Articles by James O'Connor

The unilateral decision by the Aurora College board of directors to close all 19 Community Learning Centres has left some employees in emotional turmoil. Mackenzie Delta MLA George Nerysoo was critical of the move, which came without consultation. “There are some employees who broke down in tears because of the…

Several Regular MLAs schooled Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland in the NWT Assembly last week on the ramifications of Aurora College’s recent decision to close all Community Learning Centres. Aurora College is closing 19 Community Learning Centres located mostly in smaller communities across the NWT as of June 30. Monfwi MLA…

The territorial government plans to spend roughly $2.5 billion in the coming year, but is watching a shrinking GDP as private business activity slows, mostly due to the large diamond mines beginning their multi-year shutdowns. So, the GNWT is moving towards public investment in capital projects, to bolster employment and…

Raw politics were on the menu for many MLAs at today’s start of the latest sitting for the NWT Assembly. U.S. President Donald Trump was vilified by a couple of MLAs for his social policies and threatened trade war with Canada. Later, Ontario Premier Doug Ford was praised for his…

In what he says will be an annual event, Premier R.J. Simpson stood in the Great Hall of the NWT Legislative Assembly late Tuesday afternoon and delivered a narrative on the accomplishments and challenges of the first year of his government. Simpson spent some time detailing the efforts made by…

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump will hold off on levying tariffs on Canada for at least 30 days. The federal government has announced a $1.3 billion border plan to deploy more personnel and technology to better police the boundary for illegal crossers and fentanyl…

The United States government’s “aggressive and disappointing” decision to impose tariffs on all Canadian goods will be met by counter-measures, including from the Northwest Territories, says Premier R.J. Simpson. While the Northwest Territories has limited direct exports to the United States, we are not immune to the repercussions of these…

The Gwich’in Tribal Council will appeal an NWT Supreme Court decision which declared Frederick Blake Jr. legally elected as grand chief and ordered the GTC’s board not to hold a new election. At an emergency board meeting Wednesday in Inuvik, the tribal council’s board also rescheduled this Friday’s Special Assembly…