Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) Minister Vince McKay has appointed Tom Beaulieu as the new administrator of Fort Resolution, the GNWT announced in a July 3 news release.
Beaulieu is a former cabinet minister, and has also served as the president of the NWT Housing Corporation. More recently, he was the CEO of TuNedhe Consultants Ltd.
He will replace outgoing administrator Shawn Stuckey.
"MACA would like to thank outgoing administrator Mr. Shawn Stuckey for all his hard work during his time in the role, and wish him well in his future endeavours," the GNWT's news release stated.
Fort Resolution, which is home to fewer than 500 people, has been governed by GNWT-appointed administration since the hamlet council was dissolved by MACA amid financial and operational concerns in June 2023. It was at that point that Stuckey took up the role of administrator. He left the position because he is retiring.
The community has been dealing with a number of other issues in recent months — chief among those has been a shortage of volunteer firefighters.
In its July 3 news release, the GNWT pledged that "MACA will work closely with Mr. Beaulieu to maintain a strong community and to position the community to elect a new council once operations have been stabilized."
However, it was not specified when exactly MACA will relinquish control of the community.
There has already been some pushback about the situation, most notably from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh MLA Richard Edjericon, who said during a February session of the legislative assembly that he attributed the move to a “modern-day colonial type of attitude” that makes residents feel “punished."
“Now the GNWT’s officially responsible for our Fort Resolution government,” he said. “They can’t ignore the serious lack of services the community struggles with."