The NWT government is appointing an administrator to run the Fort Resolution Housing Authority and has ordered an independent review of its decision-making.
In a Friday news release, the GNWT said administration was an “exceptional measure.”
The territory said the housing authority faced “operational challenges” but did not specify what those were, other than to say it had made “every effort to work collaboratively” with the authority but administration “became necessary to protect housing services and ensure stability.”
Darlene Berthier – an experienced auditor who was recently the GNWT’s Beaufort Delta comptroller, overseeing eight local housing agencies – will be the administrator, replacing the authority’s board.
“The GNWT will ensure that tenants continue to receive uninterrupted housing services during the transition. The South Slave District Office will provide support to ensure that tenants are not impacted by this change,” the territory stated.
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Housing minister Lucy Kuptana was quoted as saying the move was “about ensuring stability today, so that residents continue to have access to safe and affordable housing, while we work toward a strong, community-led future.”
The Hamlet of Fort Resolution remains under separate administration. The municipality was placed into administration more than two years ago for financial and operational reasons.
In the case of the housing authority, Housing NWT said it will “review progress every three months to assess whether conditions support a return to local governance.”
