Inuvik Twin Lakes by-election: Sallie Ross interview

Sallie Ross is running to be the next MLA of Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Ross is a Nihtat Gwich’in woman who was born and raised in Inuvik. She said the Inuvik Boot Lake riding “holds a special place” with her.

“The people that are there are my family, they’re my friends, they’re people I grew up with,” she said. “I’m also familiar with a lot of the concerns that are from that area.”

Ross has a nursing degree from the University of Alberta and has worked at the Inuvik Regional Hospital in acute care and supervisory positions.

She has also worked with the NWT Department of Education, Culture and Employment in early childhood and as the regional manager of income supports, with the health department delivering the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program for the territory, and with the Gwich’in Tribal Council as the director of health and wellness.

Ross previously ran for MLA in the Inuvik Twin Lakes district in the 2019 territorial election and in Inuvik Boot Lake in the 2023 election.

The Inuvik Twin Lakes seat is vacant after former health minister Lesa Semmler stepped down from the legislature in September. Semmler is now joining the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation as its associate executive director of health, wellness and beneficiary services.

Three candidates are in the running to be the MLA of Inuvik Twin Lakes for the remainder of the 20th Legislative Assembly.

The two other candidates are Jake Jellema and Mataya Gillis. You can read an interview with Jellema here. We’re expecting Gillis to be available for an interview in the week beginning November 16.

Early voting in the office of the returning officer, located at the Inuvik Welcoming Centre, began on Tuesday, November 3 and ends on Saturday, November 21 at 2pm.

Polling day is set to take place at the Mackenzie Hotel on Tuesday, November 24 from 9am to 8pm.

This interview was recorded on November 3, 2026. The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Emily Blake: How do you see your skills, knowledge and experience translating to an MLA role?

Sallie Ross: I think our people look to our MLAs to have knowledge and understanding of the programs that are available through the territory, but also have that knowledge and understanding of what the needs of our people are. And I think I bring both of those things to the table.

I am very well versed in social envelope type programming, and I’m also very well versed in being an advocate. For me, advocacy is one of the main roles of an MLA, it’s our job to ensure that our people have their concerns heard and addressed.

What made you want to run as MLA?

I think the main reason why I want to run is I want to be a voice for the people, I want to advocate for our people at that level. I think that I have the skills and abilities to do that effectively.

I think that through the other roles that I’ve had, I’m approachable. People have reached out to me in several of those different roles directly, certainly with the programs that I delivered at income support as well as NIHB, and absolutely with the role I held at GTC. I’m always a listening ear and I’m ready to help people through their struggles navigating our systems.

If you were to be elected, what would your priorities or focus be?

There’s a little cluster of things that I think are the main issues that I’m hearing so far. Definitely housing. The affordability of it, the issues with regards to rent control and the skyrocketing rents in our community, the conditions of some of the units that are available to them for the price that they’re paying, as well as the utilities to heat and power our homes. Those are a lot of the issues that I’m hearing with regards to housing.

Health is another huge issue. Shortages that are creating the need for alternative kinds of care, nursing shortages, physician shortages, access to primary care, access to specialist care, and of course, medical travel is always an issue. How do we support our people in accessing care outside of our communities in a safe way?

The larger issue at hand, of course, is the cost of living in our communities. You know, the cost of living has increased dramatically. There are programs in place to support our Elders, there are programs in place to support families with children and those sorts of things. But a large number of our people are middle-aged, working class people that may not fit into those categories, that I’ve heard are really struggling. They’re struggling to keep up with the yearly increases in rent, they’re struggling to meet the needs of the ever increasing utilities bills, and there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight to that.

If we want our territory and our communities to be stronger and have the services that we need, we need to make sure that we’re a place where people can come and make Inuvik their home. And right now, I think it’s really difficult. We see on our social media a lot of people actually looking for places to rent that are not some of those mainstream places because the rent is too high, or the location is not the safest, or the units aren’t appropriate for what their needs are. So I think those are some of the three main issues that I would be having my platform based on.

Definitely I would add mental health and addictions to that list of priorities. We see a lot of that in all aspects of the work that I’ve done, actually. Access to those types of services are key for our people right now as well.

Of course this role won’t be a full term, there’ll be about a year left. How do you see yourself joining the Assembly partway through?

The cycle of government is the same. The last year where they’re winding up projects that they have been working on throughout this term, I really see my role as supporting that work and supporting our people during this period.

I don’t feel like there’s going to be any large decisions being made based on conversations that I would be involved with. The main focus for me would be supporting the work that’s already in progress, and making sure our people feel heard and have their concerns addressed.

Why would you say that folks should vote for you?

I think that people should vote for me because I have a wealth of knowledge and experience. I have both an education that is a traditional education and I have lived experience. I’m a volunteer in our community as well as a community coach in the past. I bring all of those attributes to this position.

When you’re in a leadership role, people need to be able to trust that when they speak to you, their concerns will be taken seriously. I think I’ve been able to prove that in the past roles that I’ve had by supporting people accessing the programs, supporting people getting the services and care that they need, as well as being a mentor outside of my employment – encouraging our young people to pursue their education, encouraging people to take on different leadership roles in our community, coaching our youth, being present and providing a safe space for youth to grow and develop.

All of those things have rounded me into the person that I am, and I think that I would be a great candidate as the next MLA for Inuvik Twin Lakes.