The Town of Norman Wells has again declared a local state of emergency, accusing the NWT government of “at best a piecemeal response.”
Over the past year, the Sahtu community and its residents have been rocked by a series of destabilizing changes affecting supply routes to the town and fuel availability.
Low water levels on the Mackenzie River, which forced the cancellation of last summer’s barge resupply season, are a key factor. Ongoing uncertainty at Imperial Oil, the town’s main economic driver, is another concern – potentially threatening millions of dollars a year in municipal tax revenue.
The NWT government stepped in to offset the increased cost of flying in gas and diesel in November. Residents had been anticipating heating bills running to $5,000 or $10,000 a month prior to that announcement.
This week, the town said it believes the summer 2025 barge season will also have to be cancelled. (The NWT’s Department of Environment and Climate Change declined to comment on expected water levels at this stage, saying it was too soon to draw conclusions about the year ahead.)
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In declaring a fresh local emergency – one was earlier announced in October – the town also listed concerns such as:
- climate change impacts on the Mackenzie River and the annual winter road;
- the prohibitive cost of flying in fuel;
- the “unaffordable cost of living in Norman Wells;”
- the “unpredictable future” of Imperial’s Norman Wells facility; and
- a “lack of qualified staff across the board in Norman Wells.”
“There has been either no response or at best a piecemeal response from the Government of the Northwest Territories, and no proactive approach to ongoing and likely-to-occur issues going forward,” the town stated in a notice on its website.
Attempts to reach the town’s mayor and staff for interviews this week were not successful.
GNWT says it’s being proactive
Last month, the NWT government issued a lengthy statement setting out actions it said it was taking to help Norman Wells.
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In that statement, finance and infrastructure minister Caroline Wawzonek told residents the GNWT “remains committed to addressing, wherever possible, the significant challenges you are facing.”
She said “concrete steps” already taken included reducing the cost of gas and diesel, allocating $1.8 million to offset transportation costs for essential goods, and upgrading the home heating subsidy available to seniors in the town. The GNWT also donated $150,000 to Norman Wells’ food bank, and the territory said it had worked to make the winter road to the town wider and thicker to allow for more resupply traffic than usual.
“This proactive approach will ensure reliable resupply for Norman Wells through early 2026 and mitigate risks posed by supply chain disruptions,” Wawzonek stated.
At the time, she said the GNWT declaring a state of emergency in Norman Wells – something the town had requested, considering it an upgrade on the municipal emergency – was unnecessary as it “would not unlock new funding or additional resources.”
Wawzonek said the territory was “committed to long-term solutions” and was working with federal partners, among others, to “ensure your needs are heard and acted on.”
Aastha Sethi contributed reporting.
