In final sitting, N.W.T. MLAs to discuss capital budget, evacuations and pass about 'a dozen bills'

N.W.T. MLAs have a long list of tasks to complete duringthe final sitting of the 19th Assembly which begins Wednesday.

The sitting comes duringa historicwildfire season that sawover 70 per cent of the N.W.T.'s population flee from their homes at some point over the past four months.

"Despite the delay andthe emergency, [the] fall sitting is first and foremost always about the capital budget," said Rylund Johnson, Yellowknife North MLA.

He added, along with the capital budget, there are "about a dozen bills" that still need it to make it through third reading.Theseincludethe proposedForest Act, and amendments to the Liquor Act and the BDIC Act.

"I think we will probably pass more pieces of legislation in this sitting than we have in any other," Johnson said.

The sitting is scheduled to last until Oct. 5, but Johnson says the session will continueuntil everything is complete. The nomination period for the upcoming election doesn't officially begin until Oct. 16, meaning the current assembly can still work until then, he said.

"We'll have some late nights and if we need to keep sitting until it's all done then that's what we'll do," Johnson said.

The current sitting was initially scheduled for mid-August but was delayed as a result of the wildfires. An emergency sitting was held in Inuvik in late August, where MLAs decided to postponethe election to November, and provide more funds to the firefighting budget.

What members will prioritize

Richard Edjericon, the MLA for Tu Nedh-Wiilideh, says he is going to prioritize attempting to get support for his constituents who were affected by the wildfires.

He says Fort Resolution in particular acted as an unofficial evacuation centre for a lot of displaced residents and the community had to take on the financial burden.

"Because of that, they're going to be asking to get some of this money back from the territorial government," he said.

Edjericon also said the Yellowknives Dene First Nation,utsel K'e Dene First Nation and Fort Resolution usedtheir own funds to do FireSmartwork and said he would be pushing the department of Municipal and Community Affairs to help reimburse them for that work.

This is a subject Ron Bonnetrouge, the MLA for Deh Cho, said he would also prioritize,including how the territorial government can help communities build fire breaks.

He said in an email to CBC News that he also wants to find out what the N.W.T. government will be doing to help Enterprise rebuild.

Caitlin Cleveland, the MLA for Kam Lake, said in an email she will be focused on holding the government accountable onthe recent evacuations as well as advocating for supports for private industry.

Shaped by emergencies

The tenure of the N.W.T.'s 19th Legislative Assembly has been shaped by emergencies. The current MLAswere voted in just before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared.

Along with the pandemic, over the past few yearsN.W.T. communities dealt with destructive flooding and this year'sdevastating wildfires.

Jane Weyallon Armstrong, MLA for Monfwi, says the past few years have been difficult.

"But I know that at the end we all manage and work together.Working together makes a big difference," she said.

"Even though we don't all agree with each other ... because we are consensus government, at the end of the day we all have to decide."

The territorial election is scheduled for Nov. 14.CBC News reached out to all19 MLAs on Tuesdayto ask who would be running for reelection.

Incumbents who confirmed to CBC News they are running:

• Ron Bonnetrouge, MLA for Deh Cho
• Katrina Nokleby, MLA for Great Slave
• Richard Edjericon, MLA forTu Nedh-Wiilideh
• Lesa Semmler, MLA for Inuvik-Twin Lakes
• Caitlin Cleveland, MLA for Kam Lake
• Frederick Blake Jr., MLA for Mackenzie Delta
• Jane Weyallon Armstrong, MLA for Monfwi
• Jackie Jacobson, MLA for Nunakput
• Frieda Martselos, MLA for Thebacha (previously confirmed with CBC News)
• Caroline Wawzonek, MLA for Yellowknife South (previously confirmed with CBC News)
• Diane Archie, MLA for Inuvik-Boot Lake (previously confirmed with CBC News)

Incumbents who won't be running:

• Rylund Johnson, MLA for Yellowknife North

MLAs who are undecidedor did not respond to requests from CBC News

• R.J. Simpson, MLA for Hay River North
• Kevin O'Reilly, MLA for Frame Lake
• Rocky Simpson, MLA for Hay River South
• Shane Thompson, MLA for Nahendeh
• Premier Caroline Cochrane, MLA for Range Lake
• Paulie Chinna, MLA for Sahtu
• Julie Green, MLA for Yellowknife Centre

The nomination period for the upcoming election is from Oct. 16 to Oct. 20.