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October 2017 - NWT Year in Review

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2017 wildfires seventh worst on record

At more than one million hectares burned, 2017 was the territory's seventh worst year for forest fires since the NWT began keeping records in 1975, according to Environment Minister Robert C. McLeod.

These are just some of the letters inmates at the North Slave Correctional Centre sent out to MLAs as well as the minister of justice in October. About 80 prisoners expressed their concerns on paper over a lack of quality programming at the facility, including the fact they can no longer earn a high school equivalency diploma. NNSL photo illustration

Of 249 fires in 2017, 17 are suspected to have been human-caused. It was the first year the NWT deployed its new 802 Fire Boss tanker aircraft and 378 extra fire fighters were hired across the territories to train or assist the core group of 136 forest fire fighters.

2017 was best tourism year yet

Tourists flocked to the Northwest Territories in record numbers in 2016-17. More than 100,000 visitors made trips to the territory and collectively spent more than $200 million. That's a 16 per cent hike in the number of visitors compared with 2016.

The largest share of travellers to the territory, about 32 per cent, came on business. The next largest group – just over a quarter of the total number of visitors – visited to see the Aurora, according to recent information from the Department of Industry, Investment and Tourism.

Aurora viewers pumped $50 million into the NWT economy last year. Tourists from Canada were the most common in Northwest Territories, followed by Americans, tourists from Japan, China, South Korea and Australia, in that order.

New flight crew rules worry Northern airlines

Proposed rules requiring more mandatory breaks, longer rest periods and tighter limits on duty-time for flight crews across the Canada had Northern airlines insisting on being heard. One of the most contentious aspects of the new set of rules, which centred around preventing pilot fatigue, has to do with time spent on duty – not flying, necessarily, but time spent at work. Originally, 36 consecutive hours of rest had to be provided within seven consecutive days of flying. The new rules stipulated 33 hours, but they must begin at 10:30 p.m.

As well, there was a new maximum of three nights of duty in a row without one rest taken during the night. Plus, allowable time spent on duty would lessen with the amount of flights flown during one shift.

Underwear thief at Tundra Mine

Thefts of underwear and other clothing items from a women's dorm at the Tundra Mine mine cleanup site sent a chill through a group of female employees. The burglaries of personal items from at least four woman at the remote former gold mine over the summer ended with the termination of the suspect.

Women were in a minority at the former gold mine, located near the south end of Matthews Lake, approximately 240 km northeast of Yellowknife. Tundra was one of three mines that reverted to the federal government in 1999 when the owner, Royal Oak Mines Inc., went into receivership.

North Slave Metis Alliance wins federal court battle

On Oct. 19, a court ruled the Yellowknife-based North Slave Metis Alliance (NMSA) was not adequately consulted by Canada respecting the Fort Smith-based NWT Metis Nation (NWTMN) Land and Resources Agreement-in-Principle, signed on July 31, 2015. The action by the NMSA was against then-minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Carolyn Bennett, the NWTMA and the GNWT.

The case was heard over several days at the Yellowknife Courthouse in June. The court also ordered a judicial review of the agreement and the process used to reach it.

Territory takes over Norman Wells management

The territorial government assumed governance of Norman Wells on Oct. 18, disbanding the town's mayor and council and installing a municipal administrator to fill its role until further notice.

Earlier in 2017, numerous complaints were lodged with regional Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) staff alleging improprieties, conflicts of interest, failures to follow legislation and council procedures and breaches of confidentiality. The measures were in response to a municipal inspection of the town government that MACA contracted in response to those complaints. There were two options moving forward, either a new council would be picked in October 2018 during the regularly scheduled election or, if things went exceptionally smoothly with the administrator, an election could be held in March if the community wanted. That new mayor and council would then sit until the scheduled election in October.

911 to be available in all official languages

Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs Caroline Cochrane said on Oct. 19 that residents would soon be able to access 911 in all 11 of the NWT's official languages once it rolls out.

Since the spring, a program manager had been hired and a number of people had provided feedback for a legislative framework for 911. Cochrane said she intended to introduce that legislation next year. An implementation plan was scheduled to be released in December. The 911 program was scheduled to officially launch in every NWT community by summer 2019.

Ousting of Louis Sebert voted down

Justice Minister Louis Sebert rested a little easier after a majority of MLAs voted down a motion to remove him from cabinet Oct. 18. In the end, seven members voted to remove Sebert while 11 voted for him to stay.

Cabinet members, Hay River North MLA R.J. Simpson, Nunakput MLA Herb Nakimayak, Mackenzie Delta MLA Frederick Blake Jr. and Sahtu MLA Daniel McNeely voted for the minister to keep his job.

The results came after Sebert, who is the minister of justice, lands and responsible for the NWT

Power Corporation, received the only non-confidence vote during the assembly's midterm review Oct. 5.

Inmates start letter-writing campaign to MLAs

As many as 80 inmates, more than half the men in custody at the North Slave Correctional Complex (NSCC) put pen to paper writing open letters to MLAs and the minister of justice.

The letters outline grievances about how things were run at the facility such as a lack of quality programming, the removal of the recreation director and the inability to access exams for educational upgrading. That is according to inmate Daniel Gillis, who said he not only wrote one of the letters but encouraged other inmates to do the same. Among the letters were ones professed to have been written by accused murderers Denecho King and Colten McNeely.

NWT woman speaks out about racism in Edmonton

Kyra Harris spoke out in October about experiencing racially motivated crimes when she moved to Edmonton, Alta. for school. The 21-year-old was harassed online and her car was vandalized during her first few weeks in the city. After an interview with Harris about her experiences was broadcast on APTN Oct. 6, her Facebook inbox was flooded with messages from people she didn't know, all urging her to give the city another chance, telling her a community was there for her and telling her to be proud of who she is – a young, ambitious Indigenous woman.

She said the interview was shown in her class, and while she found that a bit embarrassing, it helped her and more of her classmates started talking to her and opening up to her. It was a big turnaround from how she'd felt in her first month in Edmonton.