Articles by James O'Connor

Culture, Environment, Featured, Life Style, News, Reconciliation November 11, 2024

Indigenous filmmakers shine at Yellowknife International Film Festival

Dene hunting knowledge, Behchokǫ̀ wildfire evacuation, climate change and language revitalization a few of the topics explored


aRTLeSS Collective won the NWT Film Commission’s Northern Filmmaker Award for Behchokǫ̀ Evacuation: Strength and Resilience in the Face of Fire on the final night of the 2024 Yellowknife International Film Festival. The documentary tells the story of nearly 2,000 Tłı̨chǫ citizens who, in the summer of 2023, were evacuated…

Featured, News, Politics, Reconciliation November 11, 2024

Team working on Dehcho Process question having to deal with GNWT

'It's really difficult dealing with them … the territorial government,’ says Dehcho First Nations Grand Chief Herb Norwegian


The territorial government is being blamed for delaying a process that would provide the Dehcho people with control over 50,000 square kilometres of surface and subsurface lands hugging the Mackenzie River, creating a new jurisdiction called Dehcho Ndehe. In a virtual town hall last week, the Dehcho Process negotiating team…

Art, Education, Environment, Featured, History, News, Reconciliation November 5, 2024

New Inuit toonie celebrates four-region northern unity

A Royal Canadian Mint first sees multiple artists on same coin, representing all areas of Inuit Nunangat, or homeland


The distinct ways of life and culture of the Inuit Nunangat are represented in a new $2 commemorative circulation coin out this week. The Royal Canadian Mint’s new toonie symbolizes Inuit unity through the four artists’ joint representation of the story of Nuliajuk — spirit of the sea — and…

Featured, News, Reconciliation November 4, 2024

Justice Murray Sinclair’s passing ‘leaves a gaping hole in our hearts’

Indigenous lawyer, judge and senator from Manitoba exposed racial injustice through Truth and Reconciliation Commission


Murray Sinclair, the groundbreaking Indigenous lawyer, judge and senator who led inquiries that exposed racial injustice and redefined how Canadians see Indian residential schools, has died. He was 73. Sinclair, whose spirit name is Mizhana Gheezhik (The One Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky), died early Monday morning at…

Featured, Housing, News, Police, Reconciliation, Wildfires November 1, 2024

Police now work with housing officials to oust traffickers, rowdy tenants from public housing units

After years of complaints and pleas for help from MLAs and tenants, the RCMP now helps local officials build their case for evictions


In an effort to deal with an increase of drug use and sales in public housing across the NWT, the RCMP has started to share information with local housing organizations to help expedite rental office hearings. Criminality in public housing units has long been a sore spot with Regular MLAs,…

Featured, News, Politics October 31, 2024

A spooky serenade for Premier Simpson and cabinet, plus a few other scary stories

Booze prices spike in Inuvik, proposed power rate hike is shocking, and a new GNWT division is born


Marking Halloween in a musical manner in the NWT Assembly today, one MLA offered a song for Premier RJ Simpson and his cabinet, sung to the tune of the Addams Family theme song. Yellowknife Centre’s Robert Hawkins also addressed Speaker Shane Thompson “Mr. Spooker,” instead of the customary Mr. Speaker….

Education, Featured, Life Style, News October 31, 2024

IN PICTURES: Costumes aplenty at K’àlemì Dene School in Ndilǫ

The annual Halloween parade at the Jr. K to Grade 12 school filled the halls with superheroes, angels and all sorts of animals


The halls of K’àlemì Dene School in Ndilǫ were alive with cool creativity and spooky spirits as students and staff took part in the annual Halloween Parade on Thursday. Classes in the Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 community facility each paraded in a colourful procession, as the lights were dimmed…

Featured, Health, News, Politics October 30, 2024

Could a similar Stanton Renewal Project debacle happen again?

'Northerners have been saddled with hundreds of millions of dollars of debt for the next 30 years,' says MLA Kieron Testart


Yesterday’s bombshell report from the Auditor General of Canada showing the territorial government was oblivious to a hospital renewal contract that swelled 62-per-cent over-budget to more than $1.2 billion, drew some expected reaction in the NWT Assembly today. Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart was in the 18th Legislative Assembly in…

Featured, Health, News, Politics October 29, 2024

Old Stanton hospital renewal a pain in the wallet for taxpayers, says Auditor General of Canada

The GNWT and health authority 'could not show the project provided good value for money on behalf of the residents of the Northwest Territories,' reads report


The actual and projected costs over the 30-year life of the Stanton hospital renewal project have ballooned by 62-per-cent to more than $1.2 billion. The Office of the Auditor General of Canada found taxpayers did “not get good value” for their money with the project that saw a new $315…

Featured, News, Politics, Transportation, Weather October 24, 2024

NWT public servants’ morale ‘at rock bottom,’ says MLA and former union leader

Great Slave MLA Kate Reid says relentless cost-cutting chatter by cabinet adds to the stress felt by of workers


Morale among unionized GNWT employees is “at rock bottom,” with many feeling stuck within a hierarchy that expects unthinking loyalty, but does not reward creativity, an MLA and former union leader told the NWT Assembly today. Great Slave MLA Kate Reid pointed to the results of the 2023 employee engagement…