going to have a net increase of 50 houses, 100 houses, 200 houses.
Motion to halt Indigenous Employment Policy is defeated
March 13, 2025
Cabin Radio - An attempt by some MLAs to call a halt to the introduction of a new Indigenous Employment Policy at the territorial government has failed. The policy is designed to update the decades-old Affirmative Action Policy, which politicians have long accused of failing to ensure the NWT government hired enough Indigenous staff to adequately reflect the peoples of the territory. On Thursday, one MLA who doesn’t back the new policy – Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins – brought forward a motion calling for an “immediate halt” to its rollout. No one else is doing affirmative action policies any more, but we just can’t seem to change this one,” she said. Supporting Hawkins’ motion: 4 – Yellowknife Centre, Range Lake, Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh, Frame Lake.