Kieron Testart

Member Range Lake

Kieron Testart was elected to the 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly to represent the constituency of Range Lake.

Mr. Testart was born on March 22, 1985, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He was raised in the Northwest Territories, first residing in Tuktoyaktuk and later in Yellowknife, where Mr. Testart now lives with his family, his diverse background and wealth of experiences have shaped his commitment to community development and effective governance.

Mr. Testart was elected as Member of the Legislative Assembly for Kam Lake in the 18th Legislative Assembly, where he demonstrated a keen understanding of the issues facing his constituents. Beyond his legislative roles, Kieron has contributed significantly to the economic development of the region. Serving as the Director of Economic Development for the Yellowknives Dene First Nation from 2021 to 2023. Mr. Testart’s commitment to education and language advocacy is evident in his role as Program Coordinator for Canadian Parents for French from 2020 to 2021. His efforts have extended to policy analysis within the Government of the Northwest Territories and serving as Deputy Sheriff from 2009 to 2014.

Academically, Kieron holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Lethbridge (2004-2009) and a Certificate in Parliamentary Governance from McGill University (2017).

Married to Colleen, he is the proud father of Corbin, Eve, and Leander. In addition to his professional pursuits, Kieron finds joy in various hobbies and interests, including a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport, a love for film and theatre, grassroots activism, and an avid curiosity about international affairs.

Kieron's commitment to community extends beyond the political realm. As a dedicated volunteer, he has been actively involved in various capacities, including serving on the NWT Federal Liberal Association Board of Directors since 2011, contributing to the Liberal Party of Canada. His volunteer experience also includes a position on the NWT Branch Board of Directors for Canadian Parents for French from 2014 to 2020 and mentoring youth with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada in 2014-2015.

Range Lake Electoral District

Committees

Member Kieron Testart
Range Lake
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Nothing further.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you to the Minister for that detailed response. Unless I am not seeing this clearly, are these fence projects in this capital budget? The two items I spoke to were a security control system integration and building security control system renovations. Are the fences this control system renovations item, or are they the security integration? Am I missing something? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and that's good news, and I hope that policy continues as we move forward. There are a number of Kam Lake businesses that are quite skilled in this field, and it's good to see work flowing directly to northern manufacturers and northern businesses; it creates growth and jobs in our communities. I'd like to thank the Minister again for taking the Housing Corporation in this direction and investing in the NWT. Nothing further. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Of those 45 units, how many have been completed? Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When does the Minister anticipate that this work will be done, Mr. Speaker? Will it be done next year, the year after, the year after that? When do we expect the tender to be released, and the work to be done? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

I would like to thank the Minister for offering a new kind of hope, a hope that comes from getting projects done, and making firm commitments in this House. Now, I would like to turn to the other issue of the security improvements. What is the status of them? Does he have any new information for the House today on those projects, which are significant in that the deficiency that they are designed to address resulted in an escape from the facility, an escape that brought an inmate into very close proximity with a residential neighbourhood?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. "We are the prisoners." Mr. Speaker, those are words spoken to me by my constituents who live next to the North Slave Correctional Facility. Over the summer months, they have been bothered by frequent noise late into the evening, and almost direct interaction with inmates, only a stone's throw away from their backyards, Mr. Speaker: catcalls from the inmates at their children and living in concern of a perceived unsafe situation, especially after last year's incident where an inmate escaped the facility.

Now, I know the Minister and his department have been diligent at...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Working with the Department of Infrastructure, as the Minister put it, is that work going to start now? Are we thinking post-2021 or is this still going to be a 10-year process of waiting the lease out? Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I see that we are again paying to upgrade the Yellowknife courthouse. This is a leased building, and, over the years, I think we have spent a great deal of money reconfiguring and modifying this building, which is a shared judicial facility and an office building for the Department of Justice. That can be at cross purposes. Court facilities have higher security demands than, say, an office building, and oftentimes it is difficult for those two neighbouring purposes to share that space and adequately address the security needs of the building. I know this from personal...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the official from the Department of Justice for that helpful clarification. With this fencing issue that has yet to be resolved, that the tender was not successful, what is the plan to deal with that? Is it to put more money into it so we can get it done, or is it to scale it down into something different? Can the Minister provide some more clarity about what this is going to look and where we will see it? Obviously, it is not in this budget, but where will this House consider that capital project, and how much is it going to cost? Thank you.