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

Kieron Testart
Range Lake
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister. As I said in my Member's statement, it's Mining Week. So what is the Minister doing to celebrate Mining Week? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Yes, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Minister's correct. I believe we are the only one. So we have, again, a lease that's underperforming in terms of value for money. I appreciate that the territorial government has many different priorities, but an unsafe building that's not fit for purpose -- or sorry, perhaps unsafe is too extreme a word. But a building that known security concerns that is not fit for purpose, I don't think is in our interest to continue on this track. That's my position. Obviously, there are so many needs in the territory, but to continue to ignore this is just...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that's good news. And I know the Minister knows that mining matters, and it's great to see it move beyond just the mines and actually to other areas of public policy.

Mr. Speaker, the mining incentive program was a big part of the success of the strategy, continues to be successful. Can the Minister tell us if the increase in investment is due to that fund? thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So a hundred -- upwards of a hundred million, so we do have some sort of estimate of what is courthouse facility would cost, or is that the Minister kind speculating on a ceiling for a project of that size? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to item 7 on the orders of the day. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Can the Minister commit to getting it to this -- to the House or this Member? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Thank you for that. And I think as much as I appreciate the other areas of the department working on economic diversification, there's only so many people working in the Northwest Territories that can ever be working in the Northwest Territories, and these resource projects are always going to deliver the biggest economic activity, the biggest bang for our buck, because we just simply can't compete with larger jurisdictions with significant workforces or substantial enough workforces to fuel the whole economy. So mining, of course, has a robust presence. There's plenty of low carbon...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Yes, thank you. Okay, well that resolves the expenditure problem. But I think -- I just really want to drill down on this thing that there is not a proposal for a wellness plan. It's not in the pre -- there's not a preplanning thing. It's not being proposed in the budget. It's included in the speech, and it's -- and that's it. So I think it's unfair to characterize this as, like, if we -- you know, if the budget gets approved, then the wellness centre moves ahead, and we transfer the jobs in Smith. Correctional officers are not social workers. They're not addictions and treatment workers as...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Thank you. Yeah, I think that's correct. I think it's probably 500K that went in in the 19th because it was increased to a million in the 18th Assembly. So given that there is quite a bit of interest in this fund, given that it's at times an economic multiplier, and that it hasn't been increased for some time, why isn't the Minister seeking an increase to this fund at a time when we need to get the exploration projects moving quickly to take advantage of the critical -- the interest in critical minerals and the significant amount of funding that's out there for critical minerals projects and...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 24)

Just to clarify, so this money that's in this supp, this is going to -- are these improvements for the men's side of the facility, or does it work that way? So just the entire facility, or are we able to drill down into that? Because it seems odd that we're going to spend $398,000 and -- well, $398,000 on a facility that we're planning on shuttering. Thank you.