I have decided to put my name forward in the 2019 N.W.T. election to make sure Inuvik has a strong voice in the 19th sitting of the Legislature.

I'm a dedicated, honest, compassionate, hard worker with 16 years with the government of the Northwest Territories as a highway transport officer.

I recently completed North American Standard Level 1 Instructor Development (Part A & B) training. With this, our department will save money, as in the past, our officers would have to travel to another province to take this training.

Cost of living, jobs, our education system, climate change, infrastructure, homelessness, and addictions.

Cost of living, Mackenzie Valley Highway completion, Dempster Highway, sports fields completion.

Lower the cost of living in Inuvik and the N.W.T.

Provide funding for research so we can better prepare the people for climate change and prepare for infrastructure projects better.

Pass bills in a timely matter, fund more projects for the youth and elders, listen to all concerns, and deal with them in a timely matter.

Invest in and work with industry.

Be transparent and respectful.

If elected, will you be seeking a cabinet position?

Too early to comment on this question.

Would you like to be premier?

No, not at this time.

I am running because I feel I can be a strong advocate and voice for the residents of Inuvik Twin Lakes.

We need to take a hard look into the JK-12 education system, as there are some definite issues there. The economy is vital in our community, and we need to do whatever is necessary to provide jobs. Many of our families who work in industry rely on these jobs. The cost of living needs to be addressed, so that the residents feel the changes financially in their pockets. This may encourage more people to want to stay.

We need addictions treatment for our residents in the region and find ways they can be supported after. We also need to find ways to recruit and keep essential staff like nurses, lab techs, X-ray techs, social workers, and doctors long term. This will aide in improving the trust of the health system by our residents, as the health-care staff would be here long enough to learn from the people and provide culturally-sensitive care. These are just a few of the reasons why I am running.

I have been advocating for people in my community and region my entire career. My leadership skills, education, and board experience both at the community and regional level makes me a strong candidate.

My time working for both the territorial government and with an Indigenous government allows me to know the issues that are they are faced with. My personal experience, being Inuvialuit and Gwich'in, and being a lifelong resident of Inuvik enables me to know the issues at the community level.

Other than my family, I would have to say it brought me great honour to represent our families and our region in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls National Inquiry to ensure our voices were heard and we were not forgotten or overlooked in that process.

I believe the economy is. It doesn't matter where you live in the N.W.T., without any investments into projects, we will continue to struggle to keep the cost of living down. We need jobs to keep our residents in the N.W.T. and to encourage new residents to move here. It will also impact the amount of money we have to support all the programs that we currently have, and future ones we need.

What I am hearing from our residents as I am going door-to-door is that housing issues, addictions and homelessness, cost of living, cost of operating small businesses, cost of child care, and jobs — especially those who work in the industry like equipment operators and contractors who provide these jobs.

I have grown up in Inuvik and we always refer to Inuvik as a boom and bust community and right now we need some development to make us boom again.

I can't choose one because I want to see the health of our people taken care of, with regional decision-making put back in place. Alcohol and drug treatment, and supported living, in the region.

I would also like to ensure that we can invest in projects that will decrease the cost of living of our residents. I believe that we have a lot to offer and I wouldn't just settle for one accomplishment, as that's just not me.

The N.W.T. is warming at three times the global rate and therefore we need to ensure that we are able to adapt to these changes. We need to support the researchers who come to our region, work with our communities so we know where we can, as a government, support each community.

We are a territory with a small population and we can't fight this alone. We need to ensure the federal government is providing the money to deal with the effects from climate change and I would be a strong supporter in that.

I want to work with the residents and Indigenous governments and not be a government that feels they are there to rule as an absolute. The people elect us. We need to remember that is who we represent. We know what's best for us, not a southern policy being tweaked and trying to be implemented in the N.W.T. Elected officials need to govern and make decisions, not bureaucrats.

We need to support our local businesses and create opportunities by supporting projects that will bring benefits to Inuvik and the North in general. Industry is a huge driver of our economy, and we have to support that to maintain and grow our programs and services.

There are ways to develop our resources and protect the environment. It doesn't have to be one or the other. Inuvik, for example, is surrounded by oil and gas, and yet we are suffering as a community for jobs and are suffering to bring and keep basic services here. Something is not right with that picture if you ask me.

We also need to look internally and minimize some of the red tape that government puts on businesses and individuals. While I'm all for accountability, I think there are ways to better improve getting support out the door to people.

We need to work with them as true partners and find ways to bring more dollars to the N.W.T. together. We need to support finalizing self-government agreements and not insist on policies or positions that will never conclude those agreements.

As I mentioned, we should be true partners that support Indigenous people taking their rightful place in today's world, and living up to past promises by way of land claim agreements and living up to the spirit and intent of those agreements.

I would review all the options before coming to a decision. I think any candidate or MLA should review all options before ruling things in or out.

Again, I would review all options.

I have been involved with many organizations over the years as either a volunteer, an elected official or an appointed official. Through this service, I have further developed my knowledge and skills to meet the requirements for each group. This experience, in combination with my vast work experience, has given me a solid knowledge base and a very good understanding of what the issues are, from the perspective of the average resident. I know I have the skills, abilities, and work ethic to be an effective advocate for the people of the Twin Lakes Riding.

I have a vast array of community service experience with many local service groups. I also have extensive work experience as a registered nurse (in frontline positions as well as supervisory positions) as well as my most recent role as regional manager of the income security program.

I am also very dedicated to life-long learning as evidenced by the four leadership certificates I acquired post-completion of my BSc Nursing degree. The combination of these experiences in conjunction with my lived experience – being born and raised in the Twin Lakes riding – gives me the skills and abilities to serve the people of Inuvik well.

Professionally, I am most proud of my ability to adapt to each new situation and my capability to quickly assess situations and make sound decisions based on the information at hand. This skill has served me well over the years and has given me a reputation for being a great asset to any service group or team.

Personally, I am most proud of my daughters. They are well-spoken, passionate and determined young ladies. They are all well on their way to achieving their personal goals with their education/career choices. Through all of the trials and tribulations of raising children, my husband and I could not be more proud of our children.

Through my personal and work-related travel, one of the main issues I continually hear is the issue of housing: the need for more units in each community, the conditions of the units in place and the amount of overcrowding. We need to develop a strategy to address the housing issues that are plaguing our communities, territory-wide.

Being that I was employed as a registered nurse for over 12 years, then worked with the income security program, I believe that mental health and addictions are the biggest issues in our riding.

We need to provide our people with a viable option for dual-diagnosis treatment and aftercare in our community. When I talk about dual-diagnosis, I am referring to treatment that not only tackles the addiction aspect but also the underlying cause of addiction (residential school trauma, family violence, sexual assault, etc).

We know that the current system is not working for the majority of people who access it. It is crucial to the future generations of our families that we deal with our issues now and begin creating the foundation for healthier generations to come.

A dual-diagnosis treatment facility in Inuvik to service the entire region. In my opinion, this would be one of the greatest accomplishments that the next government could have. Without healthy people, you cannot have healthy children and families, a healthy economy or a healthy territory.

We know that in order to grow and develop, people need to have all of their basic needs met – psychological and physical needs included. A facility that encompasses both the addiction and the underlying cause of addition, including cultural and family care, is desperately needed in our community.

One of the biggest impacts of climate change felt by communities is failing infrastructure. Inuvik is currently experiencing a huge shortage of public housing availability and part of that is due to difficulties with maintaining units that have been damaged by the thawing ground.

People are desperate for suitable living spaces, and sustainable and innovative housing designs and building practices are what will make those spaces a reality. It is important to look at examples such as Iqaluit's sustainable subdivision for guidance, and to support and encourage further research into new ways of building our communities.

Fundamentally, I think that the GNWT must focus on their policies surrounding hiring and direct appointment. In order to implement the mandate of the GNWT, we must be staffed by people with the appropriate skill set. I am a great supporter of affirmative action and some of the new programs that are being implemented to offer training and development for members of our Indigenous population.

What I am not in support of is the current hiring practices of many throughout the GNWT to hire based on personal connection and relationships as opposed to hiring based on the person actually having the education, required training and years of experience necessary to be able to be effective in the role.

There has been great focus on single industries over the years. It is my opinion that they key to a sustainable economy is to diversify.

Specifically in Inuvik, we have a growing tourism sector but our service sector has actually shrunk. There are very limited options for hospitality and entertainment services for our community members or visitors to participate in after 6 p.m. I believe that there are opportunities for small businesses to be developed and be successful in the environment we have right now.

As an Indigenous woman, I believe that the rights of the Indigenous population must be recognized and respected. I believe in working together and collaboration between groups to utilize all available resources to maximize the funding available for programming and projects.

The GNWT is in a position to help Indigenous people prosper and should be supporting them through individual endeavours as well as supporting entire Indigenous groups through their self-government processes.

Being in cabinet is not my main objective. I am committed to serving as a voice for the people of the Twin Lakes Riding. Having said that, if my peers feel that I am a suitable candidate for the position, I may consider it.

No.