Lindberg Landing resident found guilty of civil contempt

An NWT Supreme Court justice has ordered a leaseholder in Lindberg Landing to pay $2,500 in fines after finding him in civil contempt.

The territorial government had sought to have Clinton Leussink found in civil contempt, as well as criminal contempt, for failing to remove all obstructions and interfering with road access to the isolated area in the Dehcho region.

Leussink had disputed the contempt claims, arguing the court order was unclear and not supported by law, adding he had taken reasonable steps toward compliance.

In a ruling on Thursday, Justice Sheila MacPherson found Leussink had breached the court order without adequate excuse.

MacPherson said Leussink’s conduct indicated “a troubling disregard” for the order and court process, and he “may have been unreasonable, self-serving and wrong.” She said, however, that did not rise to the level of criminal contempt – which the GNWT had proposed should result in jail time.

“Criminal contempt is reserved for conduct that goes beyond mere non-compliance with a court order,” MacPherson wrote. “It requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt of conduct amounting to a public, open and flagrant challenge to the authority of the court and the administration of justice.”

The case stems from increasing tensions and conflict dating back several years around access to Lindberg Landing.

Following legal action by the GNWT, in August 2025 MacPherson ordered Leussink to remove a gate at the entrance of the main access road off Highway 7. The order also required Leussink to remove signs, recording devices and other obstructions on the road and a smaller connected road. It prohibited anyone from further interfering with access to the area.

In making the order, MacPherson found the public is entitled to use the roads and obstruction had prevented Indigenous people in the region from accessing land they have long used to hunt and fish.

According to Thursday’s decision, Leussink had removed gate panels and altered some signage but did not remove the gate posts, signs nor some other obstructions. He maintained he did not install the gate, lacked the equipment to remove the posts, and was not responsible for some obstructions including garbage and debris.

In September 2025, the territorial government hired Nogha Enterprises, the economic development arm of the Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation, to remove the gate posts.

The territorial government alleged Leussink interfered with attempts to inspect the area by driving an all-terrain vehicle in front of trucks and excavators.

The GNWT further claimed that in November 2025, Leussink yelled at environment officers in the area and called the contractor they had hired to remove obstructions to not take the job.

Leussink maintained his interactions with environment officers were attempts to get information and communicate his concerns rather than efforts at obstruction.

He argued the court order was not legal, claiming the roads are not public and Indigenous people have not significantly used the area for “at least the last 20 years.”

‘A partial win’

MacPherson said if Leussink disagreed with the order he could have sought to vary or appeal it in court.

“It cannot now be re-litigated in response to allegations of contempt,” she wrote.

MacPherson added the order was “clear and unequivocal” and there was no evidence Leussink had attempted to remove the gate posts, nor told the GNWT he was unable to do so.

MacPherson found Leussink’s actions and words in the September and November 2025 incidents “indicated an unwillingness to engage in any compliance discussions and, indeed, a willingness to act in a fashion that can only be regarded as obstructionist.”

She fined him $1,000 for the first instance of contempt and $1,500 for the second. He is required to pay the fines within 90 days.

MacPherson declined the territorial government’s request to be reimbursed for the cost of removing obstructions, saying the matter should be addressed as part of broader, ongoing legal proceedings.

Leussink’s lawyer, James Kitchen, told Cabin Radio he was “frustrated but not terribly surprised” by MacPherson’s decision.

“It’s tough in this day and age for a judge to say ‘no, the government got it wrong,'” he said.

Kitchen said $2,500 is a lot of money for “a guy who lives in the bush.” He said he is grateful, however, that the decision is “a partial win” and Leussink will not have to go to jail or pay “tens of thousands of dollars” for the removal work.

“The government had no business asking for that kind of crazy stuff,” he said.