SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Candidates vying for the Yellowknife North district MLA seat in the territorial election took on some of the toughest issues facing the NWT as about 40 people met for a forum at the library Saturday.

Edwin Castillo, Ben Nind, Dan Wong, Cory Vanthuyne and Sean Erasmus took questions posed by the audience and online during the two-hour meeting.

Based on an online poll led by forum organizer Eli Purchase about 10 to 12 people felt that reducing homelessness was the most important question candidates should address.

Ben Nind said he would organize teams of former homeless people to provide "listening and counselling" in the streets.

"We need to kill this thing with a positive wave of experience, caring, hope and promise," he said.

Wong said he wants to see homeless people given homes, adding the Housing First model should be a higher priority for the government.

"I have always believed that the way you build a strong economy is actually investing in a healthy community where there are workers that are well housed and that are not fighting mental health and addictions," he said, adding a similar mental-health facility to those in Whitehorse or Iqaluit would benefit.

Erasmus, who is campaigning to "stop barriers to business," said people need more jobs and the government should be more supportive of entrepreneurs who could provide those jobs to deal with poverty and homelessness.

Vanthuyne said he wanted to ensure the GNWT's Anti-Poverty Action Plan was carried out.

"I like the plan because it was derived by those who were close to the problem," he said.

"We all want a poverty-free territory so as your MLA I will be fully committed to holding your government to account."

Castillo admitted he wasn't an expert on homelessness but said he believes it's important to recognize the services that help alleviate it, including Lynn's Place, Bailey House, the Salvation Army, YWCA, Alison McAteer House and the Centre for Northern Families.

"We need to be partnering with these organizations a lot more and supporting them for all the work that they do," he said. "They provide the wrap-around services that need to be addressed when we are dealing with homelessness."

Fracking elicits strong reactions

Nancy Vail, an environmental advocate, asked for "a definitive statement on where (candidates) stand on the fracking issue and why."

Candidates supported a moratorium until further information was gathered for the public to review – a motion that failed in the legislative assembly this year. Nind called for a ban on the practice.

"It is like the goose that could potentially lay a golden egg and unfortunately that egg is poison," Nind said. "For me it is a ban. A total, absolute ban for the rest of eternity on non-conventional oil extraction fracking. There is no question about it. The science is there."

Vanthuyne said he endorses a moratorium on the practice, adding more consultation with communities and industry input are needed.

"I am not prepared in any way, shape or form to conduct any activities that are going to put the health and welfare of our human beings and residents at risk," he said. "Until we know a whole lot more about what it takes and what it consists of to endeavour in the fracking process I will most certainly support the moratorium and not moving forward."

Castillo said he didn't know a lot about the issue and wanted to get more information about it but said in the meantime he supports a moratorium and ultimately a referendum.

"We need to have a comprehensive consultation and review of all the risks," he said. "Until that is completed, then maybe we can look at going forward with that in a referendum."

Wong said it is important "to be fair" and supported a full public review before a decision on fracking is made. He proposed a motion to include "a moratorium on horizontal hydraulic fracturing for at least two years or until the completion of a comprehensive, transparent and public review of the cumulative environmental, social and economic risks and benefits of the process."

Erasmus said he would ban fracking for at least 50 years.

He said he believes drought in the U.S. in the past 60 years resulted from aggressive resource extraction in the south.

"They used to have a lot of lakes. What the hell happened to their lakes? Think about it – they've been fracking for 60 years. So I would ban it."

Wendy Lahey pushed the candidates for support on advocating for the GNWT's expansion of the GNWT midwifery program.

"I am happy I asked the question because the impression I got was that many weren't aware of the territory wanting to expand the midwifery program," she said.

"I felt it was an educational question in some ways and they were honest about whether they were familiar with the program or not."

Other issues raised throughout the meeting included incarceration in the NWT, the economic outlook after existing mines close, the percentage of GNWT revenue that should be put into a heritage fund, how the territory can become more open for businesses, how energy costs can be cut and how the GNWT can help Syrian refugees.

Yellowknife North is a new district, derived in part from the former Weledeh district that is now split between Tu Nedhe and Yellowknife North.

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