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
shaunamorgan.yknorth@gmail.com
Constituency Office

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 62)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So my next question is when will funding be confirmed for programs to be able to move forward? If they are to move forward, how soon can we confirm that and get things going. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So just to confirm that this is the very beginning stage of this project? Like, the -- these concerns obviously they've just arisen sometime since we passed our last capital budget and now this project is to begin; can the Minister just clarify? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Mr. Speaker, I move that

WHEREAS the Legislative Assembly, in Motion 41-20(1), accepted the conclusion of the Integrity Commissioner that the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh violated the Members' Code of Conduct, reprimanded the Member, and ordered the Member to pay a $2,500 fine;

AND WHEREAS on April 24, 2025, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly received from the Integrity Commissioner a Supplemental Report about costs relating to the complaint by Jennifer Patterson that the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh breached the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly Members' Code of Conduct;

AND...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So we have heard from the lawyer spokesperson for the encampment residents that they've been looking for advice or direction from the GNWT as to which lots or specific areas might be suitable. So has the GNWT already given such advice as to what specific areas might be off limits or what specific lots might be preferable to the current encampment residents? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Executive and Indigenous Affairs.

So following challenges around the encampment last summer in the middle of the city of Yellowknife, I know that the GNWT has been working hard throughout the winter to establish better relationships with shelter providers to get to know members of the unhoused population and their specific needs and to get new transitional housing initiatives off the ground. However, it's unclear whether there was any specific planning around what to do about any future encampments, and now we have new encampments at...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when we see people on the street who are in a bad state, some of whom who are unhoused and some of whom prefer to live in encampments rather than in shelters, we tend to jump to different conclusions about what should be done. Some people believe they should be moved out of public spaces and ultimately that law enforcement officers should step in, and others see unhoused people as victims who simply require more supports and resources. Either way, we tend to focus on what should be done to these people or for these people. But what if we ask a different...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. No further questions.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So listed under here is an amount that's not an offset by a lapsed amount, and it's not -- doesn't appear to be offset by revenues from the Government of Canada. So there's an extra $2.3 million for funding for planning and design activities related to the Yellowknife Courthouse Infrastructure Project. Can the Minister explain what that's about and why that was not foreseen earlier in our main budget. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister say how long elders are waiting for housing and is NWT Housing developing any rent-to-own program for elders? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 61)

Thanks to the Minister for that answer. So now that we have better awareness that encampments are not necessarily related to a shortage of shelter space per se, but perhaps shortages in the broader housing continuum or people's preference for how they want to live, is the GNWT preparing to do some longer term planning around identifying some specific suitable space for an encampment in consultation with neighbours? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.