How should the NWT’s electoral boundaries change?

An electoral boundaries commission is asking for residents’ feedback on proposed changes to the NWT’s electoral districts.

The NWT Legislative Assembly appointed the five-member commission earlier this year. It was tasked with reviewing the territory’s electoral boundaries to ensure all northerners are meaningfully represented in the legislature.

“Representation is fundamental to electoral democracy,” the commission stated.

Currently, the NWT has 19 electoral districts and associated MLAs representing residents from geographic constituencies.

The electoral boundaries commission released an interim report on Monday suggesting four options to alter those districts.

Commissioners said they had considered several goals in crafting proposed changes, including trying to keep similar communities together and ensuring districts represent roughly similar population sizes.

Since electoral boundaries were last changed more than a decade ago, the commission noted, the populations of Behchokọ̀ and the Yellowknife North district have grown.

The report said residents living in the Dehcho district are currently overrepresented in the legislature, while residents living in the Yellowknife North and Monfwi districts are underrepresented.

All four options propose adding at least one new electoral district to Yellowknife and splitting the Tłı̨chǫ region – which is currently represented by the single Monfwi district – into two, with Rae as one district and a second formed from Edzo, Frank Channel, Wekweètì, Whatì, Gamètì and Highway 3 east to Boundary Creek.

The four options all propose expanding the Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh district to include the Ingraham Trail, Dettah Access Road and part of Highway 3 east of Boundary Creek.

19, 20, 21 or 22 MLAs?

The first of the commission’s four options is maintaining the current 19-MLA system in a new model where no district is underrepresented by more than 25 percent compared to the average.

This model proposes adding a district to Yellowknife while redrawing electoral boundaries in the city and adding a district to the Tłı̨chǫ region.

To account for the two new districts, the model incorporates the Mackenzie Delta district into the two Inuvik districts and merges the Dehcho district with the two Hay River districts.

For option two, the commissioners considered an assembly with 20 MLAs.

Similar to the first option, they proposed adding a district to each of Yellowknife and the Tłı̨chǫ region and merging Mackenzie Delta with the Inuvik districts.

Unlike the 19-MLA model, option two proposes expanding the Dehcho district to include Fort Liard, Sambaa K’e and Nahanni Butte, while Enterprise is added to the Hay River South district and the boundaries between Hay River South and North are adjusted.

Under this model, Yellowknife’s Range Lake district is underrepresented by more than 25 percent. The commission said that “highlights the difficulty in dividing the population of the city evenly” without drawing lines down the middle of streets or splitting apartment complexes between two electoral districts.

Option three proposes having 21 MLAs in the legislature.

This model is similar to option two except it keeps the Mackenzie Delta district while adjusting the boundaries of the two Inuvik districts.

This model would see five of eight electoral districts in Yellowknife underrepresented by more than 25 percent, while the remaining three would be close to the maximum allowable threshold.

Lastly, option four proposes having 22 MLAs.

This model is similar to option three except it adds two new districts to Yellowknife.

The commission said under this model, residents in the Sahtu would be slightly underrepresented while residents in Nahendeh and the Tłı̨chǫ district beyond Rae would be slightly overrepresented.

The commission said it “believes these situations are exceptional circumstances and are justifiable.”

While underrepresentation of the Sahtu is “unfortunate,” the commission added, the five communities in the district should not be separated as they are linked by a common land claim, culture and transportation links.

Similarly, the report stated the new Tłı̨chǫ district could not reasonably be merged with other districts, not adding a district to the region would result in larger underrepresentation, and splitting Rae between the districts could be confusing for voters.

What now?

The commission has not yet made any formal recommendations on how the NWT’s electoral boundaries should be changed. Instead, the commission said its interim report is “an opportunity to have a discussion with northerners” about potential changes.

Commissioners are calling for feedback from residents on the four options it has proposed as well as suggestions for name changes to existing electoral districts, and names for possible new districts.

The commission said, for example, there has been “considerable interest” in renaming Yellowknife’s Great Slave district. It pointed to a recommendation in 2022 to rename the district Tinde’e, the Wılı̀ı̀deh Yatıì name for Great Slave Lake. The commission said if a suitable Indigenous name for the district cannot be found, it would consider a generic English name such as Yellowknife Bay.

Residents can provide input to the commission at public hearings set to be held in communities across the territory between December 2025 and January 12, 2026. People can also submit feedback and suggestions to the commission by mail, online or by email until January 9.

Past reviews

The commission is expected to make recommendations on electoral boundaries and names in a final report.

Ultimately, it will be up to MLAs to approve any changes to the territory’s electoral boundaries.

The territory has had 19 MLAs since 1999. The NWT’s electoral boundaries were last adjusted in 2014.

Electoral districts must be reviewed at least every second territorial election.

A commission last reviewed the boundaries ahead of the NWT’s 2023 election. It recommended that the territory keep 19 MLAs while making minor adjustments to electoral boundaries in Yellowknife and Inuvik.

MLAs in the 19th Legislative Assembly narrowly voted down that recommendation, with some MLAs calling for the creation of new districts.

Correction: November 4, 2025 –8:45 MT. This story originally stated Tinde’e is the Tłı̨chǫ Yatıì name for Great Slave Lake. In fact, Tinde’e is the Wılı̀ı̀deh Yatıì name for the lake while Tıdeè is the Tłı̨chǫ Yatıì name.