N.W.T. MLA accuses chiefs of 'act of betrayal,' says he won't resign after breaching isolation

The N.W.T. MLA who breached a mandatory self-isolation has fired back at Yellowknife-area chiefs who demanded he resign in a lengthy letter, accusing them of an "act of betrayal."

Steve Norn, the MLA for Tu Nedh-Wiilideh, has been at the centre of a growing controversy since he publicly identified himself as COVID-19 positive and was later discovered to have visited the legislature during his mandatory two-week isolation period.

The letter, obtained by CBCNews and confirmed by Norn, says he was "deeply saddened" by a Tuesday statement authored by Yellowknives Dene First Nation chiefs Edward Sangris and Ernest Betsina and sent to the premier that called for Norn to resign.

"Requesting my resignation through the Premier and not addressing me directly was insulting, degrading and goes against all our Dene laws and values," he writes.

"I will not be resigning."

Chiefs 'promote hate, racism' with comments: letter

Norn said the chiefs' letter has "done nothing but promote hate, racism, death threats and fear," and has led to his family being a target for abuse.

"I have no choice but to respond now publicly for something a simple phone call would have been able to resolve," he writes.

Norn told CBCNews he felt the need to respond to Betsina and Sangris as he had not heard from them"for almost two weeks" before their letter to the premier was sent.

"During this unfortunate situation not once have either of you reached out to me or my family to check on our health and welfare," he writes in the letter.

"I consider your comments an act of betrayal, and the politicization of my family and my own personal health is unbecoming and uncharacteristic of an Indigenous leader, let alone two leaders."

Sangris independently told CBCNews that they had been trying to reach Norn but had been unable to make contact.

No connection established to school outbreaks, Norn says

Norn writes that the chiefs' concerns are "based on rumour, innuendo, and sensational hack journalism." When asked, he did not single out any particular story for criticism.

The letter notes that the chief public health officer has determined no links between Norn and his family and an ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 in Yellowknife schools, which has left roughly 1,000 residents in isolation.

It also alleges that Norn's "personal and family's medical records have been breached and accessed inappropriately more than once by [government] staff."

The Department of Health did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Norn's letter says he has "delayed commenting publicly on my personal health as I have been waiting on facts to ensure no further misinformation, gossip and hate is spread onto my family and myself."

He writes that he has "no doubt that outside political pressure was applied" in their decision to send the letter.

Riding divided

While the chiefs of Ndilo and Dettah have called for Norn's resignation, he said the rest of his constituents are more divided.

"I've got a lot of messages, a lot of support," Norn told CBCNews. "Like, two per cent is fake accounts that are threatening and insulting."

Support for Norn in the 2019 election was strongest in his hometown of Fort Resolution, where the chief of Deninu K First Nation, Louis Balsillie, penned their own letter in support of Norn.

"We do not believe his actions were deliberately negligent, but more of a situation of basic human error in this circumstance," that letter reads, while supporting "reprimand if required."

On Tuesday, MLAs requested a review of Norn's actions by the territory's integrity commissioner, who will rule on any disciplinary action.

On Wednesday, Premier Caroline Cochrane said that is the place for these concerns to be addressed.

"The premier is not responsible for disciplining regular members. That's a responsibility for the house," she said in an interview with CBC's Northbeat.

"I replied to [Yellowknives Dene First Nation] and clarified that it's not my responsibility."

Norn told CBC despite the war of words, he would "always be there for the people of Ndilo and Dettah."

"They're still my constituents and I still need to do my job."

On Thursday morning, the Yellowknives Dene chiefs issued a brief response.

"What has been said has been said," reads a joint statement. "We await the outcome of the integrity commissioner ... on this matter."