Steve Norn, former MLA for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh and police officer, made an appearance in territorial court Tuesday morning related to an assault charge.
Norn was charged after arriving in Yellowknife on an Air Canada flight on Nov. 26, when he is alleged to have been involved in an altercation with a ground crew worker while getting off the flight.
Jay Bran, Norn’s lawyer, said it’s believed there is surveillance video of the alleged incident.
He confidently stated before judge Robert J. Lane that the video evidence, once analyzed by the Crown, will be convincing enough for authorities to drop the charge.
Norn is scheduled to return to court on Feb. 21, giving the Crown time to review the footage in the meantime.
Bran told Yellowknifer his understanding is that the alleged incident is “minor in nature.”
Although the video evidence has not yet been obtained, Bran said there’s reason to believe the location where the alleged incident occurred has video surveillance.
After being asked if Norn maintains his innocence, Bran said that his client was prepared to proceed to trial.
Norn’s last appearance in court on Jan. 10 was to hear the charge against him and he was released.
He attempted to resign as an MLA after he pleaded guilty last March after failing to isolate from other persons in contradiction of the Public Health Act. The rules of the legislative assembly dictate that a vote to expel must still take place, and the result of the vote took precedence over the resignation. The incident occurred amid the Covid-19 pandemic after he returned from a trip to Alberta in 2021. He was fined $1,380 as a result.
Correction: A previous version of this story contained an error regarding Norn’s attempt to resign before being removed as MLA.