N.W.T. delays territorial election to November over wildfire safety concerns

The body that runs elections in the Northwest Territories says an election scheduled for October has been delayed for six weeks because of wildfires.

In a release, Elections NWT says territorial leaders made the move after a special legislative session that decided to send territorial residents to the polls on Nov. 14.

The territory had been scheduled to go to the polls on Oct. 3.

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But because of massive evacuations in several communities and general safety concerns, the N.W.T.’s chief electoral officer had suggested that be pushed until November.

The legislature also pushed forward a $75-million special assessment for firefighting in the territory, an amount that dwarfs its average budget of about $20 million.

Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek says the extra spending is going to put a serious dent in the N.W.T.’s public finances.