A sensitive subject brought back to the NWT Assembly by Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh MLA Richard Edjericon resulted in some frayed nerves and unparliamentary language at the end of last week.
In February, Edjericon made headlines when he revealed the remains of a young girl who died while at St. Joseph’s Mission residential school decades ago at Fort Resolution are considered under territorial law to be an “archeological artifact” that can’t be disturbed.
Alma’s elderly sister is desperate to honour a promise she made to their mother, to have the young girl’s remains exhumed, to be re-interred beside her mother’s gravesite at Fort Smith.
However, a clearly emotional Edjericon told the NWT Assembly on Thursday that after three months, there has been no resolution to the fraught situation.
“I tried everything here to figure a way where we could try to build collaboration, relationship and trust, but I’m not hearing it here today — it saddens me that we can’t find a solution,” said Edjericon, noting he is a residential school survivor.
“Again, policies of government are overriding over our treaties, our culture, and our values. If the Minister refuses to implement a mandate letter that she’s got from Premier (R.J.) Simpson, then would the ECE Minister resign here today?”
Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh MLA Richard Edjericon speaks with emotion in the NWT Assembly on May 22, 2025. (Assembly livestream)
He was cut short as Yellowknife South MLA Caroline Wawzonek, who is also Deputy Premier, stood on point of order. She said Edjericon had “overstepped the bounds” and his words were “not fair … not proper, and it shouldn’t be on the floor of this House, certainly not on this issue that’s important to all of us.”
Replied Edjericon: “As a member for my riding and as a Dene person, all we’re asking is to bring baby Alma home.
“And policies of this government is prohibiting that.”
“The government is following colonial policies, and the Minister is responsible for those policies in this House. It is important that Indigenous people be allowed to call out colonial policies, laws, and actions and attitudes, as part of the ongoing process of reconciliation.”
– Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh MLA Richard Edjericon
Speaker Thompson called for break. He returned with a head full of steam.
“Colleagues, this is a very emotional and difficult discussion, but it is important. It is even more important that we engage in respectful debate.
“But when it crosses the line of talking about motives of a Minister or a Member, that is inappropriate.
The Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh is a very passionate about this situation. We have an individual who is a resident of the community, and we’re dealing with this matter. And I would encourage people to work together on that.”
Edjericon withdrew his comments. Thompson cut time for Oral Questions short.
Education, Culture and Employment Minister Caitlin Cleveland during a tense Oral Questions session on May 22, 2025. Deputy Premier Caroline Wawzonek is at left. (Assembly livestream)
Education, Culture and Employment Minister Caitlin Cleveland told the Assembly:
“The Act, as I have indicated before, the language in it, does need to be updated. It wasn’t drafted long ago under the knowledge that we would be here in this place years later. But we are here, and we are taking remedies to acknowledge that this Act does need to be updated and taking steps to start that process to update this piece of legislation.
“This Act does use the term ‘artifact,’ but in no way, shape, or form is the respect or dignity of this process or the importance of this process diminished because of that.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Lesa Semmler told the Assembly the often-criticized medical travel program is in the process of being updated.“In every community I have visited, residents tell me how difficult it is to navigate medical travel,” said Semmler.
“This process can be confusing and frustrating, and it is the subject of a great many questions that come to my office from MLAs and constituents.”
When complete, said Semmler, the modernized medical travel program will give residents better support and make the steps for arranging medical travel clearer and easier to follow.
“Our aim is to make the program more consistent, simpler to navigate, and truly centred on the client’s needs.”
The newly modernized medical travel program is expected to come into effect on September 1st.
Also, Inuvik Boot Lake MLA Denny Rodgers pleaded with Housing Minister Lucy Kuptana to find a solution for residents of Nova Apartments who “live in fear” of the crime and violence that has for some time plagued the block, which is privately owned but is leased by NWT Housing.
Here’s how Rodgers described the situation:
“I still get weekly emails, messages, and calls regarding the standard of living in the building. Messages are often accompanied by photos, sometimes videos, showing the often horrendous living conditions and the common areas of this building. Often there are videos of altercations within the building, violence, doors being destroyed, and other illegal activities taking place in the common areas. Exterior doors are often damaged to the point that the building is no longer secure.
“There have been several drug busts in this building over the past several months, likely over the past couple of years, and I applaud the local RCMP for their diligence in getting that work done but, it seems to never end. Once one bad actor is removed, another seems to take their place.
“There are families with young children in this building; there are Elders in this building, often living in fear. If the existing lease agreement does not provide options for proper security and management of the building, then we must act quickly to make the appropriate changes. If not, then, for heaven’s sake let’s finds a safe place for our residents to live where they’re not having to live, life, daily, in fear.
“I implore the Minister, for the safety of the residents, for the quality of life of the residents, let’s get this issue dealt with once and for all.”
Bompas Place/Nova Apartments in Inuvik. (Northview photo)
Minister Kuptana, who represents the Beaufort Delta riding of Nunakput, said Nova Apartments — also called Bompas Place — has been an ongoing issue for the last ten years.
She acknowledged residents in the large building endure “ongoing violence and trauma every day.
“We’re see a lot of illegal activity. We’re seeing drug busts on an ongoing basis. We’re seeing crack being smoked in the hallways, and we’re seeing tenants having to live through that. So, Housing NWT is on this. They’re aware of this. They’re having these discussions with the landlord.”
Kuptana said the GNWT could wind up purchasing the block.
