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Candidates for NWT seat clash in capital Green Party candidate John Moore left held his ground against three seasoned speakers at a forum in Yel- lowknife. He may have even been the audience-favourite. See page 2. Fort Smith legend passes tragically William Mercredi was found dead outdoors in Fort Smith lastweek.Thechampionboxer was remembered as a friend to anyone. See page 12. A BETTER HEAD START Would universal child care make a difference in your life See page 10. Yellowknife youth shelter covers more of the spectrum With the addition of 10 transi- tional housing spaces Hopes Haven is closing the gap on youth homelessness. See page 10. Parsing the battle for northern Alberta More than a dozen candidates are running for northern Alberta seats including the new Peace River-Westlock riding. See page 3. V IS IT W W W .N O R J.C A A national award winning independent newspaper serving northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories since 1977 1.00 October 13 2015 Vol. 39 No. 24 PhotoCraigGilbert By DALI CARMICHAEL Six municipalities in the NWT are hosting elections this year ve of which have contests for the may- ors seat. The Journal reached out to these communities to see what issues the would-be mayors are ad- dressing in their platforms. FORT SMITH Brad Brake After one term in office Fort Smithsincumbentmayorisntready to relinquish his position just yet. I still feel that I can move our community forward to better and greater things and as such I am run- ning to continue the good works that this council has started he said. In a second term Brake said he would prioritize improving the the towns aging in-ground infrastruc- ture as well as the chipsealing of Highway 5. The Town had a 60-per-cent in- crease in development permits last year and our economy is vibrant and healthy and is doing better than many other northern towns who are affected by economic downturns Brake said. I think that this was in no small part due to the actions of councils leadership. Workingtowardscommunitywell- ness both mentally and physically is another item at the top of his list. I am further committed to es- tablishing the town leadership to take control of its role as leaders in our community through the es- tablishment of a wellness working group and a working group to lead appropriate parties in lobbying the GNWT to establish a Centre for Arts Excellence in the town of Fort Smith. Brad also stated he was commit- ted to increasing transparency and accountability for council. Lynn Napier-Buckley Lynn Napier-Buckley has held the position of town councillor for one term and is ready to take on the challenges posed over the last three years. I love Fort Smith she said. I want to be able to do more for the community through our municipal- ity. Our town needs a mayor that will be a strong leader in commu- nity partnerships. We can do more to work with local governments businesses and organizations in the areas of wellness community capacity building and tourism. The mayor is responsible for providing leadership and direction to council. It is my belief that the mayor should also listen to council and listen to the people. A healthy community starts with addressing social issues according to this candidate. Developing fur- ther community wellness initia- tives garnering more support for LGBTQ youth and adults improv- ing access for seniors and persons with disabilities and establishing better child protective services are all important to Napier-Buckley. Economic development within the town is another priority for Na- pier-Buckley. She indicated that she would like to improve a sustainable local economy for Fort Smith by in- stituting local business and shop local policies training staff and working toward new capital plan- ning projects including landslide stabilization initiatives. As mayor I will continue to work to make decisions based on what is fair and balanced and on what will benet us as a whole Napier- Buckley said. FORT SIMPSON Darlene Sibbeston Darlene Sibbestons platform in her race for mayor is all about trans- parency and inclusion. Im concerned about whats happening in council she said. It seems unfair that people can just make decisions without much consultation. Currently Sibbeston noted items like budgets and meeting minutes are slow to be posted online if they are at all. Having those documents easily accessible to the public is one of the strate- gies she has to reach out to her constituents. See Elections on page 8. Six municipalities head to the polls Candidates for mayor share their vision for the next three years Fort Smith Fire Department Captain Jami Short demonstrates what happens when you try to put out a grease re with water at an open house Oct. 10 wrapping up the towns Fire Prevention Week activities which included a practice day open to the public and drills at local schools.