The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has announced the names for buildings in Fort Simpson, Inuvik and Yellowknife.
NWT residents submitted 89 suggestions for names for each building between February 20 – April 10, 2019. These suggestions were reviewed by the NWT Honours Advisory Council, who submitted their recommendations to Premier Robert R. McLeod which were accepted in July 2019.
“I would like to thank all residents who took the time to submit a nomination and the NWT Honours Advistory Council for their thoughtful recommendations,” Caroline Cochrane, Premier of the Northwest Territories said. “These GNWT owned office buildings have been named to reflect the culture, heritage and history of the communities where they are located. These three new names tell an important part of each community’s story and will serve as a lasting reminder for all residents and visitors.”
The office building in Fort Simpson at 9902 – 98th Avenue has been named the Chief Baptiste Cazon Building to honour the respected Fort Simpson Elder and Chief of the Łíídlįį Kų́ę́ First Nation from 1955 to 1974.
The office building at 106 Veteran’s Way in Inuvik has been named the Kigiaq Centre. This name, meaning “Beaver Centre”, and honours the traditional Inuvialuktun name for the area around Inuvik, Kigiaqvik, or “place of beavers.”
The building located at 5015 – 49th Street in Yellowknife has been named the Tatsaotı̨̀ne Building. The name means “copper people” and is one of the traditional names the Yellowknives Dene use for themselves in the Yellowknife dialect of Chipewyan/Dënesųłiné.
The naming of GNWT owned office buildings is guided by the Guidelines for Selecting Names for Government of the Northwest Territories Owned Office Buildings. Under the Guidelines, Cabinet acceptance is required to name a government-owned office building.
Consideration is given to names that reflect the historical, cultural and geographic significance of the Northwest Territories and to names that honour deceased persons who have made significant contributions to public life.
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