The Governor General of Canada’s Corrections Exemplary Service Medal, Canada’s highest honour for the Corrections Services, has been awarded to six northern professionals.

The Corrections Exemplary Service Medals recognize distinguished service and are intended as a tangible expression of national gratitude. 

The medals were presented by the Honourable Margaret Thom, Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, during an evening reception on May 7, 2019.

Minister Responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation (NWTHC) Alfred Moses and Northwest Territories (NWT) Indigenous leaders met in Inuvik recently to discuss the housing issues facing NWT Indigenous people.

The Minister of Health and Social Services, Glen Abernethy, and the President of the Registered Nurses Association of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut (RNANT/NU). Rommel Silverio, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore the creation of one self-regulatory framework for all nursing professionals in the Northwest Territories (NWT).

Currently the Registrar for Professional Licensing with the Department of Health and Social Services regulates licensed practical nurses, while RNANT/NU regulates registered nurses and nurse practitioners.

The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre was recognized last week with a Canadian Museums Association (CMA) Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Exhibition.

The exhibit We Took Care of Them: Special Constables in the NWT  honours Indigenous northerners who worked as Special Constables with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Seamstresses, guides and interpreters are also recognized for their contributions to police work. By sharing the skills needed to live and work in the north, local people often made the difference between life and death to the RCMP.

Premier Bob McLeod today announced the appointment of Mr. Sandy Kalgutkar as Associate Deputy Minister of Infrastructure. Mr. Kalgutkar will assume his position effective May 13, 2019.

In his new role, Mr. Kalgutkar will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of major infrastructure projects of critical significance to the long-term economic health of the Northwest Territories, including Taltson Hydro Expansion, Slave Geological Province Corridor, and Mackenzie Valley Highway.

Economic diversification and job creation are key to ensuring a strong and resilient economy in the North. This is why the Government of Canada is investing $2.7M in nine economic development projects in the Northwest Territories (NWT).

This announcement was made today by Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament for Northwest Territories, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for CanNor.

The Northwest Territories Liquor and Cannabis Commission (NTLCC) recently changed its approach to liquor distribution within Yellowknife as the contract for the Yellowknife Liquor Warehouse expired.

While these changes result in lower prices overall, an unintended consequence of the change was higher costs for liquor license holders. To mitigate the impact of these increases, the NTLCC have implemented a discount program for liquor license holders to mitigate the impact of any increases. The discount program will be extended to liquor license holders across the NWT.

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has received the report from mediator Vince Ready that incorporates his binding recommendations and other matters agreed to by the parties during mediation.

Following the mediation which concluded on February 10, 2019, the GNWT and the Union of Northern Workers (UNW) agreed to a process for submitting outstanding issues to Mr. Ready for binding recommendations.

The Government of the Northwest Territoires (GNWT) has announced that three communities will get funding for Coordinators who will be responsible for working on key tourism projects.

This is part of the Community Tourism Coordinator Program — an initiative of the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment designed to help communities hire and maintain individuals to develop sustainable and marketable tourism products.

The communities selected for this intake are:

The Government of Canada is protecting and conserving nature and wildlife, an important legacy for future generations. Together with the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Conference of Management Authorities and Indigenous governments, organizations and communities, we are making progress toward the recovery and protection of boreal caribou.