YELLOWKNIFE/HAY RIVER (January 28, 2022) – The Speaker of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, the Honourable Frederick Blake Jr., and the Northwest Territories Ombud, Ms. Colette Langlois, are pleased to announce the coming into force of section 16 of the Ombud Act today.
Section 16 provides an option for the Legislative Assembly, Standing Committees, municipalities, and Indigenous governments to refer matters to the Ombud for consideration. The coming into force of section 16 was delayed to allow the Office of the Ombud to develop the investigative capacity to respond to referrals, as well as focus on enquiries and complaints from the general public and promotion and education initiatives during initial years of operation.
“I would like to thank the Ombud and her team for their hard work since the office opened in 2019,” said the Honourable Frederick Blake Jr. “The coming into force of section 16 is a significant milestone in speaking up for fairness in the Northwest Territories.”
“The coming into force of section 16 marks the final step in full implementation of the Ombud Act,” said Ms. Langlois. “We look forward to the added opportunities through the section 16 referral process to create new partnerships to promote fairness in public administration in the NWT.”
Colette Langlois was appointed by the Legislative Assembly as the Northwest Territories’ first Ombud, effective April 8, 2019, for a term of five years. The Office of the Ombud, located in Hay River, is an independent office that speaks up for fairness in territorial government administration and services, listens to and investigates complaints from people who feel they have been treated unfairly by territorial organizations, and works to find fair solutions and to help improve government services.
Media inquiries can be directed to: