Kate Reid

Member Great Slave

Kate Reid was elected to the 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly to represent the constituency of Great Slave.

Ms. Reid was born in the city of Oshawa, Ontario in 1981. She has lived in Yellowknife since 1989. Ms. Reid’s journey is a testament to her diverse interests and unwavering dedication to making a positive impact in her community.

Ms. Reid’s career began in journalism, after graduating with a bachelor of journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University in 2003. Her interest in research led her to work at the Yellowknife Public Library, which in turn took her to the University of Toronto for a master’s degree in information studies, graduating in 2009. Returning to the north, she was grateful for the opportunity to join the staff at the NWT Archives, where she cultivated a deep appreciation for preserving and sharing the stories that define the territory and its government. Transitioning to the Government of Northwest Territories, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Ms. Reid brought her expertise to the forefront of environmental issues, contributing to sustainable development through legislative and policy work for five years prior to being elected.

Away from the demands of her professional life, Ms. Reid is married and finds solace and inspiration in an array of hobbies. Her love for music, art, burlesque, drag, film, and travel speaks to her eclectic tastes and a thirst for cultural exploration.

Ms. Reid’s dedication to community service is exemplary, marked by her role as the President of YWCA NWT from 2021 to 2023. Her leadership extends to the cultural realm as a past director for Folk on the Rocks, an annual music festival that enriches Yellowknife's cultural landscape. Additionally, Ms. Reid has actively contributed to community events such as NWT and Yellowknife Pride, Burn on the Bay and served as the UNW Local 40 President in 2019 and from 2021 to 2023, demonstrating her commitment to advocacy and the well-being of her fellow citizens.

Great Slave Electoral District:

Committees

Member Kate Reid
Great Slave
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And would the Minister characterize this issue as a high-need item in terms of the matrix that we make decisions on renovations and replacements? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Yeah, thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So in some of my comments to the Minister of Finance yesterday, I know in our substantiations we talk about different ways that we make decision makings -- decision-making, pardon me, around the various metrics and choices that we make for selecting these items and considerations that we make about these items. There has been great conversation in previous Assemblies around the climate change considerations of these items. And so not to pick on the boat, not to make my colleague from Inuvik Boot Lake angry, it was just picked at random, I'm just curious as...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Yeah, I know -- thank you, Mr. Speaker -- it is a tricky one and an even trickier one is increasing Indigenous representation in the public service, Mr. Speaker. I know this side of the House is very keen on seeing how we can do a better job of that. The survey does not distinguish between Indigenous and non-Indigenous employees so I have to assume that Indigenous employees are struggling with low morale too.

So what specific actions will the Minister propose to take to ensure Indigenous employees feel valued, heard, and supported in this organization above and beyond what's contemplated in the...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate that. Nothing further.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's some tentatively possibly good news. When it was last mentioned in the 2022-2023 annual report, the leadership development program was on a hiatus since July of 2020 and an expected new option was to launch this year, Mr. Speaker. So can the Minister tell me the status of this program? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So I would like to know if the Minister can explain how she sees the timelines of this particular environmental assessment aligning with the regional strategic environmental assessment that is underway. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I care deeply about the public service as a past public servant and active local union president. I also recognize that the public service makes up a lot of the working population of this territory. And, yes, the numbers of total GNWT staff have gone up dramatically in recent years. The increase incurs in critical functions that we all rely on like health care and education supports. But the other thing we don't talk about as much is that through collective bargaining, people in precarious employment terms or casuals were made permanent. The increase reflects employees...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, if the Minister could provide some information to committee on that, that would be greatly appreciated. And, yeah, I don't know if I agree with her characterization that these are small amounts of money, especially when we're looking for every little bit of money we can. So I'll just leave that as a comment. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And can the Minister speak more to why some of the projects in some of the communities or facilities have not yet been defined; why are we asking for money for projects that aren't yet defined? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 33)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And, yeah, sorry, I'm a newbie too. Would the Minister be willing to give a substantiation of this project? Thank you.