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Hamilton Spectator

How Fort Simpson voters are assessing which party to support

She says she heard that principle spoken about most by former Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation chief Rita Cli. 'She always talked about the seven generations, where we have to think that far ahead of the decisions we make today,' said Norwegian. 'If we had been diligent and followed in the footsteps of others – of our people – we wouldn't have these crises,' said Norwegian. 'We wouldn't have these if we had just paid attention to where we're going.' She said she has heard from community members – and seen for herself - that some of the biggest issues facing Fort Simpson during this federal election are housing, seniors who say they have trouble accessing their pensions, access to healthcare in the community, and climate change. Drier, warmer summers have had an impact on the land in and around Fort Simpson, Norwegian said. 'We have a cabin out in the bush – on the land – and it's just dry, all those lichens and everything, they're just bone dry,' said Norwegian. 'And of course, that's a fire hazard.' She said water is her biggest concern, because it's foundational to everything else. 'When you think of the biggest thing here in our community, without water, all those other things don't matter,' said Norwegian. Norwegian said she's heard of struggles with medical travel and it being difficult to support loved ones and care for family members when they have to be sent away to Yellowknife for treatment. She herself said she recently had to take two days off to travel to Yellowknife for what turned out to be a 15-minute consult with a doctor. 'If they had told me what it was, I wouldn't have gone. I would have just went to telehealth,' said Norwegian. Healthcare was not immediately top of mind for Wilbert Antoine, but gun control was. Antoine said he's worried about people continuing to be able to harvest using firearms. He said with the high cost of groceries in the North, he wants families to continue to have access to food harvested from the land. 'I'm a retired Elder and I've looked after myself very well, but it's still a big concern to a lot of the less fortunate people,' said Antoine. He said he spent 48 years working as a miner before he retired. Antoine said he's bothered by the way politicians have been treating each other publicly. 'They say this guy did this, this guy did that, and he doesn't do this,' said Antoine. 'But they never tell you what they're going to do.' He said in his view, this amounts to bullying and is unproductive in educating Canadians about their plans. 'They just see what the next guy is not very good at doing and they're all in the same boat, as far as I can see,' said Antoine. He said he voted differently than he has in previous years, but the way he chose to vote remains between him and 'the big guy.' Roger Pilling, a volunteer firefighter in Fort Simpson and former federal employee, said he's still undecided in his vote. He said he hasn't yet looked into what each candidate is offering. 'They make lots of promises, but it's whether they can ever fulfill them or not – that's the tough part,' said Pilling, He said housing is one of the biggest issues the community faces as he's seen the number of unhoused people in Fort Simpson grow. At the same time, he said, there are housing units owned by the federal government – eight to 10 of them by his count – that are sitting empty. The lack of accessible housing in Fort Simpson is something that Kirk Minoza is keenly aware of and that he sees as the most important issue in the community. He said he's been couch-surfing with family recently due to the housing shortage. 'It was pretty tough this winter, especially when you don't have a place to reside at,' said Minoza. He said he's already voted in the federal election, this time for the Conservatives because he would like to see someone besides the Liberals in government. 'They didn't do what they said so we need a change,' said Minoza. He added that a change in government could be good for smaller communities like Fort Simpson. Kimberly Fairman is the Conservative candidate in the territory. The Liberals are represented by Rebecca Alty, the NDP by Kelvin Kotchilea and the Green Party by Rainbow Eyes. Former village councillor Muaz Hassan and former mayor Sean Whelly agree that housing should be a top priority in the community, as well as highway infrastructure to the village and the construction of a new health centre . On the national level, Hassan says, the biggest issues for him are the economy and Canada's relationship with the United States. 'My personal belief is kind-of aligned with the Conservative Party more, and I like some of their plans in the future, but is it a good choice for me right now to do that?' asked Hassan. 'I am still debating about that.' He said there's a divide between what might be good for him as a business owner and what might be good for the region. 'I don't like to see the region always depend on social programs. But is it the right time that right now we just start from scratch when there is nothing?' While he wrestled with this, Whelly appeared to be more decided in his vote. Whelly has worked with Liberal candidate Rebecca Alty through the Northwest Territories Association of Communities, where she has been the president for the past three years. He said she was involved in applying for a $20-million grant from the federal government to help communities prepare for wildfires. Because of that, he said, Fort Simpson was able to spend nearly $1 million on a fire guard last summer. 'There's more focus now on climate change and the things that are happening in the North around sustainable communities, and we need protection against disasters,' said Whelly. 'These are some of the things I think about when I go to vote territorially. I think about who's most apt and prepared to do a job for us, and it has to be based a lot on the experiences that they've gained.' Hassan said he's spoken with both Alty and Kotchilea and is likely to support one of the two. 'That's where I see the future, most of the solutions to most of the problems here,' said Hassan. Though he said with the issues many communities in the NWT face, the role of MP might not be an easy one. 'It's going to be really a tough job for whoever wins,' he said. 'It's going to be really difficult.' Claire McFarlane travelled the Northwest Territories to hear from residents across the territory ahead of election day, including time with each of the major parties' candidates as they campaign. That involved reporting from Hay River with the Fairman campaign, from Inuvik with Kotchilea, from Norman Wells , from Whatì with Alty and this report from Fort Simpson. Travel costs associated with this reporting are funded by the Covering Canada: Election 2025 Fund .