The mayor of Enterprise and one councillor have left their positions, seven months after the hamlet held its first election since coming out of administration.
Mayor Barb Hart’s resignation is effective as of Monday. Councillor Evellyn Coleman’s resignation was effective as of last Friday, July 17.
Enterprise’s senior administrative officer, Bill Buckle, told Cabin Radio he could not share much information about the situation but said the hamlet will no longer have quorum for meetings. Asked why the mayor and councillor quit, Buckle said he could not provide a reason.
Cabin Radio contacted Hart and Coleman. Both declined to comment.
The NWT’s Department of Municipal and Community Affairs said it is working with the hamlet to assess the impact of the vacancies and ensure legislative requirements are followed.
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“The process and timelines for filling vacancies will depend on the specific circumstances and legislative provisions that apply,” Peter Tah, a spokesperson for Maca, wrote in an email.
What the resignations mean for the community – mired in political turmoil since being devastated by wildfire in 2023 – is not clear.
Throughout 2024, the hamlet’s mayor, senior administrative officer and four councillors quit. In May of 2025, the territorial government placed the community under administration over “governance, financial, and operational challenges,” Maca said at the time.
In the fall of 2025, the territorial government announced the community would be transitioning back to local governance after Maca said significant progress had been made to resolve issues.
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An election was held in December of last year. To smooth the transition, the department appointed a territorial supervisor to oversee the mayor and council’s operations for up to a year.
Heading into the December election, several residents said major issues in the community had not been fully addressed and expressed concern that the community was not ready to govern itself.
That sentiment was echoed in the hamlet’s strategic roadmap for recovery, published last summer based on discussions with current and displaced residents.
“A strong sentiment was expressed that the community needed time into 2026 (vs. December 2025) before a council election,” the document stated. This was due, in part, to the limited number of residents in the community, their capacity to seek office and confidence in governance readiness.
Adding to frustrations, to be eligible to run or vote in the December election, residents had to prove they had been living in the community for the past year. That meant many residents still displaced due to the wildfire were ineligible. Only 35 of the roughly 100 people who used to live in the hamlet made it onto the voters’ list.
Because few people ran in the election, the mayor and three councillors were acclaimed to their seats in January rather than voted in. The three councillors – Coleman, Mike Kimble and Lawrence Poitras – were the only candidates for four open council seats and Hart was the only candidate for mayor.
On Monday, Maca said changes in council membership can occur in communities of any size and do not indicate a community lacks the capacity to govern itself.
“Maca remains confident in the process that led to Enterprise’s return to local governance and will continue to work collaboratively with the hamlet to support effective governance and the continuity of municipal services for residents,” the department stated.
