| Regions of the Northwest Territories | |
| Category: | Territory |
| Territory: | Northwest Territories |
| Current Number: | 5 |
| Population Range: | 2,073 (Dehcho Region) — 23,144 (North Slave Region) |
| Government: | Administrative region |
| Subdivision: | Municipalities |
The Canadian territory of the Northwest Territories is subdivided into administrative regions in different ways for various purposes.
The Government of the Northwest Territory's Department of Municipal and Community Affairs divides the territory into five regions. Other services have adopted similar divisions for administrative purposes, making these the de facto regions of the territory. These divisions have no government of their own, but the Northwest Territories' government services are decentralized on a regional basis.
Some government departments make slight changes to this arrangement. For example, the Health and Social Services Authority groups Fort Resolution with the North Slave Region, and divides South Slave Region into two regions: Hay River and Fort Smith. The Department of Natural Resources uses the same borders, but calls the Inuvik Region "Beaufort Delta".
| Region | Regional offices(s)[1] | Population (2016) | Map | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dehcho Region | Fort Simpson | 2,073 | ||
| Inuvik Region | 6,372 | |||
| North Slave Region | Yellowknife Behchokǫ̀ (sub-office) | 23,144 | ||
| Sahtu Region | Norman Wells | 2,554 | ||
| Fort Smith Hay River (sub-office) | 7,764 |
Land and self-government treaties with First Nations, Inuvialuit (Inuit), and Métis groups recognise a significant amount of authority for their governments to manage land use within agreed-upon areas. These areas are each much larger than the area fully owned by the indigenous government. Within each of these areas, the indigenous nation has jurisdiction over several areas of law, and land use is effectively co-governed by the territorial government and indigenous government.
A treaty also exists with the Salt River First Nation, but it establishes reserves rather than a joint land use area.
| Jurisdictional area | Region(s) | Indigenous government | Land claims | Self-government | Notes | Map | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acho Dene Koe Territory | Dehcho Region | Acho Dene Koe First Nation | An agreement-in-principle was signed 5 February 2014. | Self-government discussions are in early stages. | Land claimed includes land in the NWT, Yukon, and British Columbia. The NWT portion is in the southwest of the province, surrounding the hamlet of Fort Liard. | ||
| Akaitcho Territory | North Slave and South Slave Regions | Akaitcho Territory Government | A comprehensive agreement is in discussion | North Slave Region east of Wekʼèezhìı and the eastern half of South Slave Region. The southern part of the region is in Treaty 8 territory, and the northern part is known as Chief Drygeese Territory. North Slave Métis Alliance also has claim to the area. The eastern portion of the land overlaps with claims by the Ghotelnene K’odtineh Dene. | |||
| Colville Lake District | Sahtu Region | Behdzi Ahda' First Nation | Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (1993) | In negotiation. | Part of the K'ahsho Got'ine District of the Sahtu Settlement Region. | ||
| Dehcho Region | Dehcho Region | Dehcho First Nations | none | In negotiation | Lands claimed approximate the Dehcho Region, although the Kaʼaʼgee Tu Band claims land farther east. The claim overlaps the Acho Dene Koe Territory in the southwest and overlaps with Katlʼodeeche Gotʼi Ndee in the east. | ||
| Délįnę District | Sahtu Region | Délı̨nę Got’ı̨nę Government | Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (1993) | Délįnę Final Self-government Agreement (2014) | Part of the Sahtu Settlement Region. The government took over responsibilities of both the Délı̨nę First Nation and the Délı̨nę community government. | ||
| Fort Good Hope District | Sahtu Region | K’ahsho Got’ine Community Council (Fort Good Hope First Nation) | Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (1993) | In negotiation. | Part of the K'ahsho Got'ine District of the Sahtu Settlement Region. | ||
| Gwichʼin Settlement Area | Inuvik Region | Gwichʼin Tribal Council----Nihtat Gwichʼin (Inuvik) | Gwichʼin Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (1992) | Gwichʼin Tribal Council is negotiating a self-government agreement for all of Gwichʼin except the Nihtat Gwichʼin in Inuvik, which is negotiating its own agreement. | The communities of Aklavik and Inuvik fall under both this region and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. Overlaps with land claimed by First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun, which is based in Yukon. | ||
| Inuvialuit Settlement Region | Inuvik Region | Inuvialuit Regional Corporation[2] | Inuvialuit Final Agreement (1984) | In negotiation. | Area covered by the agreement extends into Yukon. It borders the Gwichʼin Settlement Area and the communities of Aklavik and Inuvik fall under both land claims[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] | ||
| Katlʼodeeche Gotʼi Ndee | South Slave Region | Kʼatlodeeche First Nation | Organized in reserves under the Indian Act. | South of Great Slave Lake. Its western boundary is approximately 50 km west of Highway 1, and its eastern boundary is approximately halfway through Wood Buffalo National Park. Its claimed land slightly overlaps in the west with claims by the Kaʼaʼgee Tu Band of the Dehcho First Nations. Half of its population lives in Hay River Reserve. | |||
| Norman Wells District | Sahtu Region | Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got’įnę Government | Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (1993) | Signed, awaiting ratification. | Part of the Tulita District of the Sahtu Settlement Region. | ||
| South Slave Metis Region | South Slave Region | NWT Metis Nation | an agreement-in-principle has been signed | in early stages. | Located in the South Slave Region, with current Metis councils based in Hay River, Fort Smith, and Fort Resolution. It claims two cabin sites that overlap with land claims made by Kʼatlodeeche First Nation. | ||
| Tłı̨chǫ Ndé | North Slave Region | Tłı̨chǫ Government | Tłįchǫ Land Claims and Self-government Agreement (2003) | Comprises the western half of North Slave Region, excluding the city of Yellowknife. Lands directly owned by the Tłįchǫ government are one continuous block in the centre of the region. The region is also called Wekʼèezhìı for the purpose of the water board. | |||
| Tulita District | Sahtu Region | Yamoria Community Secretariat / Tulita Dene First Nation | Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (1993) | In negotiation. | Part of the Tulita District of the Sahtu Settlement Region. | ||
Statistics Canada divides the territory into six census divisions. These areas exist solely for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government of their own. They are listed below with their most populous municipality on the right:
Prior to the 2011 census, there were two census divisions. The former census division of Inuvik was considerably larger than the administrative region of the same name.
Prior to the division of the NWT and the creation of Nunavut in 1999, there were five census divisions. Their boundaries were altered somewhat as part of the adjustment.