In spite of grey skies and rainy days, NWT Parks continued to shine through the 2018 season. 

Led by a 122% increase in overnight stays in the Beaufort Delta, NWT Parks welcomed 36,526 visitors last year to campgrounds across the territory — an all-time record for territorial parks.

This is the fifth-straight year of increases in the use of NWT Parks.

The increases come on the heels of consecutive years of multi-million dollar investments by the GNWT and nearly $7 million in capital upgrades to parks in 2018-2019.  

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) will be holding engagement sessions to gather input for possible mandatory entry-level training for new Class 1 and Class 2 drivers.

Currently, the GNWT does not have regulated training requirements for Class 1 or 2 licences.

Mandatory training could result in safer, more highly skilled drivers working in the truck and bus industries.

Four engagement sessions will be held to gather feedback:

The results from a geotechnical study contracted by the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) on the École J.H. Sissons School site have been received. The study concluded that the original site, where the school currently stands, is the most viable and stable location for both current and future use. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE), Caroline Cochrane, has accepted this recommendation. Both the recommendation and the decision have been conveyed to the board.

Premier Bob McLeod, Minister Wally Schumann,  Minister Alfred Moses,  Minister Caroline Cochrane, Minister R.C. McLeod and Minister Louis Sebert met with the Tłı̨chǫ Government Grand Chief George Mackenzie, Chief Clifford Daniels, Chief David Wedawin, Chief Charlie Football, and Chief Alfonz Nitsiza in Yellowknife on Thursday, December 13^th, 2018. 

The meeting focused on areas of mutual interest, including:

It is good to be with you here today, and I want to thank Darrell Beaulieu for inviting me to join you at this NWT Indigenous Leaders Economic Forum.

YELLOWKNIFE (December 7, 2018) – The Government of the Northwest Territories is reporting on work completed under the bilateral water management agreement signed with British Columbia.

On November 28, 2018 at 1:55pm, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) will issue a live test of NWT Alert Ready, the Northwest Territories public alerting system. Residents may see and hear the public alert test on wireless devices, radio stations and cable networks across the NWT.

NWT Alert Ready is being developed to provide public alerts to NWT residents during emergencies and disasters and is part of the national public alerting system “Alert Ready”. The system is currently under development with full implementation planned for 2019.

Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment Wally Schumann issued the following statement congratulating recipients of the 2^nd Annual NWT Mining and Exploration (MAX) Awards.

“Responsible resource development is at the core of who we are as a territory. It drives our economy, generates billions in opportunity for local businesses, and provides thousands of residents good middle-class jobs.

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT), in partnership with the Arctic Energy Alliance (AEA) released details today on the $9.12 million in new funding for AEA over the next four years, as well as announced changes to funding for solar projects in hydropower communities across the NWT.

Both announcements are in response to the Arctic Energy Alliance Program and Service Review that was commissioned last year.

Population surveys carried out this summer by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on the Bathurst and Bluenose-East caribou herds show caribou numbers continue to decline significantly.

Surveys done in June 2018 indicate the number of animals in the Bathurst herd has dropped from about 20,000 in 2015 to approximately 8,200 in 2018. At its peak in 1986, the size of the herd was estimated at more than 470,000 caribou. The Bluenose-East herd has also declined from approximately 39,000 animals in 2015 to roughly 19,300 caribou.