Dene Nation ordered to pay $91K in Yellowknife office rent arrears
Court documents say Dene Nation stopped paying office rent in December 2015
The Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories has ordered the Dene Nation to pay nearly $91,000 it owes in unpaid rent to its former landlord in Yellowknife.
In October, property owner MDC Holdings filed a lawsuit against the Dene Nation, saying it was owed more than $75,000 in rent arrears up to that point. It said the Dene Nation had not paid the rent on the 50th Street office since December 2015.
Shortly after MDC Holdings filed its statement of claim, the Dene Nation paid its rent for the month of June 2016 — about $13,000 — but it did not file a statement of defence or make an appearance in court after being given 25 days to do so.
Late last week, the court ordered the Dene Nation to pay its arrears, plus interest, and the remaining rent to the end of its lease in December.
The Dene Nation has until Dec. 15 to come up with a plan to repay the debt or dispute the matter.
Last month, Dene Nation relocated its Yellowknife office just around the corner to the N.W.T. Communications Centre.
Dene Nation president Bill Erasmus declined to comment.
with files from Curtis Mandeville