NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Sometimes an extra week can make a big difference.

Such was the case with the extra week to find candidates for hamlet and/or district education authority (DEA) elections set for Dec. 8 in eight NWT communities.

Elections will be held in most hamlets of the Northwest Territories on Dec. 8. - NNSL file photo

When nominations first closed on Nov. 10, there were not enough candidates for council in Tuktoyaktuk or for DEAs in Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour and Tuktoyaktuk.

However, a week later on Nov. 17 there were enough candidates to fill every seat, either by acclamation or in the election.

"Sometimes people just need a little bit more time to think about whether they want to run for public office and, in this case, it was a good thing that they got the extension," said Valerie Conrad, the deputy chief municipal electoral officer with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, and its acting manager of community governance.

In Tuktoyaktuk, there were just three candidates for five open seats on hamlet council when nominations closed on Nov. 10.

However, there were five more when the extension ended on Nov. 17. Conrad said that was a somewhat surprising increase.

"I wasn't expecting five additional people, but you never know why people didn't put their names forward in the first place. Who knows?" she said. "Maybe they missed the initial deadline or maybe they just needed a little bit of a nudge from fellow people of the community. You just never know."

Terry Testart, the senior administrative officer with the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk, was also pleased to see the additional candidates.

"I wasn't overly surprised because my experience in Tuk when I worked here before was that there was always a good interest when elections opened for the hamlet," he said. "Now it could be that this year the mayor is not up for election, so it's always between the mayoral contests normally you have less of an interest for new candidates for that election."

Testart was actually a bit more surprised there weren't more candidates at the original nomination deadline, noting there may have been people travelling and not available to get in before the first nomination period closed.

The one-week extension for nominations is allowed under the Local Authorities Elections Act.

Conrad noted she originally extended the nomination deadline from Nov. 10 to Nov. 12 in Paulatuk because the community was experiencing a blizzard with winds in excess of 100 km/h on the day nominations first closed.

"Obviously, this was a safety factor, and safety always comes first, hence the nominations extension," she said, noting the original extension was for 48 hours because Nov. 11 is Remembrance Day and a statutory holiday.

Conrad is pleased all open seats on the councils and DEAs will be filled.

"It's always satisfying to have all the positions filled, for sure," she said. "We're pretty pleased with the numbers, especially the communities where there are a high number of candidates."

For example, she pointed to Ulukhaktok, which has two people running for mayor and 11 candidates for eight seats on council, and to Tulita, which has three candidates for mayor and 11 candidates for eight council seats.

Elections will also be held this year in the hamlets of Aklavik, Enterprise, Fort Resolution and Sachs Harbour.

In Sachs Harbour, there will be an election for mayor and four councillors have been acclaimed.

There are also races for mayor in Paulatuk, Tulita and Ulukhaktok.

No elections are set this year in the hamlets of Fort Providence and Fort Liard.

There will also be no election this year in the Hamlet of Fort McPherson. Its council was dissolved by the GNWT in July and a municipal administrator was appointed to run the local government.

Additional candidates for the Dec. 8 hamlet elections include:

Tuktoyaktuk

Council (eight candidates for five seats): nominees as of Nov. 17 - Heavenly Elias, Billy Emaghok, Georgina Jacobson-Masuzumi, Ernest Pokiak, James Pokiak, Joe Nasogaluak, James Stevens and John Steen Jr.

District Education Authority (11 candidates for seven seats): John Alexander Stuart Hayden, Sebastian Hebert, Glenna Cora Maria Emaghok, Sandra Roseanne Elias, Elizabeth Arey, Tina Rita Kikoak, Maureen Pokiak, Sarah Ross-Gruben, Molly Nogasak, Katrina Cockney and Marjorie Ovayuak.

Paulatuk

District Education Authority (four candidates for three seats): Bill S. Ruben, Kelly Ruben, Gilbert Thrasher Sr. and Lottie Thrasher.

Sachs Harbour

District Education Authority (four candidates acclaimed for four seats): Lloyd Acheson, Doreen Carpenter, Chelsey Elanik and Florence Elanik.

Source: Department of Municipal and Community Affairs

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.