Residents want more enforcement powers in NWT’s Scan legislation

Residents shared concerns about the drug crisis and community resourcing during MLA engagements on the proposed Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act.

The legislation, which is also known as Scan, allows people to confidentially report rental properties believed to be used for illegal activities like drug dealing.

The Scan Act was formally introduced in the Legislative Assembly in June, but was first considered in the NWT in 2007. At that time, it died at the committee stage (where the 2026 bill is currently at) because of concerns from residents it would be abused to settle scores in small communities.

Based on feedback during this round of public engagement, there appears to be support for the bill with residents wanting it to come into force as soon as possible.

“Let’s get into action and get something done,” said one community member at a meeting held by the Standing Committee on Social Development in Tsiigehtchic on September 2.

“What we’re looking for is something with some power, so that we can deal with these issues right away, not tomorrow or next week or whenever,” another community member said at a September 1 meeting in Fort McPherson.

Residents’ main concern with the proposed legislation was that the Scan team – hired by the territorial justice department – would be based in Yellowknife.

“You’re talking about a territory-wide initiative here with three people? I don’t think that’s even possible, said a Fort McPherson resident.

MLAs said during the public meetings that only three investigators would be hired. However, the Scan Act as it is currently written says “the Director may appoint one or more persons as investigators” without specifying a limit of how many could be appointed. It also does not say where the investigators would be based.

Most MLAs on the committee said they would include increasing the number of investigators and decentralizing them from Yellowknife in their recommendations on the bill.

“We have a lot of strong feelings about that, and in particular the distance from the action of those individuals, because three people working in an office tower in downtown Yellowknife are very far away from Fort McPherson,” said Kieron Testart, MLA for Range Lake.

“We will try our best to get more [investigators] in all 33 communities, but let’s face reality by recognizing [the] labor shortage. We as a society got to really emphasize and invest into education,” said Sahtu MLA Danny McNeely.

Reporting anonymously

The legislation would allow the GNWT to intervene in cases where there is evidence of ongoing illegal activity at a property, even without a formal complaint or landlord involvement, and apply for community safety orders or eviction orders.

Shauna Morgan, MLA for Yellowknife North, said this bill wouldn’t change the eviction process, but more people gathering information for the Rental Office “might speed things up.”

The legislation doesn’t apply to privately-owned homes, but MLAs and an RCMP member present at the Fort McPherson meeting said police could remove people from a house under the new Trespass Act in those situations.

What MLAs are hoping the Scan Act can change is the number of people reporting illegal activity in rental properties as they would be able to do so anonymously.

“Our biggest problem right now is that we know about the drug activity, people tell us about it, we go to talk to them and they don’t want to be named, they don’t want to make a statement, they don’t want to talk about who it was,” the Fort McPherson RCMP officer said. “So it ties our hands because we still have to work within the confines of the law.”

Many residents expressed frustration with the RCMP requiring a person’s name when they report drug dealers, saying they fear for their safety if their name goes public.

“People are scared to report the drug dealers because they’re brave, they’re getting ruthless and [people are] scared for their safety, especially for their young children,” said Monfwi MLA Jane Weyallon Armstrong.

“We see people walking around in our communities and we can’t do nothing because it’s too dangerous for the residents to take the law into their own hands,” said George Nerysoo, MLA for the Mackenzie Delta.

One attendee at the Fort McPherson meeting called on her fellow community members to report information to the RCMP and hold their family members accountable.

“If it’s your family member that’s causing problems, go after them, report them, do what you have to do,” she said, adding she would report and testify in court if it was her children to “just make them understand this is not safe.”

The Fort McPherson police officer said they would like more information on how anonymity would be handled by the Scan team and how information is shared with the RCMP.

A safe community needs resources

Feedback from the two meetings often strayed beyond the scope of the proposed Scan Act as residents advocated for increased border security and for a police detachment in Tsiigehtchic.

“I feel that the root of the problem is [drug dealers are] making their way into these housing units because there’s no security, there’s no highway patrol. You can jump on a flight from Yellowknife and there is no security,” said Jolene Blake, Tsiigehtchic’s senior administrative officer.

Residents also expressed concern the Scan Act wouldn’t be enforceable in their community because Tsiigehtchic doesn’t have an RCMP detachment.

“By the time the situation is addressed, it’s like three or four days late. We need the attention now,” said Weyallon Armstrong. The chiefs of Gamètì and Wekweètì, which are within Weyallon Armstrong’s constituency, have recently called for more responsive policing.

Nerysoo said he has been trying to organize a constituency tour with the NWT premier and cabinet ministers to Aklavik, Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic, and reached out to the community and Indigenous governments for letters of support, but hadn’t received any replies. He told attendees at the meetings that bringing the premier and justice minister on this tour would help emphasize the communities’ need for resources.

With a little over a year left in this government, residents wondered if it was possible for the bill to become law – the committee still needs to draft a report with public feedback and any recommendations, and the bill needs to have a third reading in the Legislative Assembly.

“We really want to fast track this, but we want to do it in the right way,” said Nerysoo.

Testart said the bill would have its third reading in October and expects it to pass even with amendments unless “the majority of MLAs drastically change their position.” Only Julian Morse, MLA for Frame Lake, voted against the Scan Act when it received its second reading.

Even if it is passed in this government, regulations still need to be drafted for it to be enforceable.

“We have the power as the people. We are the government, but we have to sit back and wait for the machine to churn out this piece of paper that’s going to tell us it’s law,” said a Fort McPherson resident.