Imperial Oil closure: ‘Another nail in our NWT coffin on the economic side’

The 8th Sitting of the 1st Session of the 20th Legislative Assembly convened on Wednesday, which basically means your MLAs were back in the public eye.

Sahtu MLA Danny McNeely made an impassioned plea for his region and home community of Norman Wells, which was rocked with news last week of Imperial Oil’s decision to wind down production at Norman Wells by the end of the third quarter of this year.

That’s much sooner than the end-of-decade closure it had earlier targeted.

“For a century, Norman Wells has been an oil and gas town — a beacon of prosperity for the entire Sahtu Region,” said McNeely. “People made a living, built futures, raised families with hope and dignity. Norman Wells was a showcase for the resource-rich region and the NWT.

“Imperial Oil’s announcement on shutting down production this year is nothing less than an economic sword through the very heart of the Sahtu.

“There are families left wondering if they have a future. Youth residents asking whether there is any future here in the region, Elders watching a century of community history come to a devastating close. The business community left with costly mental stress and hard reality of decisions.”

But McNeely said even in this crisis, there is opportunity.

“We stand on the threshold of building the famous Mackenzie Valley Highway, a project that represents connection, access to markets and the very sovereignty our premier spoke about,” he said. “The Sahtu deserves a fighting chance at economic prosperity. The federal government speaks often about Arctic sovereignty and Northern development. Well, here is the chance to put words into action.”

Minister of Finance and Strategic Infrastructure Caroline Wawzonek said previous multi-government lobbying efforts in Ottawa on the project were well received and she expects more to happen this year.

It is one of three major ‘nation-building’ infrastructure projects — the others being Taltson Hydro expansion and the Arctic Energy and Security Corridor — being pushed by the NWT and supported to varying extents by the federal government.

Some other topics touched on during Members’ Statements and Oral Questions on Wednesday included: Emergency medical travel; $10 billion in pre-procurement notices from the Department of National Defence for possible NWT projects in Yellowknife and Inuvik and disgust with the B.C. politician who recently engaged in residential school denialism.

MLA Dallas Brodie’s proposed bill last fall to repeal the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a provincial holiday in B.C. was defeated 86 to 3.

Brodie, of the OneBC party with two seats in the B.C. Assembly, was previously removed from the B.C. Conservative Party caucus in March 2025 for mocking testimony from residential school survivors.

Monfwi MLA Jane Weyallon Armstrong said although Brodie’s remarks were made in another jurisdiction, their impact reaches across this country, including in the Northwest Territories, “where the legacy of residential schools is deeply felt, and where where reconciliation is an ongoing and essential commitment.”

She continued: “The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation … is a day dedicated to honouring survivors, remembering the children who did not return home, and advancing public understanding of the history and intergenerational impacts of residential schools.

“Statements made in the B.C. Legislature denying this history and calling for the repeal of the day are deeply troubling. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is not about assigning shame. It is about acknowledging truth — truth documented through thousands of survivors’ testimonies, including many from the Northwest Territories. It is about recognizing that the harms of residential schools were real, profound and lasting.

“Acknowledging this history does not detract from the achievements Canadians are proud of. Rather, it strengthens our national narrative by ensuring it is honest and complete.”

Finance Minister Wawzonek will deliver the 2026-2027 Budget Address in the Legislative Assembly Thursday afternoon.

CKLB will join the media lock-up briefing Thursday morning in the Arthur Laing Building.