The mayor of Fort Resolution says six people have been laid off and the community’s youth centre isn’t operational because of the hamlet’s money problems.
Louis Balsillie, who is also Chief of the Deninu K’ue First Nation, told MyYellowknifeNow he did not want to comment on the issue as he said all he wanted to say in a March 14th Facebook post. “The hamlet is so broke that we had to lay 6 people off so now some people are talking like it’s my fault that the hamlet doesn’t have money in its bank account,” he stated on Facebook.
“We don’t even have enough to make payday and its pretty stressful because as a chief I try to find jobs for people but at this level here we lay them off.”
In addition to the layoffs, the hamlet’s youth centre is not open because of the money problems Balsillie said. This is bad timing during spring break, he pointed out.
The new mayor says he came across these issues when he took on the role, adding it may take two years to being ‘run properly and efficiency.’
Balsillie says he ended up in the emergency room in Hay River due to a suspected heart attack. “I’m dealing with a lot of stress lately. It’s this new role as mayor that’s got the best of me,” he wrote.
The South Slave hamlet of Fort Resolution has 215 homes and just under 600 residents. The Deninu K’ue First Nation and Fort Resolution Metis Council are also based in the community.
