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Imperial Oil’s sudden Sahtu departure sees families, students move away, says MLA
NWT Assembly on Monday also heard: diabetes or pre-diabetes hits 20% of population; Jordan’s Principle funding cuts will have profoundly negative consequences
Imperial Oil’s unexpected closure announcement has already taught the Sahtu’s regional centre of Norman Wells a tough lesson as nearly 20% of its student population is set to leave the area, says MLA Daniel McNeely.
During community engagements for the proposed Mackenzie Valley Highway last week in the Sahtu Region, McNeely said he heard deeply disturbing news that families are making difficult decisions about the future, “their futures as a result of the Imperial Oil’s production closure scheduled for the third quarter of this year.”
In the NWT Assembly on Monday, the Sahtu representative said he learned 11 students across five families are set to leave, and additional eight students from other families may also be affected, depending on how things unfold.
“That’s nearly 20% of our student population,” said McNeely. “These aren’t just statistics — these are families who have built their lives in Norman Wells, children who have been uprooted from their schools and friends, and parents who are being forced to choose between their community and their family’s economic security.”
“The Sahtu is resilient, but this closure impacts all levels of government, local residents and the business community. As a hub for the region, surrounding communities will also be impacted.”
McNeely said the only hope is the welcome news of Department of National Defence’s plans to significantly increase its footprint in the NWT as part of a national push to modernize Arctic defence, with plans for major investments in infrastructure and personnel in the region.
It’s hoped this will propel the long-awaited Mackenzie Valley Highway through the Sahtu Region.
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- Imperial Oil headquarters in Calgary. (Photo: Adobe Stock Licence)
Last week, McNeely, Mackenzie Delta MLA George Nerysoo, and Nahendeh MLA Shane Thompson issued an “urgent call” for federal partnership to move the highway from planning to construction.
Said McNeely on Monday: “(The highway would be) a connection that will position the Sahtu for more economic growth and resource development and also in the hospitality sector. The Sahtu has weathered challenges before, but our families cannot wait for tomorrow’s promises while today’s opportunities slip away.”
More troubling statistics were presented in the NWT Assembly on Monday, as Monfwi MLA Jane Weyallon Armstrong said 20% of NWT residents are diabetic or pre-diabetic.
She said: “A serious health crisis is quietly emerging in the Northwest Territories. Diabetes has become widespread across our communities, reaching levels that are now epidemic. The most recent data shows that approximately 9,400 residents are living with diabetes or are pre-diabetic — an astonishing figure.”
Government information shows diabetes is a significant, growing public health issue in the Northwest Territories, with approximately 200 new cases diagnosed annually.
As of 2016, 10% of NWT residents over age 24 had diabetes, with higher rates observed among Indigenous populations, specifically Dene (11%) and Métis (14%).
The extent of the disease is expected to increase due to an aging population.
The MLA said the numbers, “represent families, friends and community members whose lives are changed every day by this chronic condition. Diabetes is a major cause, driver of heart attacks, kidney failure, liver amputations and preventable blindness. These are life altering and too often life ending complications.
“If we are to meaningfully confront this crisis, we must recognize diabetes for what it has become in the Northwest Territories, a silent epidemic and committed to the investment education and prevention efforts needed to turn these trends around.”
A letter from Yellowknife Education District No. 1 and Yellowknife Catholic Schools was tabled by Yellowknife North MLA Shana Morgan concerning funding for Indigenous students.
In it, the Boards of Trustees pleaded with Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty and Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty to restore Jordan’s Principle funding, as the surprise slashes to the program prior to the start of the 2025-2926 school year, “resulted in profound shifts in the stability and safety of classrooms in YK1, and illustrates what YCS can expect when those reductions take place at the end of this school year.”
The letter stated, in part:
“Jordan’s Principle funding allowed our districts to address unique inequities faced by Indigenous students in the North. These supports have shown us what’s possible when schools are appropriately funded and resourced, and have allowed students the opportunity to be supported much like their counterparts in southern Canada.
“The withdrawal of Jordan’s Principle funding will continue to create a shortfall that neither district can absorb. We face the permanent loss of hundreds of Student Support Assistants (SSAs) and specialized staff who are critical to the creation and maintenance of supportive, inclusive learning environments.
“Students who rely on specialized equipment, health services, speech and occupational therapy will lose that access. The impacts of this loss will be life-changing for them.”
Without specialized teachers or SSAs to support classrooms, the learning experiences of all students will suffer. These positions offer key and timely support for learning, but also to intervene and ensure the safety of all staff and students.
The inclusion staff hired through Jordan’s Principle provided meaningful employment to Northern residents, many of whom are Indigenous. In addition to being able to provide cultural insights which inform our approaches at school, these positions also previously provided income security in our region.
The school boards ended with an “urgent request” for a joint meeting with the two federal ministers to develop a strategic path forward.
