Councillors to appoint Rob Foote to Yellowknife council

Yellowknife city councillors plan to appoint Rob Foote to fill the vacant seat on city council.

During a Monday meeting, all councillors present expressed support for appointing Foote to fill the seat rather than holding a byelection or leaving the seat open.

With 1,444 votes, Foote came in ninth place in the 2022 municipal election, narrowly missing winning one of the eight available council seats by 120 votes.

Garett Cochrane said he believes mayor and council should always have an unequal number when voting. He added that when an alderman resigned in the 1990s, Yellowknife city councillors decided to appoint a former alderman to fill the vacant role.

“The only person who I could see possibly being able to fill the role is those who are provided the democratic mandate through the 2022 [election], first going for Rob and if he … says no, we would go down the line,” Cochrane said.

“I fully support Rob Foote if he is so willing to join us on this council.”

The council seat was left empty by Ben Hendriksen, who was recently appointed mayor by his fellow councillors after former mayor Rebecca Alty was elected to be the new MP for the NWT.

‘A very fair individual’

Tom McLennan said he believes appointing Foote is the best choice to fill the seat as it would be more efficient than a byelection while also addressing democratic principles.

“I feel a full slate of voices is important to our decision-making. Leaving a vacant seat would deny us an additional perspective,” he said.

“Granted, the challenge of coming in after two and a half years, but I believe this is possible – especially with the support committed by mayor and council.”

Speaking in support of the appointment, Steve Payne described Foote as “a very fair individual” with high morals and values.

“He would be a very good spokesperson for the city, for the people of the city of Yellowknife, so I’m looking forward to welcome him onto our little team here,” Payne said.

Stacie Arden-Smith, Cat McGurk, Ryan Fequet and Hendriksen also said they were in favour of appointing Foote.

Councillors are expected to formally vote on appointing Foote at their next council meeting.

‘Going to bat’ for YK residents

Foote told Cabin Radio he plans to accept the appointment once he receives the offer.

“I’m still committed to working with the other councillors for the City of Yellowknife,” he said.

“The residents of Yellowknife can look forward to seeing me there and going to bat for them.”

Foote said once appointed, he will first have to be brought up to speed but said he is familiar and comfortable with council’s mandate and the work it is doing.

“I’ll just be giving … my unique insight to things and hoping to be able to just collaborate, contribute,” he said of what he expects to bring to council.

City manager Stephen Van Dine told councillors that with 18 months left in its mandate, “there’s a sizeable agenda” council needs to complete before the next municipal election, set to take place in October 2026.

He said city staff are looking at an abridged package of orientation material for a new councillor. Hendriksen added he is also committed to bringing Foote up to speed, while Fequet said mayor and council “should be able to shoulder the majority of the orientation work.”

Councillors to vote for deputy mayor

Hendriksen was previously the deputy mayor and served as acting mayor while Alty was running in last month’s federal election.

At Monday’s meeting, councillors indicated they plan to vote for councillor Rob Warburton to become deputy mayor at their next council meeting.