The man tasked with rolling out 9-1-1 in the Northwest Territories is now charged with three offences that suggest he tried to deceive the City of Yellowknife.
Ashley Geraghty was initially accused of impersonating the NWT Fire Chiefs Association and attempting “to influence the City of Yellowknife mayor and council by deceit.”
He is now also alleged to have tried to convince the city and its council that a forged document – relating to patient safety risks and emergency dispatch – was genuine.
Geraghty’s case, which is in its initial stages, appeared briefly before Deputy Judge Bernadette Schmaltz in territorial court on Tuesday.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
Geraghty did not appear before the court. Barrister Evan McIntyre, representing Geraghty by phone, was granted a three-week adjournment to continue going through disclosure with his client prior to entering a plea.
McIntyre told Cabin Radio by email that Geraghty “looks forward to defending himself against these allegations in court and will let the court process proceed in due course.”
The first two charges were first reported by NNSL earlier in March. The third was entered into the court record on March 13. Geraghty is assumed innocent until proven guilty.
Geraghty is no longer listed in an online directory of NWT government employees. He was the 9-1-1 program’s manager when the territory’s Department of Municipal and Community Affairs introduced the service in 2019, residents having previously relied on local seven-digit phone numbers to reach emergency services.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
The NWT government and City of Yellowknife have sparred over the issue of 9-1-1 since its introduction as the city’s seven-digit numbers remain live. That means the two systems need to work together, and the extent to which they do so – and whose fault it is when they don’t – have been subjects of public debate.
All three charges against Geraghty date to November 8 last year. He is next due in court on April 18.
Brooklyn Connolly contributed reporting.
