The Minister Responsible for Northwest Territories Housing Corporation (NWTHC), Paulie Chinna, is announcing the opening of four three-bedroom housing units in Jean Marie River.

In spring 2021 the community of Jean Marie River suffered a devastating flood. The NWTHC and other GNWT departments quickly took action to assist the community in dealing with this disaster, but the damage to buildings in the community was significant. Among the buildings damaged beyond repair were several NWTHC-owned units.

The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Shane Thompson has extended the State of Emergency in the City of Yellowknife. This extension is being made under s.14 of the Emergency Management Act.

The extension continues through January 5, 2022.

This State of Emergency was initially instated to address the need for additional shelter space as a result of ongoing capacity limitations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Work to create a new polytechnic university for the Northwest Territories (NWT) took a significant step forward with the unanimous passage of Bill 30: An Act to Amend the Aurora College Act by the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories on December 8, 2021.

The new legislation sets the stage for the creation of a truly arm’s length post-secondary institution – a feature for the governance of the new polytechnic that the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has repeatedly heard is a priority for NWT residents. 

Minister of Health and Social Services Julie Green issued the following statement:

“On Friday, December 17th, the CEO of the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority provided staff with an update on actions taken to address their concerns, spurred by the labour and delivery service reduction at Stanton Territorial Hospital.

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has extended the proposal deadline for the Early Childhood Infrastructure Fund (ECIF) to January 17, 2022. This extension provides applicants with additional time to complete their proposals.

The ECIF provides funding for projects that are required to preserve existing infrastructure of licensed centre-based child care spaces or create new licensed centre-based child care spaces in NWT communities.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Julie Green has extended the territory-wide Public Health Emergency under the Northwest Territories’ Public Health Act on the advice of Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO) Dr. Kami Kandola.

The latest extension continues through January 4, 2021. 

The Public Health Emergency is required to continue to decisively respond to shifts in the NWT’s own public health situation, and maintain preventative measures.

A new management plan for supporting recovery of the Bathurst caribou herd is now in-place.

The Bathurst Caribou Management Plan, developed by the Bathurst Caribou Advisory Committee, provides guidance for the recovery and sustainable management of the Bathurst caribou herd. The Bathurst Caribou Advisory Committee is made up of representatives from 14 public and Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations.

Many GNWT employees returning from travel outside the Northwest Territories will be required to work from home for the first three days after returning to the NWT. This applies to the first three calendar days after their arrival, not just weekdays. If an employee is not scheduled to work within the first three days of their return, this will not apply to them. This is intended to help keep communities and GNWT worksites safe.

Ministerial Activities Advisory for the week of December 21, 2021 – January 10, 2022

Ministerial Travel

Please note that travel schedules may change with little or no notice. This schedule is accurate as of December 20, 2021

There is no travel scheduled for this time period.

Meetings and Appearances

Please note that event organizers may have attendance restrictions­­­ for their event. Contact organizers for more information.

Population estimates were obtained for five of the NWT’s barren-ground caribou herds in 2021.

ENR obtains new population estimates for the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula, Cape Bathurst, and Bluenose-West herds every three years. Due to the continued declines in Bluenose-East and Bathurst herds, ENR had planned to obtain new estimates for these two herds in 2020, only two years since the last estimates. However, 2020’s survey was delayed until 2021 due to COVID-19.