The Town of Norman Wells, beset by soaring fuel costs amid a broader economic crisis, will hold a meeting to consider declaring a “local state of emergency for humanitarian reasons.”
The topic will be the subject of an emergency meeting of the town’s council at 12pm on Tuesday, October 15, the town announced online.
Gas prices and heating fuel prices have risen toward – and at times beyond – $5 per litre in Norman Wells over the past week, residents have reported.
Imperial Oil, the town’s fuel supplier and a major local employer, has blamed those prices on the cost of flying in fuel after the summer barge resupply season failed because of low water.
The GNWT this week rolled out a $1.8-million support package for businesses in the broader Sahtu region and its northern neighbour, the Beaufort Delta. Companies and local governments hit by extra shipping costs in the barges’ absence can access up to $30,000 to offset those expenses.
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In a recent video message, Frank Pope – who is seeking re-election as Norman Wells’ mayor in an election this month, with former MLA Paulie Chinna challenging him – told residents local politicians were working on ways to cope with increasing costs.
Local, Indigenous and territorial government leaders have been raising the issue of the Sahtu’s crisis at meetings last month and this month in Ottawa.
“I have trouble heating my house. If it goes to $5-something a litre, nobody in this town, no matter how high a wage they make, can afford to heat their home with diesel,” Pope said.
“Our governments have got to become proactive. They can’t always be reactive.”
