7 races to watch in the N.W.T. election

On Nov. 14, N.W.T. voters will head to polls to elect the next Legislative Assembly. 

The issues facing the territory are significant — the election comes after a summer of wildfires, and in the midst of the impending closure of major diamond mines, a declining population and a housing crisis. 

There are 56 candidates who want to take on these issues in the 20th Assembly. 

Three candidates have already been acclaimed: Caroline Wawzonek in Yellowknife South, Caitlin Cleveland in Kam Lake and Jane Weyallon Armstrong in Monfwi.

As the election approaches, here are seven races we think are particularly interesting. 

Hay River South

Hay River South will feature a rematch of 2019 with incumbent Rocky Simpson facing off against the former infrastructure minister, Wally Schumann.  

In 2019, Simpson unseated Schumann — who, at that time, was the incumbent — by 28 votes.

This time around, there will also be a third challenger: Hay River firefighter and former longtime town councillor Vince McKay. 

Simpson came under criticism shortly after being elected when it came to light that he owed the N.W.T. Business Development and Investment Corporation $1.9 million. 

For Schumann, during his time as infrastructure minister, he faced criticism for failed barge shipments to northern communities and for not doing enough for Hay River's fishing industry.

Hay River is a community that's been hit particularly hard by the effects of climate change, with flooding in 2022 and two evacuations this past summer from fires. It's also a community dealing with social issues including opioid addiction, an issue that's affected Schumann personally with the loss of his son.

Nahendeh

With six candidates running, Nahendeh has the most people competing for a seat. 

Incumbent candidate and environment and municipal affairs minister Shane Thompson is running for a third term. In 2019, he won handily with 61 per cent of the vote. 

Thompson was among the busiest cabinet ministers in the 19th Assembly, dealing with the relentless effects of climate change on communities. 

With this, he received criticism for confusing messaging and the lack of governmental support and action on the recovery process for many communities, some of which were in his riding. He was also criticized for a raid by Environment and Natural Resources officers on a Łutsel K'e culture camp after reports of illegal caribou harvesting. 

In Nahendeh, Les Wright says he is running for office because he feels Thompson "became a politician and quit helping the region."

Wright is a village councillor in Fort Simpson who says a lack of work in every community in the region is the most pressing issue. 

Josh Campbell is another candidate. He says he moved to Fort Simpson in March.

Campbell has held numerous jobs over the years, including as host of CKLB Radio's morning show, Denendeh Sunrise. 

Sharon Allen, another candidate, is Dehcho Dene, speaks Dene Zhatıé and has worked and volunteered in health care, education and social services as a foster parent.

Hillary Deneron is another challenger, a former mayor of Fort Liard and co-owner of the Liard Valley General Store.

And then there is Mavis Cli-Michaud, who was formerly the chair of the Mackenzie Land and Water Board. 

Great Slave

The district of Great Slave will see incumbent Katrina Nokleby defend her record. 

Nokleby had no shortage of criticism in her four years, being elected to cabinet and then removed months later for what her colleagues said was issues with her conduct. 

She attracted more criticism when she returned to Yellowknife during the city's evacuation this past summer. She defended her decision to do so on social media, receiving backlash from the public and a rebuke from Yellowknife's mayor in a news conference. The N.W.T. Integrity Commissioner found Nokleby showed poor judgment in her decision to return and he recommended she be fined and reprimanded. 

But Nokleby has also been credited by many residents across the territory for listening to their issues and bringing those up during question period.   

Stacie Arden Smith, a Yellowknife city councillor and deputy mayor, is also running for MLA of Great Slave. 

Smith received the third highest number of votes in the 2022 municipal election.

But she has also faced controversy for how she's voted on certain municipal, issues including the downtown day shelter and the proof of vaccine policy for city facilities during the pandemic.  

There's also Kate Reid, the president of the board of directors for YWCA NWT, as well as president of the Union of Northern Workers Local 40.

Reid says she grew up in Yellowknife during a time of economic uncertainty and wants to be elected to help create a government that cares and is focused on fostering the community.

James Lawrance is the fourth candidate. He says he's worked for Indigenous governments, the territorial government, and the federal government over four decades where he focused on Indigenous rights and treaties, resource management, constitutional development and political evolution of the territory.  

Sahtu

Housing minister and incumbent Paulie Chinna will face Daniel McNeely, the Sahtu MLA from 2015 to 2019, once again. 

As the minister responsible for housing and homelessness, Chinna was criticized by regular MLAs on the state of public housing units and the lack of action on housing programs. 

She won the 2019 election with 309 votes, compared to McNeely's 287. Two other candidates ran in 2019. 

Both McNeely and Chinna will also be competing with Delphine Pierrot, who was the first female chief of Fort Good Hope, according to the NWT Status of Women Council.

Yellowknife Centre

The health minister's constituency in the heart of Yellowknife is an open seat. 

Social programs, homelessness and economic issues facing small businesses have been regular campaign topics during past elections in the district. That isn't expected to change this year.  

Ambe Chenemu, the founder of the Black Advocacy Coalition (BACupNorth), was a prominent voice during protests against anti-Black racism in the spring of 2020. 

On his campaign website, he highlights the economy as his number-one priority, along with housing and wellness.

He's running against former Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins, who lost the seat to Green in 2015. Hawkins ran again in 2019 in Kam Lake, losing to Caitlin Cleveland by about 38 votes. 

Hawkins served as MLA for 12 years and was also a Yellowknife city councillor in the early 2000s. 

During the evacuation, Hawkins had several videos criticizing the lack of financial assistance as well as calling for a review on the emergency response. 

Matthew Spence is another candidate. He is currently the regional director general of the Northwest Territories for Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.

He is also a former journalist and a former Iqaluit city councillor.

Spence highlighted housing and health services along with increased funding of daycare services in his campaign. 

Inuvik-Boot Lake

The Inuvik-Boot Lake race features incumbent candidate and cabinet minister Diane Archie facing off against two other candidates for her seat.

Archie is seeking her second term and highlighted climate change as the biggest threat facing the territory. 

She was the health minister at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but was switched off the portfolio in September 2020. 

Archie, a former land claim negotiator, then served as the minister of Infrastructure. 

She says if she could accomplish one thing in a second term, it would be to advance the Mackenzie Valley Highway.

Archie is facing former Inuvik mayor and town councillor Denny Rodgers. He also served in several other public positions, including public administrator for Aurora College and as a director of the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission.

Sallie Ross is another challenger, a former registered nurse who worked at the Inuvik Regional Hospital for over 14 years. Ross says she is a well-known volunteer, former community coach and micro-business owner.

She ran in 2019 for the Inuvik-Twin Lakes district, where she lost to Lesa Semmler. 

Thebacha

The Thebacha district will be a three-way race between incumbent Frieda Martselos, and challengers Connie Benwell and Jay Macdonald.

Martselos won the 2019 election, pledging to keep Aurora College headquarters in Fort Smith. After being elected, she ran for premier and was defeated by Cochrane in a four-way race.

Martselos was the longtime, and controversial, chief of Salt River First Nation.

Macdonald is Fort Smith's deputy mayor and a town councillor. He ran an engine repair shop and currently works in Forest Management Services in the department of Environment and Climate Change. 

Connie Benwell is also running for the position; she's listed as the language and culture coordinator of Salt River First Nation and an appointed representative of the Fort Smith District Education Authority. 

She told Radio-Canada that she entered the race because she found that nothing had really been done in the last four years to improve the quality of life for the residents of Fort Smith.