Newly elected MLA Richard Edjericon owes N.W.T. Housing Corporation $113K

According to court documents, Richard Edjericon, the newly elected MLA for Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh, comes into office owing the territorial government over $100,000. 

There are no rules preventing a candidate who owes the territorial government money from running to serve in the Legislative Assembly, unlike municipalities.

According to the documents, Edjericon owes the N.W.T. Housing Corporation $113,000 for a defaulted mortgage. 

The mortgage was initially with CIBC back in 1998 for $140,561.82. 

But as of September 2009, Edjericon still owed $125,201.45.

In April 2010, an assignment of judgment was executed, in which CIBC assigned the right to collect the debt to the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

In November 2011, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and Edjericon entered into a written agreement, according to the court documents. This was for the payment of $126,780.65 for the sum of the judgment along with the costs of $5,022.32.

In court documents dated December 2019, the judgment was renewed in the amount of $113,852.24. 

Payments are recorded in the court documents from Dec. 10, 2009 until Dec. 6, 2019. According to the documents no payments have been recorded since. 

Edjericon is the second sitting MLA to owe money to the territorial government. 

Rocky Simpson, MLA for Hay River North, owes the Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation over $1.8 million.

This is for a defaulted $2 million loan back in 2011 for his company Concept Energy. 

CBC News reached out to Edjericon for comment. Edjericon responded by text message, saying that his lawyer would be in touch. 

Although there are no rules preventing someone who owes money to the territorial government to run as an MLA, the subject was discussed in the Chief Electoral Officers' (CEO) report on 2019 election.

The chief electoral officer recommended the standing committee "review and consider an amendment to prevent someone from running for office if that person owed a debt to the government."

The standing committee sought advice from a law clerk who found the amendment could be violation of the charter rights, and the question then became whether that kind of violation could be justified.

In the end, the standing committee did not support pursuing the amendment.