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New parks super has been there and back again Jonah Mitchell the man over- seeingallthe nationalparksin the NWT has a long and sto- ried history with Fort Smith. See page 6. Vancouver Aquarium speaks out for belugas The Vancouver Aquarium is working to promote the effects of climate change on thenorthernecosystemamong southern Canadians. See page 19. STUDENTS ON ICE A Fort Smith teen captured his trip to the High Arctic in pictures. See page 13. Fort Smith exercise program recognized Elders in Motion which helps seniorsgetoutandgetmoving was recognized at an annual conference in Yellowknife. See page 15. Northern Alberta gains a voice in Notley cabinet Lesser Slave Lake MLA was named minister for munici- pal affairs in a late-October cabinet shufe. See page 7. 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 November 4 2015 Vol. 39 No. 27 By CRAIG GILBERT Election season rolls on in the Northwest Territories with the writ nally in the wind and candidates out on the hustings. Following the Oct. 30 nomina- tion deadline 60 candidates had thrown their proverbial hats in the ring across the NWTs 19 ridings. The prevailing storyline in the lead-up to the Nov. 23 so far has had more to do with the criminal justice system than politics as Mi- chael Nadli announced he would run again despite serving prison time for spousal assault see related story page 7. Nadli will now turn his focus to his three opponents Ronald Bon- netrouge Lyle Fabian and Greg- ory Nyuli. No acclamation for premier this year He may have a near ear in Ot- tawa now but returning to the local legislature wont be a cake- walk for Premier Bob McLeod in Yellowknife South this time around as two other contenders Samuel Roland and Nigitstil Norbert and have come out of the woodwork to ensure he does not run uncontested as he did in 2011. The deputy premier on the other hand is the only sure bet to return tothe18thAssemblyasJacksonLaf- ferty has been acclaimed in Monfwi. Heads-up battles AnumberofincumbentMLAswill lock horns in one-on-one battle in- cluding Health and Social Services Minister Glen Abernethy who will face off with GNWT facility plan- ning consultant Chris Clarke in Great Slave Lake. FormerArcticWinterGamescom- petitorJimmyKalinekhopestohigh- kick incumbent Robert C. McLeod whoservedasministeroflandsmu- nicipal and community affairs and minister responsible for the NWT HousingCorp.inthe17thAssembly out of his Inuvik-Twin Lakes seat. In Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh incum- bent and minister of transporta- tion public works and human re- sources Tom Beaulieu is running against Richard Edjericon chair of the Mackenzie Valley Environmen- tal Impact Review Board. DavidRamsayministerofjustice andindustrytourismandinvestment willseeachallengeinKamLakefrom KieronTestartwhomostrecentlyran NWTMPMichaelMcLeodssuccess- fulfederalcampaignafterbowingto him during the Liberal the nomina- tion process. Among regular MLAs from the lastassemblyoutspokenRangeLake incumbent Daryl Dolynny will face Caroline Cochrane the CEO of the Centre for Northern Families while Desmond Loreen will challenge in- cumbentAlfredMosesinInuvikBoot Lake. Robert Hawkins has only one challenger in Yellowknife Centre in JulieGreenaformerCBCjournalist who has been fundraising for non- prots since 2012. Wide-open contests From there the fields become more crowded as larger groups of candidates square off in other NWT ridings none more than in Nahendeh where Kevin Menico- che has attracted six challengers. In Nunakput Speaker of the House Jackie Jacobsen will have to deal with a different kind of din as one of ve candidates in that riding as will the ve newcomers in Yellow- knife North. Therearefour-wayracesinSahtu wherecaucuschairNormanYakeleya retired and cleared the way for Paul AndrewYvonneDoolittleDanielMc- Neely and Judy Tutcho and Mack- enzie Delta where Frederick Blake Jr. is challenged by William Firth DavidKrutkoandNormanSnowshoe. There are three-way contests in both Hay River ridings. In Hay River North incumbent regular MLA Robert Bouchard is challenged by Karen Felker and Rockey Simpson while in Hay River South incumbent Jane Groenewe- genischallengedbyHayRiverMetis Nation president Wally Schumann and Brian Willows a former COO of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. In Thebacha where incumbent MLA and minister of nance and environment Michael Miltenberger is locked in a three-way race with former Fort Smith deputy mayor and lawyer Lou Sebert and small business owner Don Jaque pub- lisher of this newspaper. KeepaneyeontheNorthernJour- nal in the coming weeks as we en- deavour to bring you a deeper look into each of the 18 races. Sixty North of 60 Candidates come out of woodwork for territorial election PhotoCraigGilbert Zayha Mercredi Rayliene Wanderingspirit and Danica McDonald made the most of the Friday before Halloween at the Fort Smith Public Library. Join the fun on pages 10-11.