Peter Clarkson will be Inuvik’s new mayor, Dana Fergusson won the mayoral race in Fort Smith and challenger Les Wright unseated longtime mayor Sean Whelly in Fort Simpson.
Frank Pope will remain the mayor of Norman Wells after Monday’s municipal elections, which took place across five NWT communities.
Clarkson beat incumbent Clarence Wood by 512 votes to 222 in Inuvik, the last of the communities to declare its results in the early hours of Tuesday.
In Fort Smith, town councillor Fergusson received 441 votes to incumbent Fred Daniels’ 301. In Fort Simpson, village councillor Wright won 239 votes to incumbent Whelly’s 142.
Pope defeated former Sahtu MLA Paulie Chinna in Norman Wells by 174 votes to Chinna’s 48.
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Alongside current Sahtu MLA Danny McNeely, Pope had been a central figure in a weeks-long campaign to draw attention to the spiralling cost of living in the town – including dramatic increases in fuel prices.
Chinna conceded in a message posted online just before 9pm. The former MLA congratulated Pope and thanked her community for giving her the opportunity to campaign.
Moments after being confirmed as Fort Smith’s new mayor, Fergusson said she pledged “to represent Fort Smith with dedication and excellence, and I look forward to serving the community effectively for the next three years.”
Hay River’s mayor, Kandis Jameson, had already been acclaimed to a third term as nobody ran against her.
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Councillors elected in Hay River on Monday were Robert Bouchard, Keith Dohey, Linda Duford, Corinna Gagnier, Tom Lakusta, Rena Squirrel, Karen Wall and Brian Willows. Turnout was 34.25 percent.
Similarly, Fort Simpson’s council was acclaimed as the number of candidates for council didn’t exceed the number of seats.
In Norman Wells, Alexis Peachey, Robert Greek, Trevor Smith, Roger Odgaard, Carol Lorentz and Heidi Hodgson were elected as councillors. Turnout was 64.9 percent.
In Fort Smith, the councillors joining Fergusson will be Adam Bathe, Connie Benwell, Mike Couvrette, Karl Cox, Patricia Heaton, Al Karasiuk, Mike Keizer and Leonard Tuckey.
In Inuvik, the eight councillors elected are Steve Baryluk, Kendall McDonald, Kurt Wainman, Mario Lemieux, Melinda Gillis, Alana Mero, Ned Day and Jennifer Parrott. Turnout was 36 percent.
Monday’s elections covered the NWT’s five main regional centres. Hamlet elections will be held in December.
Everyone elected on Monday will hold a three-year term in their position.
Yellowknife is on a four-year election cycle. The next municipal election in Yellowknife will take place on October 19, 2026.
