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Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories (abbreviated NT or NWT; French: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly North-Western Territory and North-West Territories and namely shortened as Northwest Territory) is a federal territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately 1,144,000 km2 (442,000 sq mi) and a 2016 census population of 41,790, it is the second-largest and the most populous of the three territories in Northern Canada.[10] Its estimated population as of 2022 is 45,605.[4] Yellowknife is the capital, most populous community, and only city in the territory; its population was 19,569 as of the 2016 census. It became the territorial capital in 1967, following recommendations by the Carrothers Commission.

Northwest Territories
Coordinates: 69°30′01″N 121°30′08″W / 69.50028°N 121.50222°W / 69.50028; -121.50222[1]Coordinates: 69°30′01″N 121°30′08″W / 69.50028°N 121.50222°W / 69.50028; -121.50222[1]
CountryCanada
ConfederationJuly 15, 1870[note 1] (5th, with Manitoba)
Capital
(and largest city)
Yellowknife
Largest metroYellowknife
Government
 • TypeParliamentary system, with consensus government
 • CommissionerMargaret Thom
 • PremierCaroline Cochrane
LegislatureLegislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories
Federal representationParliament of Canada
House seats1 of 338 (0.3%)
Senate seats1 of 105 (1%)
Area
 • Total1,346,106 km2 (519,734 sq mi)
 • Land1,183,085 km2 (456,792 sq mi)
 • Water163,021 km2 (62,943 sq mi)  12.1%
 • Rank3rd
 13.5% of Canada
Population
 (2021)
 • Total41,070 [2]
 • Estimate 
(Q4 2022)
45,602 [4]
 • Rank11th
 • Density0.03/km2 (0.08/sq mi)
DemonymsNorthwest Territorian[5]
FR: Franco-Ténois(e)
Official languages[6][7]
GDP
 • Rank11th
 • Total (2017)C$4.856 billion[8]
 • Per capitaC$108,065 (1st)
HDI
 • HDI (2018)0.908[9]Very high (5th)
Time zoneUTC−07:00
Canadian postal abbr.
NT
Postal code prefix
ISO 3166 codeCA-NT
FlowerMountain avens
TreeTamarack Larch
BirdGyrfalcon
Rankings include all provinces and territories

The Northwest Territories, a portion of the old North-Western Territory, entered the Canadian Confederation on July 15, 1870. Since then, the territory has been divided four times to create new provinces and territories or enlarge existing ones. Its current borders date from April 1, 1999, when the territory's size was decreased again by the creation of a new territory of Nunavut to the east, through the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.[11][12] While Nunavut is mostly Arctic tundra, the Northwest Territories has a slightly warmer climate and is both boreal forest (taiga) and tundra, and its most northern regions form part of the Arctic Archipelago.

The Northwest Territories is bordered by Canada's two other territories, Nunavut to the east and Yukon to the west, and by the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan to the south; it also touches Manitoba to the southeast at a quadripoint that includes Nunavut and Saskatchewan. The land area of the Northwest Territories is vast enough to be roughly equal to France, Portugal and Spain combined, although its overall area is even larger because of its vast lakes that freeze over in winter.

Etymology

The name is descriptive, adopted by the British government during the colonial era to indicate where it lay in relation to the rest of Rupert's Land. It is shortened from North-Western Territory, which became the term North-West Territories.

In Inuktitut, the Northwest Territories are referred to as Nunatsiaq (Inuktitut syllabics ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᖅ), "beautiful land".[13] The northernmost region of the territory is home to the Inuvialuit, who primarily live in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (Inuvialuit Nunangit Sannaiqtuaq), while the southern portion is called Denendeh (an Athabaskan language word meaning "our land"). Denendeh is the vast Dene country, stretching from central Alaska to Hudson Bay, within which lie the homelands of the numerous Dene nations.

There has been some discussion of changing the name of the Northwest Territories after the splitting off of Nunavut, possibly to a term from an Indigenous language. One proposal was "Denendeh", as advocated by the former premier Stephen Kakfwi, among others.[14] One of the most popular proposals for a new name—to name the territory "Bob"—began as a prank, but for a while it was at or near the top in the public-opinion polls.[15][16][17]

Geography

Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, as well as four provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south, and Manitoba (through a quadripoint) to the extreme southeast. It has a land area of 1,183,085 km2 (456,792 sq mi).[3]

Geographical features include Great Bear Lake, the largest lake entirely within Canada,[18] and Great Slave Lake, the deepest body of water in North America at 614 m (2,014 ft), as well as the Mackenzie River and the canyons of the Nahanni National Park Reserve, a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Territorial islands in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago include Banks Island, Borden Island, Prince Patrick Island, and parts of Victoria Island and Melville Island. Its highest point is Mount Nirvana near the border with Yukon at an elevation of 2,773 m (9,098 ft).

Climate

 
Köppen climate types in the Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories extends for more than 1,300,000 km2 (500,000 sq mi) and has a large climate variant from south to north. The southern part of the territory (most of the mainland portion) has a subarctic climate, while the islands and northern coast have a polar climate.

Summers in the north are short and cool, featuring daytime highs of 14–17 degrees Celsius (57–63 °F) and lows of 1–5 degrees Celsius (34–41 °F). Winters are long and harsh, with daytime highs −20 to −25 °C (−4 to −13 °F) and lows −30 to −35 °C (−22 to −31 °F). The coldest nights typically reach −40 to −45 °C (−40 to −49 °F) each year.

Extremes are common with summer highs in the south reaching 36 °C (97 °F) and lows reaching below 0 °C (32 °F). In winter in the south, it is not uncommon for the temperatures to reach −40 °C (−40 °F), but they can also reach the low teens during the day. In the north, temperatures can reach highs of 30 °C (86 °F), and lows into the low negatives. In winter in the north it is not uncommon for the temperatures to reach −50 °C (−58 °F) but they can also reach single digits during the day.

Thunderstorms are not rare in the south. In the north they are very rare, but do occur.[19] Tornadoes are extremely rare but have happened with the most notable one happening just outside Yellowknife that destroyed a communications tower. The Territory has a fairly dry climate due to the mountains in the west.

About half of the territory is above the tree line. There are not many trees in most of the eastern areas of the territory, or in the north islands.[20]

Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for selected cities in Northwest Territories
City July (°C) July (°F) January (°C) January (°F)
Fort Simpson[21] 24/11 75/52 −20/−29 −4/−19
Yellowknife[22] 21/13 70/55 −22/−30 −7/−21
Inuvik[23] 20/9 67/48 −23/−31 −9/−24
Sachs Harbour[24] 10/3 50/38 −24/−32 −12/−25

History

 
Members of the Coppermine expedition caught by a storm in Coronation Gulf, August 1821

Beginning prior to the arrival of Europeans, a number of First Nations and Inuit have resided in, and continue to reside in, the area of the Northwest Territories. Inuit groups include the Caribou, Central, and Copper. First Nations groups include the Dane-zaa (Beaver), Chipewyan, Tłı̨chǫ (Dogrib), Tahltan (Nahani), Sekani, Slavey, and Yellowknives.

In 1670, the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) was formed from a royal charter, and was granted a commercial monopoly over Rupert's Land. Present day Northwest Territories laid northwest of Rupert's Land, and was known as the North-Western Territory. Although not formally part of Rupert's Land, the HBC made regular use of the region as a part of its trading area. The Treaty of Utrecht saw the British become the only European power with practical access to the North-Western Territory, with the French surrendering their claim to the Hudson Bay coast.

Europeans have visited the region for the purposes of fur trading, and exploration for new trade routes, including the Northwest Passage. Arctic expeditions launched in the 19th century include the Coppermine expedition.

In 1867, the first Canadian residential school opened in the region in Fort Resolution. The opening of the school was followed by several others in regions across the territory, thus contributing to it reaching the highest percentage of students in residential schools compared to other area in Canada.[25]

 

The present-day territory came under the authority of the Government of Canada in July 1870, after the Hudson's Bay Company transferred Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory to the British Crown, which subsequently transferred them to Canada, giving it the name the North-West Territories. This immense region comprised all of today's Canada except British Columbia, an early form of Manitoba (a small square area around Winnipeg), early forms of present-day Ontario and Quebec (the coast of the Great Lakes, the Saint Lawrence River valley and the southern third of modern Quebec), the Maritimes (Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick), Newfoundland, the Labrador coast, and the Arctic Islands (except the southern half of Baffin Island).[note 2][26]

Timeline of the divisions of Canada; size of the Northwest Territories changes throughout 1870 to 1999

After the 1870 transfer, some of the North-West Territories was whittled away. The province of Manitoba was enlarged in 1881 to a rectangular region composing the modern province's south. By the time British Columbia joined Confederation on July 20, 1871, it had already (1866) been granted the portion of North-Western Territory south of 60 degrees north and west of 120 degrees west, an area that comprised most of the Stickeen Territories.[citation needed]

 
A proclamation concerning the formation of the North-West Territories, from recently transferred territories to the Canadian government

The North-West Territories Council was created in 1875 for more local government in the North-West Territories.[27] At first wholly made up of appointed members, it got its first elected members in 1882 and became wholly elected in 1888 when the council was reorganized as the Legislative Assembly of the North-West Territories. Frederick Haultain, an Ontario lawyer who practised at Fort Macleod from 1884, became its chairman in 1891 and Premier when the Assembly was reorganized in 1897. The modern provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta were created in 1905. Contemporary records show Haultain recommended that the NWT become a single province, named Buffalo, but the Canadian government of Sir Wilfrid Laurier acted otherwise.[28][29]

In the meantime, the Province of Ontario was enlarged north-westward in 1882. Quebec was also extended northwards in 1898. Yukon was made a separate territory that year, due to the Klondike Gold Rush, to free the North-West Territories government in Regina from the burden of addressing the problems caused by the sudden boom of population and economic activity, and the influx of non-Canadians.[citation needed] One year after the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created in 1905, the Parliament of Canada renamed the "North-West Territories" as the Northwest Territories, dropping all hyphenated forms of it.[30][31]

Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec acquired the last addition to their modern landmass from the Northwest Territories in 1912. This left only the districts of Mackenzie, Franklin (which absorbed the remnants of Ungava in 1920) and Keewatin within what was then given the name Northwest Territories. In 1925, the boundaries of the Northwest Territories were extended all the way to the North Pole on the sector principle, vastly expanding its territory onto the northern ice cap.[citation needed] Between 1925 and 1999, the Northwest Territories covered a land area of 3,439,296 km2 (1,327,920 sq mi)—larger than one-third of Canada in terms of area.[citation needed]

On April 1, 1999, a separate Nunavut territory was formed from the eastern Northwest Territories to represent the Inuit.[32]

Demography

Visible minority and indigenous identity (2016):[33][34]

  European Canadian (39.7%)
  First Nations (32.1%)
  Inuit (9.9%)
  Visible minority (9.6%)
  Métis (8.2%)
  Other Indigenous responses (0.5%)

The NWT is one of two jurisdictions in Canada – Nunavut being the other – where Indigenous peoples are in the majority, constituting 50.4% of the population.[35]

According to the 2016 Canadian census, the 10 major ethnic groups were:[36]

[37]

1.^ Yukon was ceded from the Northwest Territories in 1898.
2.^ Alberta and Saskatchewan were created mostly from parts of the Northwest Territories in 1905.
3.^ Nunavut was separated from the Northwest Territories in 1999.

Language

 
Sign for an eye clinic in Yellowknife with all 11 official territorial languages

French was made an official language in 1877 by the then-territorial government. After a lengthy and bitter debate resulting from a speech from the throne in 1888 by Lieutenant Governor Joseph Royal, the members of the time voted on more than one occasion to nullify this and make English the only language used in the assembly. After some conflict with the Confederation Government in Ottawa, and a decisive vote on January 19, 1892, the assembly members voted for an English-only territory.

Currently, the Northwest Territories' Official Languages Act recognizes the following eleven official languages:[6][7]

NWT residents have a right to use any of the above languages in a territorial court, and in the debates and proceedings of the legislature. However, the laws are legally binding only in their French and English versions, and the NWT government only publishes laws and other documents in the territory's other official languages when the legislature asks it to. Furthermore, access to services in any language is limited to institutions and circumstances where there is a significant demand for that language or where it is reasonable to expect it given the nature of the services requested. In practical terms, English language services are universally available, and there is no guarantee that other languages, including French, will be used by any particular government service, except for the courts.

The 2016 census returns showed a population of 41,786. Of the 40,565 singular responses to the census question regarding each inhabitant's "mother tongue", the most reported languages were the following (italics indicate an official language of the NWT):

1 English 31,765 78.3%
2 Dogrib (Tłı̨chǫ) 1600 3.9%
3 French 1175 2.9%
4 South Slavey 775 1.9%
5 North Slavey 745 1.8%
6 Tagalog 745 1.8%
7 Inuinnaqtun 470 1.1%
8 Dené 440 1.1%
9 Slavey (not otherwise specified) 175 0.4%
10 Gwich'in 140 0.3%
11 Cree 130 0.3%

There were also 630 responses of both English and a "non-official language"; 35 of both French and a "non-official language"; 145 of both English and French, and about 400 people who either did not respond to the question, or reported multiple non-official languages, or else gave some other unenumerable response. (Figures shown are for the number of single language responses and the percentage of total single-language responses.)[38]

Religion

In the 2021 Census, 55.2% of the population followed Christianity down from 67.6% in the 2001 Census. At the same time, the population reported having no religious affiliation has more than doubled, from 17.4% in 2001 to 39.8% in 2021 census.About 5.0% reported other religious affiliations.[39][40]

Communities

Five largest municipalities by population
Municipality 2016
Yellowknife[41] 19,569
Hay River[42] 3,528
Inuvik[43] 3,243
Fort Smith[44] 2,542
Behchokǫ̀[45] 1,874

As of 2014, there are 33 official communities in the NWT.[46] These range in size from Yellowknife with a population of 19,569[41] to Kakisa with 36 people.[47] Governance of each community differs, some are run under various types of First Nations control, while others are designated as a city, town, village or hamlet, but most communities are municipal corporations.[46][48] Yellowknife is the largest community and has the largest number of Aboriginal peoples, 4,520 (23.4%) people.[49] However, Behchokǫ̀, with a population of 1,874,[50] is the largest First Nations community, 1,696 (90.9%),[51] and Inuvik with 3,243 people[52] is the largest Inuvialuit community, 1,315 (40.5%).[53] There is one Indian reserve in the NWT, Hay River Reserve, located on the south shore of the Hay River.

Economy

The gross domestic product of the Northwest Territories was C$4.856 billion in 2017.[54] It has the highest per capita GDP of all provinces and territories in Canada, totalling C$76,000 in 2009.[55]

Mining

The Territories' geological resources include gold, diamonds, natural gas and petroleum. BP is the only oil company currently producing oil there. Its diamonds are promoted as an alternative to purchasing blood diamonds.[56] Two of the biggest mineral resource companies in the world, BHP and Rio Tinto mine many of their diamonds there. In 2010, Territories' accounted for 28.5% of Rio Tinto's total diamond production (3.9 million carats, 17% more than in 2009, from the Diavik Diamond Mine) and 100% of BHP's (3.05 million carats from the EKATI mine).[57][58]

The Eldorado Mine produced uranium for the Manhattan Project, as well as radium, silver, and copper (for other uses).

 
Aerial view of the Diavik Diamond Mine in the North Slave Region

Tourism

 
Nahanni National Park Reserve, one of several national parks and reserves in the Northwest Territories

During the winter, many international visitors go to Yellowknife to watch the auroras. Five areas managed by Parks Canada are situated within the territory: Aulavik and Tuktut Nogait National Parks are in the northern part. Portions of Wood Buffalo National Park are located within it, although most of it is located in neighbouring Alberta. Parks Canada also manages two park reserves, Nááts'ihch'oh, and Nahanni National Park Reserves.

Government

As a territory, the NWT has fewer rights than the provinces. During his term, Premier Kakfwi pushed to have the federal government accord more rights to the territory, including having a greater share of the returns from the territory's natural resources go to the territory.[59] Devolution of powers to the territory was an issue in the 20th general election in 2003, and has been ever since the territory began electing members in 1881.

The Commissioner of the NWT is the chief executive and is appointed by the Governor-in-Council of Canada on the recommendation of the federal Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. The position used to be more administrative and governmental, but with the devolution of more powers to the elected assembly since 1967, the position has become symbolic. The commissioner had full governmental powers until 1980 when the territories were given greater self-government. The legislative assembly then began electing a cabinet and government leader, later known as the premier. Since 1985 the commissioner no longer chairs meetings of the executive council (or cabinet), and the federal government has instructed commissioners to behave like a provincial lieutenant governor. Unlike lieutenant governors, the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories is not a formal representative of the King of Canada.[citation needed]

Unlike provincial governments and the government of Yukon, the government of the Northwest Territories does not have political parties. It never has had political parties except for the period between 1898 and 1905. Its legislative assembly operates through the consensus government model. The website of the NWT government describes consensus government thusly: "The Northwest Territories is one of only two jurisdictions in Canada with a consensus system of government instead of one based on party politics. In our system, all Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) are elected as independents. Shortly after the election, all Members meet as a Caucus to set priorities for that Assembly. The Caucus remains active throughout their term as the forum where all Members meet as equals.[...] Compared to the party system, there is much more communication between Regular Members and Cabinet. All legislation, major policies, and proposed budgets pass through the Regular Members’ standing committees before coming to the House."[60]

The NWT Legislative Assembly is composed of one member elected from each of the nineteen constituencies. After each general election, the new assembly elects the premier and the speaker by secret ballot. Seven MLAs are also chosen as cabinet ministers, with the remainder forming the opposition.

The membership of the current legislative assembly was set by the 2019 Northwest Territories general election on October 1, 2019. Caroline Cochrane was selected as the new premier on October 24, 2019.[61]

The member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories is Michael McLeod (Liberal Party). The Commissioner of the Northwest Territories is Margaret Thom.

In the Parliament of Canada, the NWT comprises a single Senate division and a single House of Commons electoral district, titled Northwest Territories (Western Arctic until 2014). Thus a single MP represents an area that is almost 14 percent of the land area of all of Canada.

Administrative regions

 
Administrative regions of the Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories is divided into five administrative regions (regional offices in parenthesis):

Departments

The government of Northwest Territories comprises the following departments:[67]

  • Education, culture and employment
  • Environment and natural resources
  • Executive and Indigenous affairs
  • Finance
  • Health and social services
  • Industry, tourism and investment
  • Infrastructure
  • Justice
  • Lands
  • Legislative assembly
  • Municipal and community affairs

Culture

 
A snow fort at the annual Snowking Winter Festival in Yellowknife

Aboriginal issues in the Northwest Territories include the fate of the Dene who, in the 1940s, were employed to carry radioactive uranium ore from the mines on Great Bear Lake. Of the thirty plus miners who worked at the Port Radium site, at least fourteen have died due to various forms of cancer. A study was done in the community of Deline, called A Village of Widows by Cindy Kenny-Gilday, which indicated that the number of people involved were too small to be able to confirm or deny a link.[68][69]

There has been racial tension based on a history of violent conflict between the Dene and the Inuit,[70] who have now taken recent steps towards reconciliation.

Land claims in the NWT began with the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, signed on June 5, 1984. It was the first Land Claim signed in the Territory, and the second in Canada.[71] It culminated with the creation of the Inuit homeland of Nunavut, the result of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, the largest land claim in Canadian history.[72]

Another land claims agreement with the Tłı̨chǫ people created a region within the NWT called Tli Cho, between Great Bear and Great Slave Lakes, which gives the Tłı̨chǫ their own legislative bodies, taxes, resource royalties, and other affairs, though the NWT still maintains control over such areas as health and education. This area includes two of Canada's three diamond mines, at Ekati and Diavik.[73]

Festivals

Among the festivals in the region are the Great Northern Arts Festival, the Snowking Winter Festival, Folk on the Rocks music festival in Yellowknife, and Rockin the Rocks.

Transportation

Road

Northwest Territories has nine numbered highways. The longest is the Mackenzie Highway, which stretches from the Alberta Highway 35's northern terminus in the south at the Alberta – Northwest Territories border at the 60th parallel to Wrigley, Northwest Territories in the north. Ice roads and winter roads are also prominent and provide road access in winter to towns and mines which would otherwise be fly-in locations. Yellowknife Highway branches out from Mackenzie Highway and connects it to Yellowknife. Dempster Highway is the continuation of Klondike Highway. It starts just west of Dawson City, Yukon, and continues east for over 700 km (400 mi) to Inuvik. As of 2017, the all-season Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway connects Inuvik to communities along the Arctic Ocean as an extension of the Dempster Highway.

Yellowknife did not have an all-season road access to the rest of Canada's highway network until the completion of Deh Cho Bridge in 2012. Prior to that, traffic relied on ferry service in summer and ice road in winter to cross the Mackenzie River. This became a problem during spring and fall time when the ice was not thick enough to handle vehicle load but the ferry could not pass through the ice, which would require all goods from fuel to groceries to be airlifted during the transition period.

The Northwest Territories is the only jurisdiction in North America to issue a non rectangular standard license plate. Instead, the territory issues a polar bear shaped license plate.

Public transit

Yellowknife Transit is the public transportation agency in the city, and is the only transit system within the Northwest Territories.[74]

Air

 
Entrance to Yellowknife Airport, the largest airport in the territory

Yellowknife Airport is the largest airport in the territory in terms of aircraft movements and passengers. It is the gateway airport to other destinations within the Northwest Territories. As the airport of the territory capital, it is part of the National Airports System. It is the hub of multiple regional airlines. Major airlines serving destinations within Northwest Territories include Buffalo Airways, Canadian North, First Air, North-Wright Airways.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Ceded to Canada by the Hudson's Bay Company.
  2. ^ The Arctic Islands remained under direct British claim until 1880.

References

  1. ^ "Northwest Territories". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
  2. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b "Land and freshwater area, by province and territory". February 1, 2005.
  4. ^ a b "Population by year of Canada of Canada and territories". Statistics Canada. September 26, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  5. ^ The terms Northwest Territorian(s) Hansard, Thursday, March 25, 2004 March 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, and (informally) NWTer(s) Hansard, Monday, October 23, 2006 March 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, occur in the official record of the territorial legislature. According to the Oxford Guide to Canadian English Usage (ISBN 978-0-19-541619-0; p. 335), there is no common term for a resident of Northwest Territories.
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  52. ^ "Census Profile". www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  53. ^ "search: Inuvik". www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  54. ^ Statistics Canada (2018). "Statistics Canada. Table 36-10-0222-01 Gross domestic product, expenditure-based, provincial and territorial, annual (x 1,000,000)". Statistics Canada. doi:10.25318/3610022201-eng. Retrieved September 19, 2019. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  55. ^ Government of the Northwest Territories: Industry, Tourism and Investment. . Archived from the original on July 31, 2010. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
  56. ^ . Bhpbilliton.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
  57. ^ (PDF). 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 24, 2011.
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  60. ^ "What is Consensus Government? | Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories".
  61. ^ John Last and Sidney Cohen, "Caroline Cochrane elected premier of the N.W.T.". CBC North, October 24, 2019.
  62. ^ "Dehcho Region". Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  63. ^ "Inuvik Region". Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  64. ^ "North Slave Region". Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  65. ^ "Sahtu Region". Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  66. ^ "South Slave Region". Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  67. ^ Government of the NWT April 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, retrieved March 19, 2012
  68. ^ . Arcticcircle.uconn.edu. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
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  74. ^ (PDF). City of Yellowknife. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 6, 2011. Retrieved March 26, 2009.

Further reading

  • Coates, Kenneth (1985). Canada's colonies: a history of the Yukon and Northwest Territories. Lorimer. ISBN 978-0-88862-931-9.
  • Choquette, Robert (1995). The Oblate assault on Canada's northwest. University of Ottawa Press. ISBN 978-0-7766-0402-2. Northwest Territories.
  • Ecosystem Classification Group, and Northwest Territories. Ecological Regions of the Northwest Territories Taiga Plains[permanent dead link]. Yellowknife, NWT: Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources, Govt. of the Northwest Territories, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7708-0161-8

External links

  • Government of the Northwest Territories  
  • Northwest Territories at Curlie
  • Northwest Territories Tourism
  • Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre
  • Aurora College
  • NWT Archives
  • CBC Digital Archives – Northwest Territories: Voting in Canada's North

northwest, territories, this, article, about, canadian, territory, predecessor, north, western, territory, former, territory, northwest, territory, similar, names, northwest, disambiguation, abbreviated, french, territoires, nord, ouest, formerly, north, weste. This article is about the Canadian territory For its predecessor see North Western Territory For the former U S territory see Northwest Territory For similar names see Northwest disambiguation The Northwest Territories abbreviated NT or NWT French Territoires du Nord Ouest formerly North Western Territory and North West Territories and namely shortened as Northwest Territory is a federal territory of Canada At a land area of approximately 1 144 000 km2 442 000 sq mi and a 2016 census population of 41 790 it is the second largest and the most populous of the three territories in Northern Canada 10 Its estimated population as of 2022 is 45 605 4 Yellowknife is the capital most populous community and only city in the territory its population was 19 569 as of the 2016 census It became the territorial capital in 1967 following recommendations by the Carrothers Commission Northwest TerritoriesTerritoryFlagCoat of armsBC AB SK MB ON QC NB PE NS NL YT NT NUCoordinates 69 30 01 N 121 30 08 W 69 50028 N 121 50222 W 69 50028 121 50222 1 Coordinates 69 30 01 N 121 30 08 W 69 50028 N 121 50222 W 69 50028 121 50222 1 CountryCanadaConfederationJuly 15 1870 note 1 5th with Manitoba Capital and largest city YellowknifeLargest metroYellowknifeGovernment TypeParliamentary system with consensus government CommissionerMargaret Thom PremierCaroline CochraneLegislatureLegislative Assembly of the Northwest TerritoriesFederal representationParliament of CanadaHouse seats1 of 338 0 3 Senate seats1 of 105 1 Area 3 Total1 346 106 km2 519 734 sq mi Land1 183 085 km2 456 792 sq mi Water163 021 km2 62 943 sq mi 12 1 Rank3rd 13 5 of CanadaPopulation 2021 Total41 070 2 Estimate Q4 2022 45 602 4 Rank11th Density0 03 km2 0 08 sq mi DemonymsNorthwest Territorian 5 FR Franco Tenois e Official languagesChipewyan Cree English French Gwich in Inuinnaqtun Inuktitut Inuvialuktun North Slavey South Slavey Tli chǫ 6 7 GDP Rank11th Total 2017 C 4 856 billion 8 Per capitaC 108 065 1st HDI HDI 2018 0 908 9 Very high 5th Time zoneUTC 07 00Canadian postal abbr NTPostal code prefixX0 X1 Yellowknife ISO 3166 codeCA NTFlowerMountain avensTreeTamarack LarchBirdGyrfalconRankings include all provinces and territoriesThe Northwest Territories a portion of the old North Western Territory entered the Canadian Confederation on July 15 1870 Since then the territory has been divided four times to create new provinces and territories or enlarge existing ones Its current borders date from April 1 1999 when the territory s size was decreased again by the creation of a new territory of Nunavut to the east through the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement 11 12 While Nunavut is mostly Arctic tundra the Northwest Territories has a slightly warmer climate and is both boreal forest taiga and tundra and its most northern regions form part of the Arctic Archipelago The Northwest Territories is bordered by Canada s two other territories Nunavut to the east and Yukon to the west and by the provinces of British Columbia Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south it also touches Manitoba to the southeast at a quadripoint that includes Nunavut and Saskatchewan The land area of the Northwest Territories is vast enough to be roughly equal to France Portugal and Spain combined although its overall area is even larger because of its vast lakes that freeze over in winter Contents 1 Etymology 2 Geography 2 1 Climate 3 History 4 Demography 4 1 Language 4 2 Religion 4 3 Communities 5 Economy 5 1 Mining 5 2 Tourism 6 Government 6 1 Administrative regions 6 2 Departments 7 Culture 7 1 Festivals 8 Transportation 8 1 Road 8 2 Public transit 8 3 Air 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 12 Further reading 13 External linksEtymology EditSee also History The name is descriptive adopted by the British government during the colonial era to indicate where it lay in relation to the rest of Rupert s Land It is shortened from North Western Territory which became the term North West Territories In Inuktitut the Northwest Territories are referred to as Nunatsiaq Inuktitut syllabics ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᖅ beautiful land 13 The northernmost region of the territory is home to the Inuvialuit who primarily live in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region Inuvialuit Nunangit Sannaiqtuaq while the southern portion is called Denendeh an Athabaskan language word meaning our land Denendeh is the vast Dene country stretching from central Alaska to Hudson Bay within which lie the homelands of the numerous Dene nations There has been some discussion of changing the name of the Northwest Territories after the splitting off of Nunavut possibly to a term from an Indigenous language One proposal was Denendeh as advocated by the former premier Stephen Kakfwi among others 14 One of the most popular proposals for a new name to name the territory Bob began as a prank but for a while it was at or near the top in the public opinion polls 15 16 17 Geography EditLocated in northern Canada the territory borders Canada s two other territories Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east as well as four provinces British Columbia to the southwest Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south and Manitoba through a quadripoint to the extreme southeast It has a land area of 1 183 085 km2 456 792 sq mi 3 Geographical features include Great Bear Lake the largest lake entirely within Canada 18 and Great Slave Lake the deepest body of water in North America at 614 m 2 014 ft as well as the Mackenzie River and the canyons of the Nahanni National Park Reserve a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site Territorial islands in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago include Banks Island Borden Island Prince Patrick Island and parts of Victoria Island and Melville Island Its highest point is Mount Nirvana near the border with Yukon at an elevation of 2 773 m 9 098 ft Climate Edit See also Climate change in the Arctic Koppen climate types in the Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories extends for more than 1 300 000 km2 500 000 sq mi and has a large climate variant from south to north The southern part of the territory most of the mainland portion has a subarctic climate while the islands and northern coast have a polar climate Summers in the north are short and cool featuring daytime highs of 14 17 degrees Celsius 57 63 F and lows of 1 5 degrees Celsius 34 41 F Winters are long and harsh with daytime highs 20 to 25 C 4 to 13 F and lows 30 to 35 C 22 to 31 F The coldest nights typically reach 40 to 45 C 40 to 49 F each year Extremes are common with summer highs in the south reaching 36 C 97 F and lows reaching below 0 C 32 F In winter in the south it is not uncommon for the temperatures to reach 40 C 40 F but they can also reach the low teens during the day In the north temperatures can reach highs of 30 C 86 F and lows into the low negatives In winter in the north it is not uncommon for the temperatures to reach 50 C 58 F but they can also reach single digits during the day Thunderstorms are not rare in the south In the north they are very rare but do occur 19 Tornadoes are extremely rare but have happened with the most notable one happening just outside Yellowknife that destroyed a communications tower The Territory has a fairly dry climate due to the mountains in the west About half of the territory is above the tree line There are not many trees in most of the eastern areas of the territory or in the north islands 20 Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for selected cities in Northwest Territories City July C July F January C January F Fort Simpson 21 24 11 75 52 20 29 4 19Yellowknife 22 21 13 70 55 22 30 7 21Inuvik 23 20 9 67 48 23 31 9 24Sachs Harbour 24 10 3 50 38 24 32 12 25History EditMain articles History of the Northwest Territories and History of Northwest Territories capital cities This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Northwest Territories news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Members of the Coppermine expedition caught by a storm in Coronation Gulf August 1821 Beginning prior to the arrival of Europeans a number of First Nations and Inuit have resided in and continue to reside in the area of the Northwest Territories Inuit groups include the Caribou Central and Copper First Nations groups include the Dane zaa Beaver Chipewyan Tli chǫ Dogrib Tahltan Nahani Sekani Slavey and Yellowknives In 1670 the Hudson s Bay Company HBC was formed from a royal charter and was granted a commercial monopoly over Rupert s Land Present day Northwest Territories laid northwest of Rupert s Land and was known as the North Western Territory Although not formally part of Rupert s Land the HBC made regular use of the region as a part of its trading area The Treaty of Utrecht saw the British become the only European power with practical access to the North Western Territory with the French surrendering their claim to the Hudson Bay coast Europeans have visited the region for the purposes of fur trading and exploration for new trade routes including the Northwest Passage Arctic expeditions launched in the 19th century include the Coppermine expedition In 1867 the first Canadian residential school opened in the region in Fort Resolution The opening of the school was followed by several others in regions across the territory thus contributing to it reaching the highest percentage of students in residential schools compared to other area in Canada 25 Map of the North Western Territory and Rupert s Land 1859 The present day territory came under the authority of the Government of Canada in July 1870 after the Hudson s Bay Company transferred Rupert s Land and the North Western Territory to the British Crown which subsequently transferred them to Canada giving it the name the North West Territories This immense region comprised all of today s Canada except British Columbia an early form of Manitoba a small square area around Winnipeg early forms of present day Ontario and Quebec the coast of the Great Lakes the Saint Lawrence River valley and the southern third of modern Quebec the Maritimes Nova Scotia Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick Newfoundland the Labrador coast and the Arctic Islands except the southern half of Baffin Island note 2 26 BC AB SK MB ON QC NB PE NS NL YT NT NU Timeline of the divisions of Canada size of the Northwest Territories changes throughout 1870 to 1999 After the 1870 transfer some of the North West Territories was whittled away The province of Manitoba was enlarged in 1881 to a rectangular region composing the modern province s south By the time British Columbia joined Confederation on July 20 1871 it had already 1866 been granted the portion of North Western Territory south of 60 degrees north and west of 120 degrees west an area that comprised most of the Stickeen Territories citation needed A proclamation concerning the formation of the North West Territories from recently transferred territories to the Canadian government The North West Territories Council was created in 1875 for more local government in the North West Territories 27 At first wholly made up of appointed members it got its first elected members in 1882 and became wholly elected in 1888 when the council was reorganized as the Legislative Assembly of the North West Territories Frederick Haultain an Ontario lawyer who practised at Fort Macleod from 1884 became its chairman in 1891 and Premier when the Assembly was reorganized in 1897 The modern provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta were created in 1905 Contemporary records show Haultain recommended that the NWT become a single province named Buffalo but the Canadian government of Sir Wilfrid Laurier acted otherwise 28 29 In the meantime the Province of Ontario was enlarged north westward in 1882 Quebec was also extended northwards in 1898 Yukon was made a separate territory that year due to the Klondike Gold Rush to free the North West Territories government in Regina from the burden of addressing the problems caused by the sudden boom of population and economic activity and the influx of non Canadians citation needed One year after the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created in 1905 the Parliament of Canada renamed the North West Territories as the Northwest Territories dropping all hyphenated forms of it 30 31 Manitoba Ontario and Quebec acquired the last addition to their modern landmass from the Northwest Territories in 1912 This left only the districts of Mackenzie Franklin which absorbed the remnants of Ungava in 1920 and Keewatin within what was then given the name Northwest Territories In 1925 the boundaries of the Northwest Territories were extended all the way to the North Pole on the sector principle vastly expanding its territory onto the northern ice cap citation needed Between 1925 and 1999 the Northwest Territories covered a land area of 3 439 296 km2 1 327 920 sq mi larger than one third of Canada in terms of area citation needed On April 1 1999 a separate Nunavut territory was formed from the eastern Northwest Territories to represent the Inuit 32 Demography EditMain article Demographics of Northwest Territories Visible minority and indigenous identity 2016 33 34 European Canadian 39 7 First Nations 32 1 Inuit 9 9 Visible minority 9 6 Metis 8 2 Other Indigenous responses 0 5 The NWT is one of two jurisdictions in Canada Nunavut being the other where Indigenous peoples are in the majority constituting 50 4 of the population 35 According to the 2016 Canadian census the 10 major ethnic groups were 36 First Nations 36 8 Canadian 18 6 English 15 9 Scottish 14 8 Irish 12 3 Inuit Inuvialuit 10 9 French 10 3 German 8 3 Metis 7 1 Ukrainian 3 1 37 1 Yukon was ceded from the Northwest Territories in 1898 2 Alberta and Saskatchewan were created mostly from parts of the Northwest Territories in 1905 3 Nunavut was separated from the Northwest Territories in 1999 Language Edit Sign for an eye clinic in Yellowknife with all 11 official territorial languages French was made an official language in 1877 by the then territorial government After a lengthy and bitter debate resulting from a speech from the throne in 1888 by Lieutenant Governor Joseph Royal the members of the time voted on more than one occasion to nullify this and make English the only language used in the assembly After some conflict with the Confederation Government in Ottawa and a decisive vote on January 19 1892 the assembly members voted for an English only territory Currently the Northwest Territories Official Languages Act recognizes the following eleven official languages 6 7 Chipewyan Dene Cree English French Gwich in Inuinnaqtun Inuktitut Inuvialuktun North Slavey South Slavey Tli chǫ Dogrib NWT residents have a right to use any of the above languages in a territorial court and in the debates and proceedings of the legislature However the laws are legally binding only in their French and English versions and the NWT government only publishes laws and other documents in the territory s other official languages when the legislature asks it to Furthermore access to services in any language is limited to institutions and circumstances where there is a significant demand for that language or where it is reasonable to expect it given the nature of the services requested In practical terms English language services are universally available and there is no guarantee that other languages including French will be used by any particular government service except for the courts The 2016 census returns showed a population of 41 786 Of the 40 565 singular responses to the census question regarding each inhabitant s mother tongue the most reported languages were the following italics indicate an official language of the NWT 1 English 31 765 78 3 2 Dogrib Tli chǫ 1600 3 9 3 French 1175 2 9 4 South Slavey 775 1 9 5 North Slavey 745 1 8 6 Tagalog 745 1 8 7 Inuinnaqtun 470 1 1 8 Dene 440 1 1 9 Slavey not otherwise specified 175 0 4 10 Gwich in 140 0 3 11 Cree 130 0 3 There were also 630 responses of both English and a non official language 35 of both French and a non official language 145 of both English and French and about 400 people who either did not respond to the question or reported multiple non official languages or else gave some other unenumerable response Figures shown are for the number of single language responses and the percentage of total single language responses 38 Religion Edit In the 2021 Census 55 2 of the population followed Christianity down from 67 6 in the 2001 Census At the same time the population reported having no religious affiliation has more than doubled from 17 4 in 2001 to 39 8 in 2021 census About 5 0 reported other religious affiliations 39 40 Communities Edit Main article List of municipalities in the Northwest Territories Five largest municipalities by population Municipality 2016Yellowknife 41 19 569Hay River 42 3 528Inuvik 43 3 243Fort Smith 44 2 542Behchokǫ 45 1 874As of 2014 there are 33 official communities in the NWT 46 These range in size from Yellowknife with a population of 19 569 41 to Kakisa with 36 people 47 Governance of each community differs some are run under various types of First Nations control while others are designated as a city town village or hamlet but most communities are municipal corporations 46 48 Yellowknife is the largest community and has the largest number of Aboriginal peoples 4 520 23 4 people 49 However Behchokǫ with a population of 1 874 50 is the largest First Nations community 1 696 90 9 51 and Inuvik with 3 243 people 52 is the largest Inuvialuit community 1 315 40 5 53 There is one Indian reserve in the NWT Hay River Reserve located on the south shore of the Hay River Economy EditThe gross domestic product of the Northwest Territories was C 4 856 billion in 2017 54 It has the highest per capita GDP of all provinces and territories in Canada totalling C 76 000 in 2009 55 Mining Edit The Territories geological resources include gold diamonds natural gas and petroleum BP is the only oil company currently producing oil there Its diamonds are promoted as an alternative to purchasing blood diamonds 56 Two of the biggest mineral resource companies in the world BHP and Rio Tinto mine many of their diamonds there In 2010 Territories accounted for 28 5 of Rio Tinto s total diamond production 3 9 million carats 17 more than in 2009 from the Diavik Diamond Mine and 100 of BHP s 3 05 million carats from the EKATI mine 57 58 The Eldorado Mine produced uranium for the Manhattan Project as well as radium silver and copper for other uses Aerial view of the Diavik Diamond Mine in the North Slave Region Main article List of mines in the Northwest Territories Eldorado Mine 1933 1940 1942 1960 1976 1982 radium uranium silver copper Con Mine 1938 2003 gold Negus Mine 1939 1952 gold Ptarmigan and Tom Mine 1941 1942 1986 1997 gold Thompson Lundmark Mine 1941 1943 1947 1949 gold Giant Mine 1948 2004 gold Discovery Mine 1950 1969 gold Rayrock Mine 1957 1959 uranium Camlaren Mine 1962 1963 1980 1981 gold Cantung Mine 1962 1986 2002 2003 2005 2015 tungsten Echo Bay Mines 1964 1975 silver and copper Pine Point Mine 1964 1988 lead and zinc Tundra Mine 1964 1968 gold Terra Mine 1969 1985 silver and copper Salmita Mine 1983 1987 gold Colomac Mine 1990 1992 1994 1997 gold Ekati Diamond Mine 1998 current diamonds Diavik Diamond Mine 2003 current diamonds Snap Lake Diamond Mine 2007 2015 diamonds Tourism Edit Nahanni National Park Reserve one of several national parks and reserves in the Northwest Territories During the winter many international visitors go to Yellowknife to watch the auroras Five areas managed by Parks Canada are situated within the territory Aulavik and Tuktut Nogait National Parks are in the northern part Portions of Wood Buffalo National Park are located within it although most of it is located in neighbouring Alberta Parks Canada also manages two park reserves Naats ihch oh and Nahanni National Park Reserves Government Edit The chamber of the Northwest Territories Legislative Building As a territory the NWT has fewer rights than the provinces During his term Premier Kakfwi pushed to have the federal government accord more rights to the territory including having a greater share of the returns from the territory s natural resources go to the territory 59 Devolution of powers to the territory was an issue in the 20th general election in 2003 and has been ever since the territory began electing members in 1881 The Commissioner of the NWT is the chief executive and is appointed by the Governor in Council of Canada on the recommendation of the federal Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development The position used to be more administrative and governmental but with the devolution of more powers to the elected assembly since 1967 the position has become symbolic The commissioner had full governmental powers until 1980 when the territories were given greater self government The legislative assembly then began electing a cabinet and government leader later known as the premier Since 1985 the commissioner no longer chairs meetings of the executive council or cabinet and the federal government has instructed commissioners to behave like a provincial lieutenant governor Unlike lieutenant governors the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories is not a formal representative of the King of Canada citation needed Unlike provincial governments and the government of Yukon the government of the Northwest Territories does not have political parties It never has had political parties except for the period between 1898 and 1905 Its legislative assembly operates through the consensus government model The website of the NWT government describes consensus government thusly The Northwest Territories is one of only two jurisdictions in Canada with a consensus system of government instead of one based on party politics In our system all Members of the Legislative Assembly MLAs are elected as independents Shortly after the election all Members meet as a Caucus to set priorities for that Assembly The Caucus remains active throughout their term as the forum where all Members meet as equals Compared to the party system there is much more communication between Regular Members and Cabinet All legislation major policies and proposed budgets pass through the Regular Members standing committees before coming to the House 60 The NWT Legislative Assembly is composed of one member elected from each of the nineteen constituencies After each general election the new assembly elects the premier and the speaker by secret ballot Seven MLAs are also chosen as cabinet ministers with the remainder forming the opposition The membership of the current legislative assembly was set by the 2019 Northwest Territories general election on October 1 2019 Caroline Cochrane was selected as the new premier on October 24 2019 61 The member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories is Michael McLeod Liberal Party The Commissioner of the Northwest Territories is Margaret Thom In the Parliament of Canada the NWT comprises a single Senate division and a single House of Commons electoral district titled Northwest Territories Western Arctic until 2014 Thus a single MP represents an area that is almost 14 percent of the land area of all of Canada Administrative regions Edit Administrative regions of the Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is divided into five administrative regions regional offices in parenthesis Dehcho Region Fort Simpson 62 Inuvik Region Inuvik 63 North Slave Region Yellowknife and Behchoko sub office 64 Sahtu Region Norman Wells 65 South Slave Region Fort Smith and Hay River sub office 66 Departments Edit The government of Northwest Territories comprises the following departments 67 Education culture and employment Environment and natural resources Executive and Indigenous affairs Finance Health and social services Industry tourism and investment Infrastructure Justice Lands Legislative assembly Municipal and community affairsCulture Edit A snow fort at the annual Snowking Winter Festival in Yellowknife Aboriginal issues in the Northwest Territories include the fate of the Dene who in the 1940s were employed to carry radioactive uranium ore from the mines on Great Bear Lake Of the thirty plus miners who worked at the Port Radium site at least fourteen have died due to various forms of cancer A study was done in the community of Deline called A Village of Widows by Cindy Kenny Gilday which indicated that the number of people involved were too small to be able to confirm or deny a link 68 69 There has been racial tension based on a history of violent conflict between the Dene and the Inuit 70 who have now taken recent steps towards reconciliation Land claims in the NWT began with the Inuvialuit Final Agreement signed on June 5 1984 It was the first Land Claim signed in the Territory and the second in Canada 71 It culminated with the creation of the Inuit homeland of Nunavut the result of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement the largest land claim in Canadian history 72 Another land claims agreement with the Tli chǫ people created a region within the NWT called Tli Cho between Great Bear and Great Slave Lakes which gives the Tli chǫ their own legislative bodies taxes resource royalties and other affairs though the NWT still maintains control over such areas as health and education This area includes two of Canada s three diamond mines at Ekati and Diavik 73 Festivals Edit See also Category Festivals in the Northwest Territories Among the festivals in the region are the Great Northern Arts Festival the Snowking Winter Festival Folk on the Rocks music festival in Yellowknife and Rockin the Rocks Transportation EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed July 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Road Edit See also List of Northwest Territories highways Dempster Highway south of Inuvik Northwest Territories has nine numbered highways The longest is the Mackenzie Highway which stretches from the Alberta Highway 35 s northern terminus in the south at the Alberta Northwest Territories border at the 60th parallel to Wrigley Northwest Territories in the north Ice roads and winter roads are also prominent and provide road access in winter to towns and mines which would otherwise be fly in locations Yellowknife Highway branches out from Mackenzie Highway and connects it to Yellowknife Dempster Highway is the continuation of Klondike Highway It starts just west of Dawson City Yukon and continues east for over 700 km 400 mi to Inuvik As of 2017 the all season Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway connects Inuvik to communities along the Arctic Ocean as an extension of the Dempster Highway Yellowknife did not have an all season road access to the rest of Canada s highway network until the completion of Deh Cho Bridge in 2012 Prior to that traffic relied on ferry service in summer and ice road in winter to cross the Mackenzie River This became a problem during spring and fall time when the ice was not thick enough to handle vehicle load but the ferry could not pass through the ice which would require all goods from fuel to groceries to be airlifted during the transition period The Northwest Territories is the only jurisdiction in North America to issue a non rectangular standard license plate Instead the territory issues a polar bear shaped license plate Public transit Edit Yellowknife Transit is the public transportation agency in the city and is the only transit system within the Northwest Territories 74 Air Edit See also List of airports in the Northwest Territories Entrance to Yellowknife Airport the largest airport in the territory Yellowknife Airport is the largest airport in the territory in terms of aircraft movements and passengers It is the gateway airport to other destinations within the Northwest Territories As the airport of the territory capital it is part of the National Airports System It is the hub of multiple regional airlines Major airlines serving destinations within Northwest Territories include Buffalo Airways Canadian North First Air North Wright Airways See also Edit Canada portalList of airports in the Northwest Territories List of National Parks of Canada List of Northwest Territories highways List of Northwest Territories Legislative Assemblies List of Northwest Territories plebiscites List of communities in the Northwest Territories List of ghost towns in the Northwest Territories Scouting and Guiding in the Northwest Territories Symbols of the Northwest TerritoriesNotes Edit Ceded to Canada by the Hudson s Bay Company The Arctic Islands remained under direct British claim until 1880 References Edit Northwest Territories Geographical Names Data Base Natural Resources Canada Population and dwelling counts Canada provinces and territories Statistics Canada February 9 2022 Retrieved February 9 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b Land and freshwater area by province and territory February 1 2005 a b Population by year of Canada of Canada and territories Statistics Canada September 26 2014 Retrieved March 12 2019 The terms Northwest Territorian s Hansard Thursday March 25 2004 Archived March 24 2009 at the Wayback Machine and informally NWTer s Hansard Monday October 23 2006 Archived March 24 2009 at the Wayback Machine occur in the official record of the territorial legislature According to the Oxford Guide to Canadian English Usage ISBN 978 0 19 541619 0 p 335 there is no common term for a resident of Northwest Territories a b Official Languages Act Northwest Territories PDF Government of the Northwest Territories 1998 Retrieved August 5 2021 a b Official Languages of the Northwest Territories Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre Retrieved August 5 2021 Gross domestic product expenditure based by province and territory 2017 Statistics Canada September 17 2019 Retrieved September 17 2019 Sub national HDI Subnational HDI Global Data Lab globaldatalab org Retrieved June 18 2020 Population and dwelling counts for Canada provinces and territories 2011 and 2006 censuses Statcan gc ca February 8 2012 Archived from the original on December 26 2018 Retrieved February 8 2012 Justice Canada 1993 Nunavut Act Retrieved April 26 2007 Justice Canada 1993 Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act Archived from the original on June 5 2011 Retrieved April 26 2007 Izenberg Dafna Summer 2005 The Conscience of Nunavut Ryerson Review of Journalism Online Toronto Ryerson School of Journalism ISSN 0838 0651 Archived from the original on September 21 2013 Retrieved September 19 2013 Tundra for two dividing Canada s far north is no small task Archived from the original on April 5 2005 Retrieved February 22 2011 Northwest Territories looking for new name Bob need not apply Canada CBC January 11 2002 Retrieved February 22 2011 Western Arctic to Northwest Territories MP calls for riding name change Canada CBC June 25 2008 Retrieved April 30 2015 Jon Willing What about Bob Water Lou Archived from the original on January 18 2003 Retrieved February 22 2011 Top 10 Lakes Great Bear Lake Archived from the original on May 30 2016 Retrieved January 11 2009 Maybank J 2012 Thunderstorm The Canadian Encyclopedia The Historica Dominion Institute Archived from the original on September 21 2013 Retrieved September 19 2013 Publications amp Maps Globalforestwatch org Archived from the original on June 12 2011 Retrieved February 22 2011 Fort Simpson A Canadian Climate Normals 1981 2010 Environment Canada September 25 2013 Climate ID 2202101 Retrieved October 19 2020 Yellowknife A Canadian Climate Normals 1981 2010 Environment Canada September 25 2013 Climate ID 2204100 Retrieved October 19 2020 Inuvik A Canadian Climate Normals 1981 2010 Environment Canada September 25 2013 Climate ID 2202570 Retrieved October 19 2020 Sachs Harbour A Canadian Climate Normals 1981 2010 Environment Canada September 25 2013 Climate ID 2503650 Retrieved October 19 2020 Residential Schools Education PDF www ece gov nt ca Canadian Heritage Northwest Territories Pch gc ca July 13 2010 Retrieved February 22 2011 The North West Territories Act 1875 SC 1875 c 49 s 3 7 Alberta Online Encyclopedia biography of Frederick Haultain 1 Mardon and Mardon Alberta Election Results 1882 1992 p 195 History of the Name of the Northwest Territories Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre Retrieved October 17 2015 c 62 RSC 1906 1906 Creation of a new Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories Retrieved January 27 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Highlight Tables 2016 Census Statistics Canada 2019 Retrieved July 16 2019 Immigration and Ethnocultural Diversity Highlight Tables 2016 Census Statistics Canada 2019 Retrieved July 16 2019 Canada 2016 Census Statistics Canada Retrieved June 25 2018 Statistics Canada Ethnic origin population Retrieved June 25 2018 2 Statistics Canada 2005 Government of Canada Statistics Canada February 8 2017 Census Profile 2016 Census Northwest Territories Territory and Canada Country www12 statcan gc ca Selected Religions for Canada Provinces and Territories 20 Sample Data 2 statcan ca Archived from the original on December 3 2016 Retrieved February 22 2011 In 2021 more than half of the population of British Columbia and Yukon reported having no religion while the Christian religion was predominant in the other provinces and territories October 26 2022 Retrieved November 26 2022 a b Census Profile 2016 Census Statistics Canada 2011 Community Profiles Hay River www12 statcan ca November 29 2017 Retrieved October 6 2020 2016 Community Profiles Hay River www12 statcan ca November 29 2017 Retrieved October 6 2020 2011 Community Profiles Fort Smith www12 statcan ca November 29 2017 Retrieved October 6 2020 Census Profile October 6 2020 a b Communities Census Profile 2016 Census Statistics Canada Differences in Community Government Structures PDF Retrieved February 22 2011 Yellowknife Census agglomeration Retrieved June 25 2018 Census Profile www12 statcan gc ca Behchoko Aboriginal population www12 statcan gc ca Retrieved June 25 2018 Census Profile www12 statcan gc ca search Inuvik www12 statcan gc ca Statistics Canada 2018 Statistics Canada Table 36 10 0222 01 Gross domestic product expenditure based provincial and territorial annual x 1 000 000 Statistics Canada doi 10 25318 3610022201 eng Retrieved September 19 2019 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Government of the Northwest Territories Industry Tourism and Investment Did You Know Archived from the original on July 31 2010 Retrieved April 10 2010 BHP Billiton diamond marketing Bhpbilliton com Archived from the original on February 18 2011 Retrieved February 22 2011 Rio Tinto 4th quarter 2010 Operations PDF 2011 Archived from the original PDF on January 24 2011 BHP Billiton 2010 Annual Report page 124 PDF 2010 NWT Premier asks provincial leaders for backing Globeandmail com Archived from the original on October 15 2008 Retrieved February 22 2011 What is Consensus Government Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories John Last and Sidney Cohen Caroline Cochrane elected premier of the N W T CBC North October 24 2019 Dehcho Region Retrieved April 8 2021 Inuvik Region Retrieved April 8 2021 North Slave Region Retrieved April 8 2021 Sahtu Region Retrieved April 8 2021 South Slave Region Retrieved April 8 2021 Government of the NWT Archived April 24 2015 at the Wayback Machine retrieved March 19 2012 A Village of Widows Arcticcircle uconn edu Archived from the original on July 11 2011 Retrieved February 22 2011 Echoes of the Atomic Age Ccnr org Retrieved February 22 2011 Relations with their Southern Neighbours Archived from the original on February 29 2000 IRC Inuvialuit Final Agreement Archived from the original on February 10 2012 Retrieved March 28 2012 Agreement between the Inuit of the Nunavut Settlement Area and Her Majesty The Queen in Right of Canada PDF Archived from the original PDF on March 24 2009 Retrieved January 10 2009 Government of the NWT news release on land claims signing Archived from the original on February 12 2009 Transit Route Analysis Study Final Report PDF City of Yellowknife Archived from the original PDF on July 6 2011 Retrieved March 26 2009 Further reading EditCoates Kenneth 1985 Canada s colonies a history of the Yukon and Northwest Territories Lorimer ISBN 978 0 88862 931 9 Choquette Robert 1995 The Oblate assault on Canada s northwest University of Ottawa Press ISBN 978 0 7766 0402 2 Northwest Territories Ecosystem Classification Group and Northwest Territories Ecological Regions of the Northwest Territories Taiga Plains permanent dead link Yellowknife NWT Dept of Environment and Natural Resources Govt of the Northwest Territories 2007 ISBN 978 0 7708 0161 8External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Northwest Territories Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Northwest Territories Government of the Northwest Territories Northwest Territories at Curlie Northwest Territories Tourism Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre Aurora College NWT Archives NWT Literacy Council Language Commissioner of the Northwest Territories Lessons From the Land interactive journeys of NWT traditional Aboriginal trails CBC Digital Archives Northwest Territories Voting in Canada s North Northwest Territories Act Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Northwest Territories amp oldid 1142883082, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, 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