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 46)

Okay, thank you for explaining that. My understanding from some of the research we had gotten was that there is a $556,000 reduction in the budget which is an adjustment related to the planned disposition of the 51 units. Is that understanding incorrect, that -- is there to be a reduction associated with the discontinuation of the HELP program? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 45)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So can the Minister clarify whether the content around climate change in those courses has been developed by the department and then distributed to schools or to what extent it's left up to teachers to sort of fill in the blanks or make it relevant to the local context? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 45)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So my final question is how will ordinary residents, and particularly young people, be able to be involved in the actions that the government is taking as part of this climate change action plan, or is the plan designed to be carried out exclusively by government employees? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 45)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change following up on my Member's statement on some of the feedback that we have gotten from NWT youth on the climate change action plan. So some of their observations were that most of the actions in the plan are hard to measure, that it might specify we'll continue to do things or have processes. But what is ECC doing to make its actions on climate change more measurable? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 45)

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and my colleague from Great Slave joined me in visiting Yellowknife high schools to hear directly from students what they think about this government's climate change action plan. Mr. Speaker, these young people were well spoken, thoughtful, and passionate, which wasn't a surprise, but what I did find remarkable was how laser focused they are on wanting to see action and measurable commitments to ensure a liveable planet even 10 or 20 years from now, let alone generations from now. They read through the draft plan, and they...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 45)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Well, I'll leave it there for now, and I think it will be a really important discussion that's coming up when we get Aurora College directly in the room to chat with them. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 45)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Continuing a little bit along that line in terms of the transfer -- or the allocation of funding given to Aurora College, so last year we -- this Assembly provided an extra half a million dollars to Aurora College to support the transformation process to a polytechnic. Does the Minister know what we have to show for the half a million dollars that was given in the last fiscal year in terms of what progress has been made by Aurora College? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 45)

Thank you, Madam Chair. I mean, I know that there's also been a lot of work to try to ramp up the SNAP program and that might help feed into some of these programs, right, so if we're getting more students, you know, leading them towards apprenticeships then we'll see more uptake as they get a bit older. And so it does seem like there has been some increases -- okay, and so now I'm looking at page 14 in the business plan.

There has at least been an increase from 5 to 6. Okay, if I go up -- in any case, has the Minister tried to identify, like, what are the barriers to expanding that SNAP...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 45)

Thank you, Madam Chair. And so the page in the business plan I was looking at is page 18, in case that helps. But I'll -- I mean, on a related topic, you know, in the budget there's -- we've got the trades and occupations wage subsidy that's the same as last year, so $922,000. Is this fully subscribed? So those are grants to provide financial assistance to employers to hire Northerners and support that individual if they get apprenticeship or occupation certification. Can the Minister tell us whether that's fully subscribed and is there more demand for this program than we can offer with the...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 45)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm wondering if the department has tried to engage or partner with non-profits, such as Ecology North, to try to incorporate more northern resources into curriculums, you know, for all the different grades. I know Ecology North doesn't have the resources to create a whole curriculum, but they might be able to add or support and work with communities. Has the department tried to work creatively with non-profits in that way? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.