Tom Beaulieu has been appointed the new administrator of Fort Resolution, the NWT government said on Wednesday.
Beaulieu, formerly an MLA representing the community, takes over from Shawn Stuckey, who had been running Fort Resolution since the territory placed it into administration in June last year.
At the time, the territory said the hamlet faced significant “financial and operational challenges” that needed to be addressed. Local elected officials – who were removed from office through the administrator’s appointment – disputed that assertion and said they had needed more territorial government support.
How long Fort Resolution will remain in administration, without an elected mayor and council, is unclear.
In a Wednesday news release, the GNWT called administration an “exceptional measure” but gave no indication of a timeline for the return to an ordinary governance system.
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Instead, the GNWT said the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs would “work closely with Mr Beaulieu to maintain a strong community and to position the community to elect a new council once operations have been stabilized.”
Richard Edjericon, who now occupies the role of Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh MLA once held by Beaulieu, has been critical of the progress made while an administrator has been in charge.
“Instead of stable community government with local leaders chosen by local people, the community has been totally uninformed about this decision and is awash with rumours, instability and serious concerns about the future,” Edjericon said last fall.
