The NWT government is seeking to have a resident in Lindberg Landing found in civil contempt for allegedly failing to follow a court order.
In August 2025, the NWT Supreme Court ordered Clinton Leussink and unknown persons to remove a gate at the entrance of the main access road to Lindberg Landing off Highway 7.
Justice Sheila MacPherson also ordered the defendants to remove any other obstructions, signs or recording devices on the main road and a smaller connected road.
Leussink, who is a joint tenant on several leases in the isolated area in the Dehcho region, had maintained he did not install or own the gate and was unable to remove it.
The following month, the territorial government hired Nogha Enterprises, the economic development arm of the Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation, to remove the gate. Following the work, the First Nation said the company’s equipment was vandalized in the area.
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In court documents, the territorial government alleges that Leussink and others have failed to obey the court’s order by not removing gate posts, signs or cameras on the roads, nor a garbage pile obstructing the smaller access road, and that they continue to obstruct the public’s access to the area.
The NWT government is asking the court to find the defendants in civil contempt, fine them $2,500 and order them to remove any obstructions and stop interfering with public access.
The matter is expected to be discussed in NWT Supreme Court on May 29.
The territory is also pursuing further legal action, arguing that Leussink and others are trespassing on public land and causing a public nuisance.
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Lindberg Landing is part of a larger area subject to an interim land withdrawal, which protects the land from further development during the Dehcho land claim process.
The area has historical and cultural significance to Indigenous people in the region, who have long hunted and fished there.
NWT RCMP said they are investigating the report of a vandalized vehicle at Lindberg Landing in September 2025 but have not identified a suspect and no charges have been laid.
Police asked anyone who witnessed the incident to contact the Fort Liard detachment at 867-770-1111 or Crime Stoppers.
