Shauna Morgan

Member Yellowknife North

Shauna Morgan was elected to the 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly to represent the constituency of Yellowknife North.

Ms. Morgan was born and raised in Barrie, Ontario. Having called Yellowknife home for the past 15 years, she has embraced the dynamic, creative and eclectic lifestyle in Old Town near Great Slave Lake.

Ms. Morgan’s commitment to public service is evident in her two consecutive terms on Yellowknife City Council from 2015 to 2022. During this time, she held pivotal roles, including Deputy Mayor, Chair of the Community Energy Planning Committee, and Chair of the Community Advisory Board on Homelessness.

Ms. Morgan holds degrees in International Development (B.A. Hons) and International Affairs (M.A.), specializing in community economic and political development in remote and Indigenous communities globally. She worked with a grassroots cross-cultural peacebuilding movement in the Philippines from 2002 to 2003. Her master's research delved into negotiations between mineral exploration companies and First Nations in Canada, focusing on land access during the earliest stages of mineral exploration.

Over the past 15 years in Yellowknife, Ms. Morgan has prioritized work at the community level. Working with private consulting firms and a non-profit thinktank focused on clean energy, she served as a resource person to Indigenous governments and communities across the NWT. Her contributions ranged from planning renewable energy projects to housing initiatives, building cross-cultural environmental research and monitoring programs, and navigating the complexities of major resource extraction projects.

Ms. Morgan has drawn on her well-rounded skill set to diversify her professional pursuits. While serving as a City Councillor, she managed her own piano teaching studio, worked as an on-the-Land educator with Bushkids NWT, and contributed for many years as a full-time member of the Snow Castle construction crew and snow carving team. Additionally, she engaged in facilitation and consulting contracts.

Active in the arts community, Ms. Morgan provides piano accompaniment for Yellowknife’s Aurora Chorealis (adult community choir) and Fireweed Children’s Choir. She served as a Board member for the Yellowknife Women’s Society and a weekly volunteer with Food Rescue and has dedicated time to the Yellowknife Ski Club and Victim Services.

Ms. Morgan’s love for the land is palpable in her adventurous spirit. She enjoys a myriad of outdoor activities in the North across all seasons, from whitewater and flatwater canoe trips to hiking in Auyuittuq National Park and along the Canol Trail. Her passion extends to cycle touring, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and hunting for moose and ducks with her partner.

Yellowknife North Electoral District

Committees

Shauna Morgan
Yellowknife North
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Extension
12170
Constituency Office

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 71)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to flag, I recognize that as soon as we talk about sort of training programs and trades, usually the answer is that that's Aurora College's decision and, you know, this government can't direct the college what to do and that's sort of the end of it. But I would argue that there is a desperate need for a more organized territorial trade strategy that doesn't just kind of leave it up to Aurora College to decide whatever they're going to decide. And certainly they should be a partner in this, but I would urge the government to consider providing more clear, you...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 71)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just briefly I wanted to flag the importance of this one. I know it does sound like a large and overwhelming request. It is difficult and expensive to come up with supportive living and transitional housing options, but it's also so necessary as even a preventative measure. We know that as soon as you let people fall into homelessness, like a spiral of other problems tend to follow from there and those problems also get really expensive for government in terms of how to care for people when they don't have homes, the health problems, the other kinds of societal problems...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 71)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So that is discouraging to hear. Can the Minister clarify, if there are individual children requiring these supports, can individuals still apply for Jordan's Principle funding to fund, say, speech-language pathology services, or is that no longer available to any NWT students? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 71)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First, I just want to say I have such great respect for the legacy of Tony Whitford. Before he passed away, he was a Yellowknife North constituent, and I had the great pleasure and honour of visiting him, meeting with him several times, and he certainly has made a lasting impact on me.

I also certainly wouldn't want this to become a debate about how great of a man Tony Whitford was. First of all, I think we would be here for days but, also, I don't think it's probably an appropriate debate for this House. And I also just want to recognize that I understand Cabinet does...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 70)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For my first set of questions, I want to ask the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Now, we know that a significant problem holding back the development of land and new housing in the city of Yellowknife, as well as broader economic opportunity, is the lack of an arrangement for timely and efficient transfer of Commissioner's land to the city of Yellowknife. The Minister mentioned earlier this sitting that there's a memorandum of collaboration in place with the city that allows this transfer to go ahead, but there remain a number of barriers that make it...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 70)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to follow up on my statement yesterday about housing as a human right by speaking about how we can better hold landlords and tenants accountable. When your landlord is an investment trust based far away that sees your building as a tiny blip on a balance sheet rather than a home or a community, it's very difficult to hold them accountable.

It is positive that over the past few years Housing NWT has been moving towards owning its own buildings and away from leases with monopolistic real estate trusts, but there are also local landlords violating people...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 70)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just would simply request that the Minister also keep me informed, and then I can try to keep constituents informed and those who are using that area just so everyone's aware of what's available and not available. And I know there's a number of people who, yeah, live out there as well as use that area frequently. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 70)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table correspondence from the Mayor of Yellowknife to the Minister of Finance regarding the City's Budget Submission Supporting the Transfer of Commissioner's Land to the City of Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 70)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister tell us -- because I am getting some questions from parents -- is there any significant difference between the Alberta and the BC curriculums in terms of how the high school classes or credits are valued or assessed by post-secondary institutions in Canada? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 70)

Just finally I wonder if the Minister could give any kind of timeframe or time scale to seeing some -- something come out of that work. You know, there's obviously working groups and -- but is there a goal or a date that we're working towards to see an outcome there? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.