Latest Election News

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$375M agreement was a deal done differently Cabin Radio
November 14, 2024
...that can provide a vehicle that will allow Indigenous governments to have the resources they need to move forward with taking care of the land.” Richard Edjericon, the Tu-Nedhé-Wiilideh MLA, said the bill placed the legislature “on the road to looking at a constitutional reform.” Yellowknife Centre MLA...
How much federally owned housing sits empty in the NWT? Cabin Radio
November 12, 2024
...Chinna nearly three years ago. “With all these new units that are being for RCMP, what are we doing with the old units?” Inuvik Twin Lakes MLA Lesa Semmler asked. “Are we going to absorb them into GNWT and are we going to use those to reduce our public housing waitlist?” Chinna replied that she...
NWT’s film rebate program budget doubling to $1M next year Cabin Radio
November 8, 2024
... The GNWT noted that budget increases had been “supported by MLAs” when they were finalized earlier this year. At the time, Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart had said the existing rebate program was “scratching the surface of our potential.” “The multipliers within the film industry in the...
How should the NWT save money? Cabin Radio
November 7, 2024
...Radio asked every regular MLA how else they believe the territory could better save money. Three MLAs, all from Yellowknife, responded with ideas. Shauna Morgan. Ollie Williams/Cabin Radio Shauna Morgan, the MLA for Yellowknife North, said there are several things she would have liked to have seen cut from...
New board members could help reinvent Northwest Territories Power Corporation, experts say CBC North
November 7, 2024
...is recruiting four to eight new members to replace current directors, and also plans to keep at least two government officials on the board. Shauna Morgan, MLA for Yellowknife North, hopes new governance will bring about some needed change. The deputy ministers currently on the board, she says, are not...
In a rare case, an NWT private member’s bill makes change Cabin Radio
November 6, 2024
...unusual source: a bill from a regular MLA that became law. Last month, the Legislative Assembly passed a bill sponsored by Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins to amend the Student Financial Assistance Act. As a result, the NWT government announced on Monday it had increased the student loan limit from...
MLAs pass capital budget despite gripes Cabin Radio
November 5, 2024
...market and public housing units; and creating a three-year investment plan for housing with minimum funding of $50 million per year. Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart said those promises were insufficient and lacked action. He described the government’s response to regular MLAs’ concerns as “just a plan that...
How much carbon tax the NWT is paying and where the money goes Cabin Radio
November 4, 2024
...Taltson and Snare hydro facilities and planning for Fort Providence and Kakisa hydro facilities.” In the legislature last week, Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart quizzed finance minister Caroline Wawzonek on the $14-million surplus, which is far larger than any surplus the GNWT has previously recorded through...
Inuvik, N.W.T., business owners say liquor price hike took them by surprise CBC North
November 4, 2024
... Earlier this week in the Legislative Assembly, Inuvik Boot Lake MLA Denny Rodgers asked why the increase is only in Inuvik. Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek replied that the increase is due to a new contract negotiation with the local operator of the liquor...
N.W.T. MLAs to ask auditor general to review territory’s health authority CBC North
November 2, 2024
...despite government town-hall meetings, committees and strategies. Members say the territory needs an outside perspective to create real change. Julian Morse, MLA for Frame Lake, said health-care professionals are telling him they feel their voices don't matter. "The fact that so many practitioners'...
Police now work with housing officials to oust traffickers, rowdy tenants from public housing units CKLB 101.9
November 1, 2024
...in public housing so that Local Housing Organizations can address the issues and help keep residents safe. Meanwhile, Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh MLA Richard Edjericon repeated his call for a fix to the spotty cellular service in Ndilǫ. He questioned Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek about if officials can soon...
Lithium companies urge N.W.T. MLAs to speed up mining regulatory processes CBC North
November 1, 2024
...Indigenous companies," said Armstrong. The N.W.T. Legislative Assembly building in Yellowknife, on Oct. 27, 2023. (Travis Burke/CBC) Sahtu MLA Daniel McNeely said he supports development, but wanted to hear specific examples of challenges. "Is it taking too long? Is it taking 120 days for a water...
Union attacks GNWT over decision to close Fort Smith’s jail Cabin Radio
November 1, 2024
...reversed course and found the money to keep the jail open. Now, that temporary stay looks to be coming to an end – and Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins said this week he is concerned about what happens next. (Jay Macdonald, the Thebacha MLA who represents Fort Smith, is a member of cabinet – a...
N.W.T. assembly passes capital budget despite concerns over priorities CBC North
November 1, 2024
...as well and there are things in this budget that I do want to see move forward," he said. Voting against budget delays everything Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek said she understands the challenges members are hearing about from constituents, and she hears about them from her constituents too. But she warned...
MLAs want auditor general to investigate health authority Cabin Radio
November 1, 2024
... “This can be the government that finally, finally sets healthcare on the right course for the Northwest Territories,” he said. Frame Lake MLA Julian Morse said the “overwhelming message” he had heard from healthcare practitioners is that “they feel their voices are not being heard by...
A spooky serenade for Premier Simpson and cabinet, plus a few other scary stories CKLB 101.9
October 31, 2024
...Premier RJ Simpson and his cabinet, sung to the tune of the Addams Family theme song. Yellowknife Centre’s Robert Hawkins also addressed Speaker Shane Thompson “Mr. Spooker,” instead of the customary Mr. Speaker. “Mr. Spooker, recognizing it’s All Hallows Eve … so today, strictly in jest, I’ve...
Could a similar Stanton Renewal Project debacle happen again? CKLB 101.9
October 30, 2024
...harvest of food and which sustains generations before them.” Edjericon was pleased with Tuesday’s announcement by Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland that a deal is in the works with the Government of Canada for a three-year expansion of the NWT school food program: Healthy Food for Learning. All...
N.W.T. officials meet with Fort Smith jail staff before funding expires next year CBC North
October 30, 2024
...told CBC News at the time that notice would give workers time to plan while still earning a paycheck. In the legislature Tuesday, Yellowknife MLA Robert Hawkins asked for clarification on whether staff were given layoff notices. Hawkins said that's what he's been hearing from people in the region. Wawzonek...
Aurora College’s polytechnic transformation ‘hasn’t been halted’ Cabin Radio
October 28, 2024
...that needs to be fostered, supported, and that needs to be able to given the time to grow.” She was responding to questions from Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart, who suggested the college needed to be taken back under direct GNWT control. “They’ve been given years to get this done, and they’re still...
N.W.T. gov’t creating team to cut health spending CBC North
October 27, 2024
...Territorial Health Investment Fund. The team's yearly budget will be about $2 million, most of which will go toward salaries. Health Minister Lesa Semmler told MLAs the initiative comes at a time when the Northwest Territories health system is facing "significant financial challenges." The team will...
Treaty interpretations spark disagreements at N.W.T. appeal court over caribou management CBC North
October 25, 2024
...harvest. That plan was approved in 2020 by the Sahtu Renewable Resources Board. However, it was later rejected by then-Environment minister Shane Thompson. Since then, the community and territorial government have been in and out of court to settle the issue. The Bluenose-West caribou herd has...
Yellowknife MLAs release healthcare survey findings Cabin Radio
October 25, 2024
...minister says public complaints about the healthcare system are not falling “on deaf ears,” despite the concerns of two Yellowknife MLAs. Kieron Testart and Robert Hawkins hosted a healthcare town hall in Yellowknife in August and created an online survey calling on residents to share their...
NWT public servants’ morale ‘at rock bottom,’ says MLA and former union leader CKLB 101.9
October 24, 2024
...of 20.7 kilometres of the seasonal Mackenzie Valley Winter Road accessible year-around. Yellowknife Centre Robert Hawkins suggested Health Minister Lesa Semmler had been “quiet quitting,” as the health-care system has so many problem areas that never seem to be remedied. Premier R.J. Simpson, in his...
NWT’s regular MLAs want capital budget to better reflect priorities Cabin Radio
October 24, 2024
...MLAs say they won’t support the NWT’s latest capital budget unless it dedicates more funding to housing and healthcare. Finance minister Caroline Wawzonek tabled the capital estimates for 2025-26 last week, detailing how the government plans to spend $339 million on infrastructure projects in the...
N.W.T. MLAs won’t support capital plan without more money for housing and health care CBC North
October 24, 2024
...fall session, which ends Nov. 1. There are five sitting days left between now and then. Stanton Hospital to review leave policy Health Minister Lesa Semmler fielded questions from multiple members Wednesday on the state of health care in the territory, including difficulties getting appointments, staff...
Going off the deep end arguing for a new all-season pool for Behchokǫ̀ CKLB 101.9
October 23, 2024
...contact the regional superintendent to see if there could be any help provided in finding alternate funding sources. Meanwhile, Health Minister Lesa Semmler was on her feet answering a series of questions from several MLAs concerning workplace policies and how they are hurting health-care delivery,...
Deh Cho Bridge repair ‘to cost $7M and be finished by end of year’ Cabin Radio
October 23, 2024
...lanes of the Deh Cho Bridge will finally reopen by the end of 2024, infrastructure minister Caroline Wawzonek said on Tuesday. The bridge, which cost $200 million to build, spans the Mackenzie River just outside Fort Providence, providing a year-round highway link between Yellowknife and the south. Traffic...
N.W.T.’s Deh Cho bridge expected to be repaired by year’s end, to the tune of $7M CBC North
October 23, 2024
...the bridge should be fully functional by the end of the calendar year. The repairs are expected to cost about $7 million, according to Wawzonek. Sheryl Yakeleya, MLA for the Dehcho, talked about the bridge on Tuesday in the Legislative Assembly. She said her constituents are concerned over the bridge's...
Campus of Care move created ‘lasting chaos, inefficiency and burnout,’ says MLA CKLB 101.9
October 22, 2024
...of the NWT and for tourism and other industries, as this is a year-round highway linking Yellowknife to the South.” Infrastructure Minister Caroline Wawzonek explained the original damage was originally noticed in 2023 and after testing, turned out to be a weak metal connector holding the cables to the...
For nine years, health authority refused to correct woman’s gender Cabin Radio
October 22, 2024
...issue had been fixed within a week of the woman and her partner bringing the problem to Reid’s attention and the MLA writing to health minister Lesa Semmler. Reid said the couple, both women, had made “multiple attempts” to have the woman’s records corrected before resorting to asking a politician...
N.W.T. MLAs say capital budget doesn’t reflect housing priorities, again CBC North
October 22, 2024
...are also listed in the budget. The waitlist for a public housing unit currently sits at 897 people, according to the territory's housing minister. Shauna Morgan, MLA for Yellowknife North, echoed Morse's concerns. She said the territory needs to embrace its responsibility for public housing, rather than...
New mayors elected in Fort Smith, Fort Simpson and Inuvik, N.W.T. CBC North
October 22, 2024
...Monday. In Fort Smith, Dana Fergusson was elected with 441 votes, to Fred Daniels' 301. Joining Fergusson on council will be Mike Keizer, Connie Benwell, Karl Cox, Adam Bathe, Al Karasiuk, Leonard Tuckey, Mike Couvrette and Patricia Heaton. "Thank you for placing your trust in me," said Fergusson on...
Dana Fergusson and Les Wright win mayoral elections Cabin Radio
October 21, 2024
...Fred Daniels’ 301. In Fort Simpson, village councillor Wright won 239 votes to incumbent Sean Whelly’s 142. Pope defeated former Sahtu MLA Paulie Chinna in Norman Wells by 174 votes to Chinna’s 48. Alongside current Sahtu MLA Danny McNeely, Pope had been a central figure in a weeks-long campaign...
Inuvik, Fort Smith and Fort Simpson elect new mayors Cabin Radio
October 21, 2024
...was 64.9 percent. Fort Smith’s election results, as supplied by the town. In Fort Smith, the councillors joining Fergusson will be Adam Bathe, Connie Benwell, Mike Couvrette, Karl Cox, Patricia Heaton, Al Karasiuk, Mike Keizer and Leonard Tuckey. Inuvik’s election results, as supplied by the town. In...
MLAs highlight use of traditional knowledge in N.W.T. firefighting efforts CBC North
October 21, 2024
Traditional knowledge plays 'big role': ministerThe question was part of a larger conversation around the use of Indigenous traditional knowledge in fighting fires and forest management. "Traditional knowledge plays a big role in how we fight fire in the Northwest Territories," said Jay Macdonald, minister of Environment and Climate Change. "Over the last number of years … it was noticeable that you could see we were starting to lose that traditional knowledge." During Monday's committee meeting he said the department is working to have better training to transfer traditional knowledge. Gravel said the department is also considering mitigation measures that draw upon traditional knowledge: controlled (or prescribed) burns around communities.
Drug-fuelled violence in Fort McPherson has MLA pleading for help CKLB 101.9
October 21, 2024
...a snippy Finance Minister Pointing to an alleged drug-related knife-point hostage taking in Teetł’it Zheh (Fort McPherson), Mackenzie Delta MLA George Nerysoo continued his plea from last week for help from the territorial government to fight what he called a crisis situation in communities in his riding. ...
NWT legislature reprimands, fines Edjericon $2,500 Cabin Radio
October 21, 2024
...Monday, MLAs voted in favour of formally reprimanding Edjericon and fining him $2,500 with no discussion of the matter. Following the vote, speaker Shane Thompson encouraged MLAs with any future questions regarding the code of conduct to reach out to the integrity commissioner. “I had him on speed dial in...
N.W.T. MLAs reprimand colleague, fine him $2,500 for trying to get nurse fired CBC North
October 21, 2024
...MLAs have voted to reprimand Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh MLA Richard Edjericon and fine him $2,500 for breaking the MLA code of conduct and trying to get a nurse fired. Monday's vote, moved by Yellowknife North MLA Shauna Morgan, passed in the legislature Monday with no discussion. The vote comes after the N.W.T.'s...
GNWT donates $150K to Norman Wells food bank Cabin Radio
October 21, 2024
...to the community. “The community of Norman Wells has shown incredible resilience in the face of rising costs and supply chain disruptions,” Vince McKay, the communities minister, said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor this situation closely and adjust our efforts to ensure families...
GNWT wants federal immigration cap raised from 300 to 500 Cabin Radio
October 21, 2024
...in place will be able to apply when the program opens up in January of 2025 again,” Cleveland said in response to questions from Great Slave MLA Kate Reid. The minister said her department’s staff were “doing what they can” to ensure as many employees as possible are on hand to process an...
Noise, partying and deaths at Tuk home reported to rental office Cabin Radio
October 21, 2024
...ordered to pay almost $57,000 to the housing authority and an eviction order was issued. Cost of maintaining units Last week, Inuvik Boot Lake MLA Denny Rodgers said the town’s public housing was in need of money for care and maintenance. Rodgers also alluded to problems related to drugs in some Inuvik...
N.W.T.’s new net-zero climate target necessary for its mining future says MLA CBC North
October 19, 2024
...and transportation make up 84 per cent of the N.W.T.'s emissions. (Liny Lamberink/CBC) In an interview earlier this week, Infrastructure Minister Caroline Wawzonek said renewable diesel and changing energy policy "needs to happen." She also said electrification would probably be the "easiest response" but that...
Cash-strapped GNWT to ask Ottawa to raise $1.8 M debt limit CKLB 101.9
October 18, 2024
...unwillingness to offer support and overly bureaucratic processes” at the institution. Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart, asked Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland how much more time is she prepared to give Aurora college to fail? “What is she doing to help the college succeed, saying that it’s not my...
State memorial service for former Commissioner Tony Whitford tomorrow CKLB 101.9
October 18, 2024
...as an MLA and Speaker, passed away at 5 a.m. September 16th at Stanton Territorial Hospital. In the Assembly this week, Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins recalled his long friendship with Whitford. He called for a legacy initiative by the GNWT, so Whitford’s name will live on in public for future...
Imperial should ‘step up,’ minister says as MLAs debate Sahtu fuel crisis Cabin Radio
October 18, 2024
...accordingly. “In the long term, we’ve got to be forward-thinking and not be getting caught off-guard by these things,” said Frame Lake MLA Julian Morse. “Low water levels was unpredictable, but the fact that the cost of living was going to come to a head is predictable. “Right now, we’re not...
MLAs debate financial relief for N.W.T’s Sahtu region, gripped by affordability crisis CBC North
October 18, 2024
...their prices at any time." She said that's an unsustainable precedent and it wouldn't support residents in the long run. 'A cheque to whom?' Caroline Wawzonek, the minister of finance and deputy premier, said it's also just not that simple. "A cheque to whom, and a cheque to what amount?" Wawzonek asked...
‘We are in a dire situation right now,’ says Deputy Premier Caroline Wawzonek CKLB 101.9
October 17, 2024
...especially with cost-of-living and fuel shortages in Norman Wells, MLAs entered into and emergency debate following a motion by Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart. At the time of this posting last evening, the debate was ongoing, with Deputy Premier and Minister of Infrastructure Caroline Wawzonek saying that...
Ex-Aurora College research chair describes chaos, lack of planning behind the scenes CBC North
October 17, 2024
...College's board of governors and its president, Angela James, for comment. No one was available by time of publication. CBC also reached out to Caitlin Cleveland, minister of Education, Culture and Employment, who was also unavailable. A ministerial spokesperson said operations, including the transformation...
N.W.T. gov’t commits to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 CBC North
October 17, 2024
...to net-zero by 2050 four years ago. "It's a wonderful target, I'm excited about the target," said Environment and Climate Change Minister Jay Macdonald. His department and Infrastructure share the responsibility of mapping the territory's path forward. But, like Wawzonek, he emphasized that the...
Infrastructure top of mind as N.W.T. MLAs head into fall session CBC North
October 17, 2024
...that it offers." The facility is scheduled to be completed by 2026. Addressing energy needs The capital budget process is especially hectic for Caroline Wawzonek as she's both minister of infrastructure and finance. In wearing both hats for the past year, she says she's come to realize how complex the...
Peter Clarkson running for mayor of Inuvik Cabin Radio
October 10, 2024
... Clarkson believes the Town of Inuvik can better work with the Gwich’in, Inuvialuit, Inuvik Native Band, Métis and the town’s two MLAs, Lesa Semmler and Denny Rodgers, to “share information and look at what some of the overall priorities for the community are.” He also wants to find ways to...
Sahtu Secretariat annual meeting kicks off in Fort Good Hope, N.W.T. CBC North
September 24, 2024
...at the meeting. (Luke Carroll/CBC) The need for an all-season road to the community was another subject that will be discussed, McNeely said. Lesa Semmler, N.W.T. health minister, along with Jay Macdonald, the minister of Environment and Climate Change, and Danny McNeely, Sahtu MLA, are all in...
Northerners remember Tony Whitford Cabin Radio
September 16, 2024
...awards during his lifetime and was inducted into the Order of the NWT in 2016. He was also an honourary captain with the Royal Canadian Navy. Julian Morse, the MLA for Frame Lake, said he first met Whitford while working as a page in the Legislative Assembly where Whitford was the sergeant at arms at...
Homeless encampment in Yellowknife to come down starting today CKLB 101.9
September 9, 2024
...questioned if enough is being done to allow people to stay in their home communities, either with shelters but preferably through more housing. George Nerysoo is MLA for Mackenzie Delta. “To hit the root of this problem has to come to the communities, because I know the people there. My chief knows the...
Hay River’s fish plant to be formally opened on Tuesday Cabin Radio
September 8, 2024
...provided by an independent consultant, before it’ll consider moving plant management from FFMC to the fishers. Last year, then-industry minister Caroline Wawzonek said she had set a three-year timeline from the plant’s opening in which she hoped management would be transferred to the fishers. In the...
N.W.T. gov’t is failing students with cut to financial aid, MLA says CBC North
September 5, 2024
N.W.T. MLA Kieron Testart says the territorial government's decision to end a student financial aid incentive is short-sighted and there are better ways to find budget savings. "The GNWT, quite frankly, has forgotten that it serves the people of the Northwest Territories," Testart said. "It has become a...
Minister says axing ‘fast-forward’ bonus may keep people in NWT Cabin Radio
September 5, 2024
...wrote on Wednesday evening. “Moves like this make it easier to invest in other programs that further support NWT residents.” Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart said he did not support removal of the northern bonus. “Budget 2023 added two assistant deputy minister positions. One of those is worth just...
N.W.T. gov’t cuts loan forgiveness incentive for returning students CBC North
September 4, 2024
...away," he said. "You certainly cannot get the sort of education I wanted by staying home." After the government announced the cut, Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart said in a Facebook statement he does not support the decision. "The N.W.T. needs a strong workforce [and] we need to continue to support students...
After report on 2023 wildfires, calls for N.W.T. gov’t to invest more in firefighters CBC North
August 29, 2024
...recommendations during budget time next year. He said it's a necessary step to ensuring the report doesn't just sit on a shelf. Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart says he still wants to see a public inquiry. (Julie Plourde/Radio-Canada) "We've seen this in the past … the GNWT will come forward and say 'I...
Residents near encampment needed more support, MLA says Cabin Radio
August 23, 2024
...which the encampment must be gone. What happens next “takes a number of us and it’s going to require a lot of coordination,” deputy premier Caroline Wawzonek told CBC North Trailbreaker host Jared Monkman on Friday. “This is an encampment that will last only a short period of time but it needs to be a...
At a health town hall, patients see nuance even as they endure pain Cabin Radio
August 23, 2024
...an answer, because this time is really valuable to me,” one woman said through tears. Residents at the town hall, organized by Yellowknife MLAs Robert Hawkins and Kieron Testart, broadly spoke to outline similar concerns and ask how coming to the town hall and talking would help the situation. There are...
NWT restrictions on physicians leave patients ‘really vulnerable’ Cabin Radio
August 22, 2024
...sees them as an enemy. “Their job becomes harder and harder because they’re not being listened to.” Advocacy and fear of ramifications MLAs Kieron Testart and Robert Hawkins are hosting a healthcare town hall from 6-8pm on Thursday at Yellowknife’s Baker Community Centre. The two MLAs have...
N.W.T. gov’t and union met to decide use of agency nurses, as health-care staff feel strain CBC North
August 21, 2024
..."The NTHSSA is continually working to recruit ... [permanent] staff who are or will be residents of the N.W.T." 'These people are not being heard' Kieron Testart, MLA for Range Lake, says the health system is "very near a breaking point." He and Robert Hawkins, MLA for Yellowknife Centre, are organizing a...
Premier, ministers, mayor meet over Yellowknife encampment Cabin Radio
August 20, 2024
...Hall said Mayor Rebecca Alty had met with Premier RJ Simpson, housing minister Lucy Kuptana, health minister Lesa Semmler and communities minister Vince McKay late last week “to discuss the recent tent encampment established in downtown Yellowknife.” The city said the municipality and GNWT had...
Enterprise rail yard sees ‘bigger picture’ in Hay River line closure Cabin Radio
August 9, 2024
...that CN Rail will take a look at their entire capital envelope and consider whether or not this can find a home in it,” infrastructure minister Caroline Wawzonek was quoted as saying in an interview with the CBC this week. “Without this, by forcing communities, our community governments to be finding...
N.W.T. government officials, Yellowknife mayor respond to evacuation re-entry emails CBC North
August 6, 2024
...in the event of future wildfire evacuations, but more discussions are still needed. CBC News spoke with Rebecca Alty, Yellowknife's mayor; Vince McKay, the minister of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA); and Jay Boast, an information officer with the N.W.T. emergency management organization...
Breaking down some of the big issues with NWT medical travel Cabin Radio
July 8, 2024
...those [decisions], so that we know that they’ll be reimbursed?” What’s the policy for escorts with emergency medevacs? Yellowknife North MLA Shauna Morgan asked what happens in situations where people in life-threatening conditions are medevaced out: are there any circumstances under which escorts can...
NWT signs memo on ‘northern economic corridors’ with Alberta Cabin Radio
July 4, 2024
...a four-month period. Recognizing Alberta’s role in helping manage the NWT’s evacuations during last year’s wildfire crisis, industry minister Caitlin Cleveland said the memo also “lays the foundation for improved collaboration on other shared interests, including emergency response.” While the video...
Legal aid concerned about children’s lawyer budget cuts Cabin Radio
July 4, 2024
...office, I think we should listen to them,” Great Slave MLA Kate Reid told the legislature the day the budget was passed. Yellowknife North MLA Shauna Morgan told Cabin Radio cutting the senior lawyer role removes “the linchpin” holding the Office of the Children’s Lawyer together. She said...
Edzo Elders spend their pension on Housing NWT arrears Cabin Radio
July 3, 2024
...has called on the territorial government to forgive the debts of Elders and residential school survivors. In the legislature last year, fellow MLA Caitlin Cleveland said more than 900 residents owed more than $13 million to Housing NWT in arrears. Then-MLA Kevin O’Reilly said Weyallon Armstrong’s proposal...
Will Great Slave Lake ever be renamed? It could be a while yet, says N.W.T. minister CBC North
July 3, 2024
...it could be a lengthy process. "We can't really put a timeline on it, because it is not the government that is in the driver's seat of this one," Caitlin Cleveland, the N.W.T.'s Education, Culture and Employment minister, said. For years, Indigenous people in the N.W.T. have been working to decolonize names....
Fix for low-water shipping woes could be ‘lighter than air,’ committee hears CKLB 101.9
June 28, 2024
...latter use of airships is an idea championed in recent years by academics and think-tanks, but never actually put to commercial use in the arctic. Shauna Morgan is the MLA for Yellowknife Centre. She asked Minister Wawzonek if airships were still on the GNWT’s radar? “I feel obliged to raise an issue...
Anti-Indigenous racism is ‘blatantly obvious’ in Health and Social Services, says Minister Lesa Semmler CKLB 101.9
June 26, 2024
...“blatantly obvious,” racism faced by First Nations, Metis and Inuit patients and clients when dealing with Health and Social Services staff. Lesa Semmler is a former nurse in the Beaufort Delta and now is the NWT’s Health Minister. She told the Standing Committee om Social Development there is an...
‘You send an Elder to the concrete jungle and expect them to survive’ Cabin Radio
June 26, 2024
...burning Indigenous staff out, and protecting them from the very racism we are trying to eliminate for Indigenous patients.” Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart raised concern that short-term or temporary staff do not receive this training as part of their onboarding and may not receive it during brief...
N.W.T. considers making producers deal with used oil, tires and electrical items CBC North
June 25, 2024
...have some form of EPR program already, and the Yukon is working on one for common blue-bin items as well as paint, waste oil and antifreeze. Jay Macdonald, the N.W.T.'s environment minister, told the Legislative Assembly earlier this month his department was considering EPR for used oil, tires and...
Yellowknife lab changes ’caused new problems rather than solving one’ Cabin Radio
June 20, 2024
...wait in line at 7am for same-day service, leaving “no option other than to wait.” Breaking something by trying to fix it Frame Lake MLA Julian Morse raised a complaint from one of his constituents in the legislature earlier this month. “Seconds” after sharing their story, he said, “the text...
Yesterday’s Délı̨nę Got’ı̨nę and GNWT bilateral in Yellowknife My Yellow Knife Now
June 19, 2024
...in Yellowknife, Premier R.J. Simpson, Ministers Caroline Wawzonek, Caitlin Cleveland, Lucy Kuptana, Jay Macdonald, Vince McKay, and Lesa Semmler convened with the Délı̨nę Got’ı̨nę Government’s Ɂekw’ahtı̨dǝ́ Danny Gaudet, Ɂekw’ahtı̨ Raymond Taneton, and Délı̨nę...
Wildfire near Fort Good Hope, N.W.T., still being held at bay; territory to hold fire briefing CBC North
June 17, 2024
...away from the community for much of the day. Additional crews sent in to fight Fort Good Hope-area fire, N.W.T. minister says Duration 2:00 Jay Macdonald, minister of environment and climate change in N.W.T., says a wildfire has reached the edge of Fort Good Hope — but to date no structures have...
NWT electronic medical records system reaches end of life Cabin Radio
June 17, 2024
...needs replacing, just a few years after it was finally implemented in all of the territory’s communities. In the legislature, health minister Lesa Semmler said a request for proposals is expected to go out this September for the first phase of the work. The estimated cost to replace the system is $20...
MLAs want GNWT to back temporary housing in Enterprise Cabin Radio
June 16, 2024
...assistance program. He said the NWT government had “exhausted all avenues” to financially support rebuilding their properties. Regular MLAs Kieron Testart, Jane Weyallon Armstrong and Danny McNeely spoke in favour of the temporary housing proposal. “Our home is our kingdom and to lose that, I’m...
After weeks of back and forth, N.W.T. Legislative Assembly passes budget CBC North
June 14, 2024
...$1.5 million for the Community Access Program and funding to continue the operations of the Fort Smith Correctional Centre. Inuvik Boot Lake MLA Denny Rodgers called discussions around the budget "a balance." Denny Rodgers, MLA for Inuvik Boot Lake, was pleased the budget passed but still wants to see...
New lab test appointment policy gets failing grade from MLA Julian Morse CKLB 101.9
June 14, 2024
...waiting room, and give residents some flexibility in their day. But Morse says some of his constituents just can’t crack the lab access code. Lesa Semmler is the NWT’s Health Minister. She said no review of the policy changes is necessary, but more communications are required. “With any new...
NWT allocates $1.6M for addiction recovery aftercare pilot Cabin Radio
June 14, 2024
...and Inuvik, is set to launch in the fall. While non-profits in the territory already offer some forms of transitional housing, health minister Lesa Semmler said the pilot will be the only service of its kind in the Northwest Territories “Some individuals often do very well in treatment but then begin...
NWT politicians call for mental health crisis intervention team Cabin Radio
June 14, 2024
...for crisis intervention workers to help respond to mental health emergencies, a role that currently often falls to RCMP. Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins introduced a motion in the legislature on Wednesday asking for a crisis intervention team to reduce police contact in mental health-related...
NWT’s 20th Assembly passes its first budget Cabin Radio
June 13, 2024
...picture and the collaboration that we need to make our consensus government work in order to achieve our common priorities.” Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart said he believes the assembly “can do far better” than the budget and the process to produce it. He described the $13 million added to the...
Advocates say Yellowknife’s shelter system is in crisis Cabin Radio
June 13, 2024
...day shelter operating from portable units opposite the Explorer Hotel. Questioned by Morgan in the legislature on Tuesday, health minister Lesa Semmler said the new centre will accommodate 31 people overnight – up from 22 at the sobering centre – with room for 85 people during the day. “The...
Fort Good Hope Construction Centre wins ‘millions of dollars’ from Canada Mortgage and Housing CKLB 101.9
June 12, 2024
...the 15 finalists will share a pot worth $74.8 million. Some other issues on the minds of MLAs in Members’ Statements and Oral Questions today: Richard Edjericon, MLA for Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh, is concerned after Suncor in Alberta released a report about runoff water from a oil sands project into the Athabasca...
Can the NWT police its way out of the drug crisis? Cabin Radio
June 12, 2024
...“Most of the social problems that we are facing in the Northwest Territories are not problems that we can police our way out of,” Frame Lake MLA Julian Morse told the legislature. “The way out of social issues is poverty reduction, treating addictions, mental health, wellness, ensuring … that...
UNW members protest proposed job cuts outside NWT legislature Cabin Radio
June 11, 2024
...our communities alive.” Melvin Larocque displays his sign while protesting on Tuesday afternoon. Claire McFarlane/Cabin Radio Great Slave MLA Kate Reid and members of the UNW listen to Thunstrom speak. Claire McFarlane/Cabin Radio Also in attendance at Tuesday’s rally was Great Slave MLA and...
Shelters are full in Yellowknife, MLA seeks solutions from GNWT CKLB 101.9
June 11, 2024
...of bed seekers has increased and 'capacity is being completely overwhelmed,' says Shauna Morgan Emergency shelters in Yellowknife are “completely overwhelmed,” with MLA Shauna Morgan saying she’s afraid the system will collapse without solutions being found soon. Morgan is the MLA for Yellowknife...