After a year without, Norman Wells, N.W.T. is getting a town council
A year after the territorial government dissolved town council in Norman Wells, N.W.T., the community is ready to bring it back, and a territorial official who briefly oversaw the town says her team has worked to set it up for success.
Voters in the community of nearly 800 people are heading to the polls Monday to choose a new mayor and council. Voting starts at 10 a.m. at the town office.
In 2017, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs [MACA] appointed an administrator to run the town's affairs, after a report found perceived conflicts of interest and a failure from council to consistently follow rules around proper meeting procedures.
"Administration's not something we like to do," said Eleanor Young, the deputy minister with MACA who briefly served as the town's interim administrator last year.
"Hopefully the effect we've been able to have is to kind of hit a reset button."
Changes made to town bylaws
Young, who oversaw the town before Allen Stanzell took on the role, said Stanzell has since made changes to the council's procedures bylaw. He's also been asked to work on bylaws about procurement, employment and conflicts of interest, to make them more clear for the incoming council.
Stanzell said the changes were "just tweaks" he worked on with a consultant, although in an interview, he was unable to describe the specific changes he made.
He said he was received well by the town.
"There were some people skeptical of the situation but … I think just dealing with less people, it simplified some of the decision-making processes and it may have even simplified the interaction with the public," he said.
The N.W.T. government is planning training for the newly-elected council, about a month after they start the job, to help them understand their responsibilities.
Young said the previous council didn't invite the territorial government to train them until about a year into their term.
As a result, Young said, "I don't think our training was probably as effective."
New senior administrator officer on the way
Along with council's failure to follow bylaws, there were issues between council and the town's senior administrative officer, Catherine Mallon.
Three workers said that, under Mallon, work became so stressful they went on medical leave. At the time, one worker also accused Mallon of "relentless harassment" and sued the town for wrongful termination. The town responded with a countersuit.
"She's [Mallon] effectively left the community," Young said.
Mallon's contract was set to end in November, but she took leave in September and has been replaced by an interim senior administrative officer, Darren Flynn, until the new council can hire someone.
"It was felt that, given the dynamic of the previous council, a changed face would be good for the new council to start working with," Young said. "We're trying to pave the way for that so the new council will be able to choose someone that they want to work with."
Norman Wells isn't alone in being put under administration.
In 2014, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs put Fort McPherson under administration until 2016, to fix the hamlet's ballooning debt.
In 2007, N.W.T. communities began receiving additional responsibilities for their own infrastructure under a new deal between the territorial and community governments. That's been a big adjustment for leaders in small communities, Young said.
