Lucy Kuptana

Member Nunakput

Minister Responsible for Housing Northwest Territories
Minister Responsible for the Status of Women

Lucy Kuptana was elected to the 20th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories in November 2023 to represent the constituency of Nunakput, which includes the communities of Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, Tuktoyaktuk, and Ulukhaktok. A member of the Executive Council, she is the Minister Responsible for Housing Northwest Territories and the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women.

Prior to her election, Mrs. Kuptana was the Senior Administrative Officer for the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk. She was also a director with the Tuktoyaktuk District Education Authority.

For 22 years previous, Mrs. Kuptana was the Director of Operations, Communications, and Culture with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC). In a volunteer capacity, she has served as a director of the Inuvik Homeless Shelter Society, trustee of the Arctic Inspiration Prize, president of the Inuvialuit Communications Society, director of the Inuvialuit Investment Corporation, director of the Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik Community Corporations, and a committee member for the 2023 Northern Youth Games “Inuvialuit Piuyausiat” in Tuktoyaktuk.

Originally from Aklavik and raised at her family’s bush camp in the Mackenzie Delta, Mrs. Kuptana obtained a Level II and Level III Certificate in Community Administration from Aurora College in the early 1990s and returned to graduate with a Diploma in Business Administration and Management in 2013. Mrs. Kuptana is currently enrolled with Yukon University, where she is working towards accreditation in the school’s First Nations Governance and Public Administration program.

Despite a successful career spanning decades, Mrs. Kuptana credits her husband and family in supporting her. She says she owes much of her success to those who have fought – and continue to fight – for Indigenous and Inuvialuit rights.

Mrs. Kuptana’s guiding principle is to lead with respect, empathy, knowledge, and the willingness to work hard for the constituents she represents and all residents of the Northwest Territories.

Nunakput Electoral District

Committees

Public Accounts
Lucy Kuptana
Nunakput
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Email
Phone
(867) 767-9143
Minister
Email
Email
Minister Responsible for Housing Northwest Territories, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 87)

Thank you, Madam Chair. With the administration funding of $7.74 million, that's funding our local LHOs for their administrative staff within the LHO. And then in terms of maintenance, it's $15.182 million, and that's for the LHOs to undertake demand and preventative maintenance activities. So LHOs are provided funding for maintenance, and LHOs are provided funding for administration. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 87)

Madam Chair, I think it's really important that housing with our district office and the LHO that we talk to tenants about the arrears, especially in the HELP program and especially with housing looking to potentially ease out of the program, that we counsel clients to pay down their arrears so they're eligible to take on the house full-time as owners. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 87)

Thank you, Madam Chair. So we just spoke about this earlier, but it was incremental initiatives funding for emergency shelter programs. We talked about the increase in emergency shelter programs, the forced growth initiative, the funding for the two shelters in Inuvik, the funding for Fort Simpson shelter, Hay River shelter, and also the transfer of the day shelter and the sobering centre here in Yellowknife to Housing NWT. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 87)

Madam Chair, President Kelly will talk about the 50 unit and the builder. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 87)

Thank you, Madam Chair. In terms of the HELP program -- and, again, this program was initiated probably 25 years ago, and it was working with the clients, working with potential housing tenants to take on a HELP unit. With that criteria, what we're hoping at the time with HELP was that they would pay the utilities and the overall cost for the unit and pay a minimum amount of rent to manage the unit itself. So housing would speak to the tenants themselves. If they had a steady income, they were employed, they were probably either a public housing tenant or a market housing tenant at the time...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 87)

Thank you, Madam Chair. This is something that we could bring up at our meeting with the Tlicho government when we talk about housing and our MOU, and continuing that memorandum of understanding is potential funding for -- like, a home base in another community in the Tlicho, in the Monfwi riding. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 87)

Thanks, Madam Chair. Thank you for the question. Yes, that's the current plan. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 87)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, this program is undersubscribed, and with the funding pot itself, it's 50/50. So 50 percent from the federal government and 50 percent from Housing Northwest Territories. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 87)

Thank you, Madam Chair. At this time, there's no public housing or market housing units in Enterprise. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 87)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Funding for the Yellowknife day shelter and sobering centre operations. Thank you, Madam Chair.