Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, R.J. Simpson, is pleased to announce the names of the recipients inducted into the 2020 Minister’s Culture and Heritage Circle on March 2, 2021.

Recipients are recognized and respected in their communities for leadership, participation and significant contributions to the arts, culture and heritage. By category, the recipients for the 2020 Minister’s Culture and Heritage Circle are:

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R.J. Simpson, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE), met with education leaders on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 to discuss several priority initiatives.

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Mr. Speaker, the health and prosperity of our territory begins with how well we prepare our children and youth to succeed in life. Making sure that every student from every background and region in the Northwest Territories, or NWT, has equitable access to relevant, culturally appropriate and quality education will ultimately lead to improved well-being across the North and within all our communities.

R.J. Simpson, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE), met with JK-12 education leaders Wednesday May 12 to discuss the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer (OCPHO) announcement that the order requiring the closure of schools in Yellowknife, Dettah, Ndılǫ and Behchokǫ̀ would be lifted on Monday May 17 with new safety protocols in place.

The Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO) is removing the temporary COVID-19 restrictions put in place for  school closures in Yellowknife, Ndilǫ̨, Dettah and Behchokǫ̀, Northwest Territories (NWT).  This order also included after-school and other extracurricular programs. This change is effective May 17, 2021.

The Honourable R.J. Simpson, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE), met with territorial education leaders Monday, May 3 to discuss recent school closures in Yellowknife, Ndilo, Dettah and Behchokǫ̀, as a proactive measure to limit a COVID-19 outbreak at N.J. Macpherson School in Yellowknife.

YELLOWKNIFE (May 2, 2021) – Caroline Cochrane, Premier of the Northwest Territories, Julie Green, Minister of Health and Social Services and R.J. Simpson, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment issued the following joint statement today on the most recent updates concerning COVID-19 in Yellowknife:

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE), the Honourable R.J. Simpson, met with education leaders from across the Northwest Territories (NWT) on Tuesday to review various initiatives to Improve Student Outcomes in the Junior Kindergarten (JK) to Grade 12 (JK-12) education system. 

The Government of the Northwest Territories is currently seeking public input on a new four year Skills 4 Success Action Plan . The Action Plan will identify activities that will help NWT residents succeed in adult and post-secondary education and skills training that lead to employment. The Plan will support the Skills 4 Success 10-Year Strategic Framework 2015-2025 vision of NWT residents having the skills, knowledge and attitudes for employment success.