Lucy Kuptana

Member Nunakput

Minister Responsible for Housing Northwest Territories
Minister Responsible for the Status of Women

Lucy Kuptana was elected to the 20th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories in November 2023 to represent the constituency of Nunakput, which includes the communities of Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, Tuktoyaktuk, and Ulukhaktok. A member of the Executive Council, she is the Minister Responsible for Housing Northwest Territories and the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women.

Prior to her election, Mrs. Kuptana was the Senior Administrative Officer for the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk. She was also a director with the Tuktoyaktuk District Education Authority.

For 22 years previous, Mrs. Kuptana was the Director of Operations, Communications, and Culture with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC). In a volunteer capacity, she has served as a director of the Inuvik Homeless Shelter Society, trustee of the Arctic Inspiration Prize, president of the Inuvialuit Communications Society, director of the Inuvialuit Investment Corporation, director of the Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik Community Corporations, and a committee member for the 2023 Northern Youth Games “Inuvialuit Piuyausiat” in Tuktoyaktuk.

Originally from Aklavik and raised at her family’s bush camp in the Mackenzie Delta, Mrs. Kuptana obtained a Level II and Level III Certificate in Community Administration from Aurora College in the early 1990s and returned to graduate with a Diploma in Business Administration and Management in 2013. Mrs. Kuptana is currently enrolled with Yukon University, where she is working towards accreditation in the school’s First Nations Governance and Public Administration program.

Despite a successful career spanning decades, Mrs. Kuptana credits her husband and family in supporting her. She says she owes much of her success to those who have fought – and continue to fight – for Indigenous and Inuvialuit rights.

Mrs. Kuptana’s guiding principle is to lead with respect, empathy, knowledge, and the willingness to work hard for the constituents she represents and all residents of the Northwest Territories.

Nunakput Electoral District

Committees

Public Accounts
Lucy Kuptana
Nunakput
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Email
Phone
(867) 767-9143
Minister
Email
Email
Minister Responsible for Housing Northwest Territories, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 47)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Dr. Erin Kelly will provide information related to the coms piece around this. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 47)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That's a big question, especially for Housing NWT, because we're focused on public housing, providing social housing in communities, but also market housing. We have the, like we've talked about before, the HELP units, and we also have RCMP housing.

So one of the things I've noticed, and especially when I went to Behchoko recently, was going into a transitional housing, there was an individual in there for a number of years and the reason why he was in there for a number of years was there's no housing available in the community for him to move on. And he's ready to move...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 47)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Dr. Kelly will provide more insight into that question. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Question 556-20(1): Homeownership Programs and Supports
Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 47)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In terms of the HELP units that were constructed back in 2007, the numbers include 21 units that have been transferred to tenants since the start of HELP. And the breakdown is Beaufort Delta, 4 units; Nahendeh, 3 units; the North Slave, 4 units; the Sahtu, 2 units; and the South Slave, 8 units. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 47)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Dr. Erin Kelly will provide more information about the program itself. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 47)

Of course we can share that information. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 47)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Dr. Kelly will provide more information about barriers and other opportunities working within. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 47)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Understanding that THARP is led by health and social services, that's one of the questions that we do have is right now we have THARP units, both in Yellowknife and Inuvik, and many other communities are looking at the same type of supports in place for much of the people in the community that need that transitional housing after they attend addictions recovery program. So it's a big question, and the MLA is right, this is happening in many of our communities where supports are needed in place, and THARP is one of those key supports. So perhaps Dr. Erin Kelly could talk a...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 47)

Yes, that's correct, Mr. Chair. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 47)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, the eligibility is an income threshold. Thank you, Mr. Chair.