In Enterprise, N.W.T., hope new administrator will 'reset' rebuilding hamlet

In Enterprise, N.W.T., some are hopeful a new government-appointed administrator will be able to help the hamlet rebuild after 2023's devastating fire and the tumultuous years that have followed.

Enterprise was placed under administration on Wednesday when the territorial government appointed former Inuvik SAO Grant Hood as public administrator, dismissing the mayor and council.

Municipal and Community Affairs Minister Vince McKay cited "governance, financial, and operational challenges" as reason for the order.

Much of Enterprise was destroyed in a forest fire which tore through the community in 2023, and there have been many disruptions in leadership since.

Tammy Neal lost her home in the fire, and has been living in her business by the Deh Cho Bridge — about 130-kilometres away — ever since. She said she is happy the hamlet has been placed under administration.

She feels that since the fire, there has been"infighting" on hamlet council, and wants to see the community refocus on rebuilding.

"I'm hoping that they'll be able to get Enterprise back on track," Neal said.

Evellyn Coleman was also feeling hopeful about the change, saying she believed it could be a "reset" for the still traumatized community.

"I think that when, when things like this happen, like I said earlier, everybody's affected. Your council is affected, people that are away, people that are here, are all affected," she said.

Coleman's husband has served on the hamlet council. She said she believes the councillors did a good job considering all the challenges they have faced and what they have gone through, but thinks they have struggled to find direction as they try to lead the rebuilding.

Former resident Winnie Cadieux, who lost her home in the fire and hasn't been able to rebuild, also supports the apointment of the administrator.

She said the community could use someone with some distance from the events of the last couple years to "look at all sides and help us move forward."

But now nearly two years after she lost her home, Cadieux worries nothing will change. Cadieux didn't have insurance, and hasn't gotten any financial help to rebuild on her property. She said it's left her feeling let down by municipal, territorial, and federal governments.

"It's just that it's been such a roller coaster since the evacuation," she said.

She hopes the administrator commits to bringing back residents who were displaced.

"I would like to see him work with the people of Enterprise, whether they are living there or not, to get a good sense of what the community had been before the fire. To understand that, you know, we were a vibrant, independent community of, of the region," she said.

"I would like to see the administrator understand that and believe in that."