Pamela Strand promoted to deputy minister at ITI

NWT Premier Caroline Cochrane on Thursday announced Pamela Strand will be promoted to replace the retiring Tom Jensen as deputy minister of industry, tourism, and investment (ITI).

Strand has been assistant deputy minister at the department for the past two and a half years, the territorial government said in a statement on Thursday evening.

Jensen, who was deputy minister for the past three years, had announced his retirement earlier this year.

The news adds to Premier Cochrane’s recent, significant reshuffle at deputy minister level. Deputy ministers are the non-elected heads of each territorial government department, and they are accountable to the premier.

Strand will become deputy minister on December 2.

Beginning her career at Yellowknife’s Con Mine as an exploration geologist, Strand has more than three decades’ experience in the mining industry according to a 2018 profile by her own department.

“Over the years, she has demonstrated the value industry experience brings to the decision-making table,” read Thursday’s territorial government statement.

In prepared remarks, Cochrane said: “I am confident that her education and work experience, combined with her commitment to work collaboratively and her desire to see the economic health of the NWT prosper, will make her well-suited for this role.

“I’d also like to wish Tom all the best in retirement. During his time with ITI, he oversaw some of the largest files the GNWT managed during the last assembly and has set a high bar for the department. His dedication and work ethic will be missed.”

The wait for a new deputy minister to be announced at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources continues.

The department has been missing a deputy minister, among several other prominent vacancies, since Cochrane’s earlier reorganization of senior managers.