The Deline Self-Government Transition Team is in the process of transitioning to the new Deline Got’ine Government (DGG), which will come into effect on September 1, 2016 (“Effective Date”). The roles and responsibilities of the Charter Community of Deline, Deline Land Corporation (DLC) and Deline First Nation (DFN) must all be merged into the DGG.

For residents of Deline and land claim beneficiaries, it may appear at first that very little will change. Programs and services will continue as usual. Ensuring a smooth transition takes a significant amount of effort by many different people and organizations.

Who is involved?

The Transition Team members are:

• Kirk Dolphus, Charter Community
• Paulina Roche, DFN
• Christine Firth, DLC
• Phebie Kenny, Housing

This team makes decisions (or provide information to leadership on decisions they need to make), directs the work of the technical advisors, directs its staff to do transition tasks, and provides its expertise in moving programs and systems to the DGG.

The technical advisors develop laws and policies the new government will have to pass right away, help plan transition activities, and do tasks assigned by the Transition Team. The technical advisors are:

• Danny Gaudet, Chief Negotiator
• Raymond Tutcho, Communications Officer
• Patricia Modeste, Administrative Support
• Stephanie Irlbacher-Fox, Implementation Director
• Rosanna Nicol, Implementation Researcher
• Shannon Ward, Lands Advisor
• Alex Ker, Finance Advisor
• Jessica Iveson, Legal Counsel  - Transition
• Brian Crane, Legal Counsel - Tax and Negotiations

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is providing support by lending its staff with specific expertise to help prepare for the transition, especially from the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA).

What needs to be done?

The accounting and financial systems of the three organizations will be combined. Any equipment, such as furniture, computers, etc. will become the property of the DGG. New laws must be created and the policies of the three organizations must be combined. There will be administrative changes as well, including transitioning job roles from the Charter Community, DLC and DFN to the new DGG, and making changes to land management, such as moving responsibilities for certain lands from the Charter Community and DLC to the DGG. And elections must be held for the new council in advance so the new government is ready to take over on September 1.

Accounting and Financial System

The Charter Community, DLC and DFN each have their own accounting and financial systems. These systems must be merged into one under the DGG. Avery Cooper, an accounting firm based out of Yellowknife, is helping to build this new system.

The Transition Team held meetings in January to gather information and direction for this project. The new system will be completed in June, and employees will then be trained on how to use it.  The system will be phased in over the summer.

Policies

The Charter Community, DLC and DFN each have their own administrative policies. The DGG will have its own set of policies. Transitioning to a set of common policies is a joint project of the three organizations.

Laws

The DGG will have the power to pass laws. Right now, the Charter Community makes by-laws and the DLC and DFN pass resolutions. All three organizations follow laws made by other governments. After self-government, the DGG will still follow some laws made by the GNWT and Canada, and will develop and pass laws in accordance with the self-government agreement.

Some laws must be drafted and ready before Effective Date. They will be passed by the DGG on Effective Date. This is so the DGG can function as a government and provide uninterrupted programs and services that are currently provided by the municipality, First Nation and Land Corporation.

Laws will be reviewed by the leadership and community workshops before they are enacted on Effective Date. For example, the draft lands law was reviewed during a lands workshop held in Deline during February 2016. The Dene Gha Gok’e rehkw’i (Beneficiaries Board) draft law was reviewed during workshops In Yellowknife during January 2016 and in Deline during February 2016.

There were workshops for the ʔǫhda K’aowe Ke (Elders Council) and Justice Council laws in November 2015. The recommendations made in the workshops so far are being looked at and the laws will be reviewed in community workshops during February or March of 2016. 

Job Matching

The Charter Community, DLC and DFN each have employees. The programs and services the employees deliver will continue as Deline Got’ine Government responsibilities. No one will lose employment because of the change to self-government. The DGG will offer employment to everyone who currently is employed to deliver programs and services that are offered every year. Benefits will be the same or better than they are now, and vacation and sick day allowances will continue.

MACA’s School of Community Government is helping the Transition Team review existing job descriptions and match them to jobs that will be needed in the DGG. MACA and the self-government team are conducting interviews with all staff to update their job descriptions and find out their training needs and interests. Using this information, job descriptions for the DGG will be written in March, job offers will be made in April, and training will be organized in May (if required).

Transition Planning

While the Transition Team is doing broad work to prepare for the creation of the DGG, each organization is doing its own internal work to prepare for the transition. This includes tasks such as ensuring proper program documentation, preparing inventories to assist with asset transfers, and preparing program transition briefing notes. Each organization has had a transition planning workshop to identify transition work plans.

Elections

The first DGG council election will take place on June 6, 2016. This will be held under the NWT Local Authorities Elections Act. After Effective Date the DGG can create its own elections law.

The Transition Team is identifying the next steps for the election, with support from the Technical Team and the Chief Municipal Electoral Officer for the NWT. Nominations will be open from April 25 to May 9.

Asset planning

The Charter Community, DLC and DFN all have a number of assets, such as furniture, bank accounts, computers and other equipment, just to name a few examples. Part of the transition work includes developing an asset management system. The system will provide necessary tools for managing the transfer of inventory and ongoing management of DGG assets.

Lands

With the creation of the DGG, the way lands are managed in Deline will also change. For example:

• Commissioner’s Lands within Deline will transfer from the Charter Community to the DGG;
• Sahtu Municipal and Settlement Lands within the Deline District will transfer from the DLC to the DGG and Dene Gha Gok’e rehkw’i (Beneficiaries Board).

Through the DGG, Deline will also gain more authority to manage certain aspects of the land claim within the Deline District.

Changes have been made to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act and the Northwest Territories Waters Act to ensure the DGG has appropriate legal standing and authority to undertake its responsibilities related to lands under the Final Self-Government Agreement.

A workshop was held in October 2015 to begin planning a lands and resources governance structure, and a second workshop was held in February 2016 to review the draft lands law and land management framework.

Stay up to date

The following documents provide updates on the transition planning progress to date.