Mackenzie Valley Review Board

Board member bios

Aboriginal land claim organizations nominate half of the board members, and the federal and territorial governments nominate the other half of the board members. The entire board nominates the Chairperson. As the federal minister responsible for the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development appoints all the members to the Review Board.

	Richard Edjericon, Chairperson Richard Ronald Edjericon joined the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board in 2007 and was appointed Chair in 2008 and re-appointed in 2011. Richard was raised by his grandparents Ernest (the late) Mary Madeline Paulette in Fort Resolution until the age of 12 when his mother (the late) Dora Germaine Edjericon finally recovered from tuberculosis and was released from Charles Camsell Hospital in Edmonton, AB in 1974. Richard moved with her to Hay River, NT where he attended Diamond Jenness Secondary High School. He finished high school at Akaitcho Hall in Yellowknife. After obtaining his journeyman carpenter’s certification from Thebacha College in Fort Smith, Richard worked in construction, building everything from houses to highrises for several years. This was valuable experience for the next step in his career, that of Project and Maintenance Coordinator for the NWT Housing Corporation, a position he held until 1995. In that year, he became General Manager to the Yellowknives Dene First Nation Housing Division where he successfully negotiated the first “block funding” agreement with the NWT Housing Corporation to manage all public housing, program delivery and construction. This allowed the Yellowknives to transform their communities by eliminating old buildings and constructing new ones in both N’Dilo and Dettah. A multi-tasker by nature, Richard was elected to the Yellowknives Dene Band Council in 1990, and became Chief in 1999, a position he held until 2003. One of his proudest moments as Chief was when he signed the Akaitcho Treat Entitlement Framework Agreement on July 25, 2000 with Canada in Deninu Kue, exactly 100 years after his great grandfather, Oliver Edjericon, along with Chief Snuff and Chief Drygeese, signed Treaty 8 on behalf of the Chipewyan people, which also took place at Deninu Kue. Another major accomplishment as Chief was when he was able to settle the boundary dispute between Akaitcho Territory and the Tlicho government. Under his leadership, the Political Accord and Interim Measures Agreement with the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories was also signed. Richard’s strong sense of community drives him to volunteer for a number of organizations, including those for minor baseball, hockey, and sending N’dilo/Dettah children to North American Indigenous Games. He has also Chaired Dene Nation and the Akaitcho Assemblies, and the NWT Apprenticeship Board and served on several boards and committees, both locally and nationally. Mr. Edjericon lives in the community of Ndilo, where he still plays old-timer hockey and enjoys watching his four year old grandson grow up.
	Peter Bannon, Board Member (federal nominee) Mr. Peter Bannon has been a board member since May 2009. He was nominated to the Review Board by the federal government. Mr. Peter Bannon has over 30 years experience in environmental management, land claims, self-government and devolution in various locations in the Northwest Territories. He has worked with the Government of the Northwest Territories, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and Environment Canada, where he has held numerous positions including Controller of Water Rights and Technical Advisor to NWT Water Board, Director of Policy for the GNWT Department of Aboriginal and Intergovernmental Affairs and with DIAND, as well as, Executive Director of Devolution with the GWNT. He also participated in the development and implementation of the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, as well as the Northwest Territories Waters Act. Mr. Bannon was also a member of the Environmental Impact Review Board for the Inuvialuit Settlement Region for 12 years. He holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies and an Environmental Engineering Technology Diploma. Mr. Bannon is now retired in Yellowknife and has a part-time consulting business.
	Danny Bayha, Board Member (Sahtu nominee) Danny Bayha has been a board member since October 2000. He was nominated to the Review Board by the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated. Mr. Bayha is a business man from Déline who is fluent in English and North Slavey. He received a red seal journeyman certificate in heavy-duty mechanics in 1989, and completed a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Calgary in 1998. Mr. Bayha owns and operates a general-contracting and auto-repair company in Déline. An active member of his community and a Sahtu beneficiary, Mr. Bayha is currently the assistant fire chief. He has also served as a band councillor, a member of the local education council and a member of the Sahtu Health and Social Services Authority. Mr. Bayha has also used his education and experience to teach pre-trades math and science.
	James Wah-Shee, Board member (Tlicho nominee) A long-time Northern leader, James Wah-shee has been an active participant in the economic and political development of the Northwest Territories for more than forty years. He has filled many roles during this time, all of them influential, including terms as President of the NWT Indian Brotherhood, Chair of the Federation of Natives North of Sixty, and Member of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly where he also served as Deputy Premier. Mr. Wah-shee has executive business experience from his time as President of the Denedeh Development Corporation, and in addition to his Legislative Assembly terms, his experience in governance also comes from serving as the Self-government Negotiator for the Dogrib Treaty 11 Council, now the Tlicho Government. Mr. Wah-shee is Past-president of the NWT Aboriginal Summit, and currently sits on the Board of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. Residing in Yellowknife, he is a Tlicho citizen and a respected Tlicho elder.
	Percy Hardisty, Board Member (Deh Cho) Percy Hardisty served on the Review Board from November 2003 until August 2004 when he took a leave of absence to serve as a Joint Review Panel Member for the Mackenzie Gas Project. After the JRP filed its report at the end of December 2009, Mr. Hardisty returned to his position as a board member for the Review Board. Percy Hardisty was born in Wrigley and went to school in Fort Simpson and Yellowknife. On graduation from Sir John Franklin School in 1971, he enlisted in the armed forces and served for five years. After discharge, Mr. Hardisty worked for various oil companies throughout Alberta. He returned to Fort Simpson in 1983 as the administrator of the residential school and then later worked for Parks Canada. He served two terms as Chief of Wrigley, first in 1985 and then in 2000. He had set up his own business doing seismic slashing after his first term as chief. Mr. Hardisty most recently worked as a fieldworker and counsellor in Fort Simpson for the Fort Providence Residential School Society. He was also the Chair of the Deh Cho Friendship Centre in Fort Simpson.
	Richard Mercredi, Board Member (GNWT nominee) Mr. Richard Mercredi, nominated by the Government of the Northwest Territories, brings diverse and practical experience to the Board. As a Fort Smith resident, Mr. Mercredi worked for Public Works and Services at the GNWT for 38 years in positions of increasing responsibility, including electrician, oil burner mechanic, foreman, project officer, property manager, regional maintenance officer and facility manager before eventually becoming Regional Superintendant for Fort Smith in 2000. He filled this position until his retirement in 2008, managing a budget of several million dollars and a staff of 47. A dedicated community supporter, Mr. Mercredi has served in many volunteer and local community organizations, among them Justice of the Peace, Fort Smith Town Council, Metis Nation of the NWT, Union of Northern Workers shop steward, Fort Smith Hunters and Trapper Association, President of the Fort Smith Ice Fishing Derby, and member of the BQ Caribou Management Board. Mr. Mercredi is equally dedicated to the environment, and has spent many years trapping and living off the land. His unique combination of experience in government and living off the land served him well as the Metis representative on the Wildlife Act Review Committee in 2009. He will bring a valuable perspective on land use and wildlife management practices to the Board based on this experience.
	Rachel Crapeau, Board Member (GNWT nominee) Ms. Rachel Crapeau, nominated by the Government of the Northwest Territories, brings to the Review Board valuable experience from her work in health care, print and broadcast journalism, community resource management and, most recently, environmental monitoring and management. Ms. Crapeau managed the Yellowknives Dene First Nation Land and Environment Department for nine years. While there, she participated in the development of the Cumulative Effects Assessment and Management Framework, the creation of the Independent Environmental Monitoring Agency for the Slave Geological Province and the Bathurst Caribou Monitoring Board, among many other initiatives. Ms. Crapeau is well-versed in the legislation establishing the framework for environmental assessment and monitoring in the NWT. From her experiences as a Certified Nursing Assistant and as both a print and broadcast journalist, Ms. Crapeau retains a keen interest in community health and communications matters. She has worked with youth and elders to help them understand the ramifications of resource development, and her abilities as a tri-lingual translator (Chipewyan, Tlicho and English) served her well during her time as a journalist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Native Press and the Native Communications Society.