Wally Schumann is relaunching his bid to return as Hay River South MLA, having first announced he would run in March 2022.
Schumann’s initial declaration came almost 18 months before polling day in the territorial election, which is October 3.
In a letter on Friday, the former NWT minister restated his ambition to take back the Hay River South seat he occupied from 2015 to 2019 before being defeated by Rocky Simpson.
“I am deeply concerned about the future of both my community of Hay River and the Northwest Territories as a whole,” Schumann wrote this week.
“While uncertainty may be prevailing in the present, we have many valuable opportunities on the horizon that, under strong leadership, can lead both Hay River and the entire territory to a more prosperous and healthy future for us all.”
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Schumann says the likes of the Pine Point mine and Enterprise’s Aurora industrial site hold “great promise.”
“We cannot let our leaders squander opportunities and hinder progress that would lead the Northwest Territories – and every single citizen – to a new era of prosperity. To grow our economy and improve our lives, we need to think big,” he wrote, promising that “specific ideas” would follow between now and polling day.
Schumann also touched on the effect of mental health, addictions and related crime affecting Hay River, having written last year about losing his son in what he called “an epidemic of early death.”
“So many residents have shared some really personal stories with me on how these challenges are making it difficult to be optimistic about our joint future,” he stated this week.
“These conversations have informed me on what needs to be done to start the path of healing.”
Simpson has yet to set out his intentions for this fall’s election. He defeated Schumann by 350 votes to 322 in 2019.
