Administrator again appointed for Enterprise after mayor, councillor resign

The GNWT has placed Enterprise back under public administration less than a month after the mayor and a councillor resigned, and less than a year after the hamlet last exited administration.

Vince McKay, the NWT’s minister of municipal and community affairs, announced an administration order for the hamlet on Wednesday, that will be in effect for 45 days.

“This exceptional measure has been deemed necessary to respond to the Hamlet’s inability to make decisions with fewer than three councillors, to ensure ongoing good governance and to continue to address the challenges that have faced the hamlet,” the GNWT said in a news release.

The minister has appointed Bobby Borque as the public administrator for Enterprise and Oliver McSwain and Lorie Fyfe as deputy administrators, the news release said.

“The goal is to ensure the community government is able to meet the needs of its residents and ensuring a successful transition back to local governance, through an election, as soon as possible,” McKay was quoted as saying of the administration decision.

A by-election previously scheduled by the hamlet for September 9 has been cancelled. The territorial government said a new by-election schedule will be “started in the coming days.”

Enterprise was initially placed under administration in May 2025 because of “governance, financial, and operational challenges,” the GNWT said at the time.

After developing a document to help the community rebuild following the 2023 wildfire, Barbara Hart was acclaimed as the community’s mayor alongside three councillors in November 2025. A vacant council seat was never filled.

With the appointment of the new council, Enterprise moved from public administration to supervision.

Hart and councillor Evellyn Coleman resigned last month, however, leaving only two councillors on Enterprise’s council.

In Wednesday’s news release, McKay said that has resulted in “ongoing governance issues, specifically being unable to pass motions” and has prevented the hamlet from conducting “essential business.”