Articles by James O'Connor

Environment, Featured, Industry, News, Politics, Weather June 26, 2024

Anti-Indigenous racism is ‘blatantly obvious’ in Health and Social Services, says Minister Lesa Semmler

Commitment statements on cultural safety will be added into job descriptions, will be part of performance appraisals


The GNWT is producing anti-Indigenous racism commitment statements, to be included in job descriptions, to combat “blatantly obvious,” racism faced by First Nations, Metis and Inuit patients and clients when dealing with Health and Social Services staff. Lesa Semmler is a former nurse in the Beaufort Delta and now is…

Featured, Industry, News, Reconciliation June 24, 2024

Road to NorZinc mine could unleash $8 billion in Dehcho over 20 years

‘Together, we can advance our goals, fostering a future that honours our past while building a stronger, more sustainable tomorrow,’ says Chief Kele Antione


A 170-kilometre all-season road to a zinc mine in the Dehcho region will take two years to build and cost roughly $256 million. Ultimately the privately held NorZinc Ltd., could generate $8 billion of high-grade zinc concentrate over the next 20 years, meaning employment and business opportunities for Indigenous people…

Featured, News, Weather, Wildfires June 24, 2024

Traditional knowledge lens: Updating evacuated Elders on the wildfire emergency

‘We view the world through a visual lens … this is an effective means to communicate, letting the maps do the talking so to speak,’ says official Frank McKay


“Everyone is doing good, happy faces, elders are being looked after by the fish camp community and that is wonderful,” says Fort Good Hope Chief Collin Pierrot Veteran wildfire fighter Frank McKay has been NWT Fire’s information officer assigned to the massive Fort Good Hope wildfire, known as VQ001. The…

Featured, News, Weather, Wildfires June 23, 2024

Fort Good Hope wildfire ‘aggressively’ burning away from community

A new fire north of Fort Smith Airport, but posing no threats to communities, cabins, or infrastructure, says NWT Fire


There are currently 17 wildfires in the Northwest Territories, with 12 of them labelled as out of control. Many of those blazes are small and simply being monitored, but some remain a threat to property or people. The fire at Fort Good Hope, called VQ001, that caused the evacuation of…

Featured, Industry, News June 19, 2024

Det’on Cho beefs up portfolio with food-service distributor

Det’on Cho Management has acquired local food distributor Northbest Distributors Limited. Northbest is a full-line food-service industry distributor, since 1999 supplying food to stores, restaurants, mining camps, and institutions across the territory. Mark Lewis is president and CEO of Det’on Cho Management, the ever-growing financial arm of the Yellowknives Dene…

Featured, News, Weather, Wildfires June 18, 2024

Mainly cloudy today with a chance of rain or thundershowers at Fort Good Hope

Wildfire remains outside the evacuated community’s boundaries; no structures have been confirmed lost as of this morning


Some erratic weather today will see the Fort Good Hope wildfire chanced upon by a thundershower, then pushed by easterly winds, followed by gusts up to 20 km/h, NWT Fire stated this morning. Frank McKay is the Information Officer for the fire, known as VQ001. “Today’s weather forecast calls for…

Environment, Featured, News, Weather, Wildfires June 17, 2024

Second fire diverts some crews from Fort Good Hope wildfire

A human-caused fire outside the main evacuation community of Norman Wells forces more contingency plans


As firefighters and volunteers were desperately fighting to save Fort Good Hope after a campfire wasn’t extinguished, another “human caused” fire outside of Norman Wells drew crews away for a while on Sunday night. In Norman Wells, there are 225 evacuees from Fort Good Hope, whose lives were turned upside…