The Government of the Northwest Territories has committed $445,000 annually to a new partnership in Hay River that delivers life-changing support to vulnerable residents. Since October 1, 2024, the Hay River & Area Métis Local #51 has successfully taken over operations of the Hay River Homeless Shelter. With funding and training support provided by the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT), the shelter continues to provide essential emergency services to people in need.

Premier R.J. Simpson is announcing changes to the senior management team of the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT).

Eleanor Young, President of Housing NWT, will be retiring after a distinguished career in public service. Ms. Young has been a driving force in housing policy and program delivery across the territory, with a strong focus on building community capacity. Throughout her career, she prioritized establishing positive relationships with Indigenous and community governments to better support residents across the Northwest Territories.

Lucy Kuptana, Minister Responsible for Housing Northwest Territories (NWT), issued the following statement on National Housing Day:

“Today as we recognize National Housing Day, I want to reflect on the progress the Government of Northwest Territories has made in addressing the housing needs of residents. This day is an opportunity to reflect on the critical importance of housing to the stability, well-being, and prosperity of all people, especially in the North.

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Mr. Speaker, residents have noticed a significant increase in illegal activities across the territory and within public housing.

In particular, there has been an increase in drug use and sales. I am concerned that this behaviour is a risk to public safety, especially to Elders and children in our communities. Local Housing Organizations are actively looking for ways to address and report drug use and sales in public housing by working with the RCMP, the Rental Office, and residents.

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Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about an issue that is important to the maintenance of the public housing stock. I am speaking about the damage to public housing units and the costs to Local Housing Organizations and Housing NWT. I want to highlight how this damage impacts the workplan of Local Housing Organizations and Housing NWT.

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Mr. Speaker, providing suitable, accessible, and affordable housing is a top priority for this government. Housing NWT is dedicated to delivering quality solutions that address the evolving housing needs of Northwest Territories’ communities and residents.  Housing NWT continues to deliver a significant capital plan including 512 housing units. This will result in 148 new and replacement public housing units, as well as the modernization and improvement of 364 housing assets currently operating throughout the territory.

Today the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) announced the winners of this year’s Alfred Moses and Tom Williams Memorial Scholarships, celebrating NWT students enrolled in a range of housing-related programs.

Twelve scholarships of $1,000 have been awarded across the territory: 

Beaufort-Delta — Mary-Leigh Firth (Fort McPherson) and James Blake (Aklavik)

Sahtú — Haiden Duncan (Norman Wells) and Shakira Ellton (Délı̨nę)

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Mr. Speaker, the only way this government can effectively address the territory’s housing crisis is through true partnership with Indigenous governments. As stated in this government’s mandate, Indigenous governments play an important role in advancing housing initiatives that meet the unique needs of NWT communities, and we must work closely with them to ensure we are implementing housing solutions that have a real, positive impact on residents.  

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is announcing the second year of funding for Northwest Territories (NWT) students working towards improving the suitability, accessibility, and affordability of housing in the territory.

Twelve memorial scholarships of $1,000 each are available to NWT students pursuing careers ranging from construction and carpentry to business administration, project management, communications, finance and healthcare.