Recently elected MLA Richard Edjericon owes NWT Housing Corporation $113K

Key takeaways: 

• There are no laws stopping someone owing the territorial government cash from running for office.
• Richard Edjericon was declared in on Feb. 21 is as the MLA for Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh. 

Richard Edjericon owes the Housing Corporation of NWT money: 

According to court documents, Richard Edjericon, the recently elected MLA for Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh, reaches into office owing to the territorial government over $100,000. 

Unlike cities, no regulations stop a candidate who owes the territorial government cash from heading to serve in the Legislative Assembly.

According to the documents, Edjericon is in debt to the NWT Housing Corporation $113,000 for a defaulted mortgage. 

The mortgage was first with CIBC back in 1998 for $140,561.82. 

But as of September 2009, Edjericon yet owed $125,201.45.

In April 2010, an assignment of the decision was implemented, in which CIBC gave the right to gather the debt to the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

In November 2011, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and Edjericon joined into a written contract, according to the court documents. This was for $126,780.65 for the entire judgment and the fees of $5,022.32.

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The decision was renewed in court documents dated December 2019 for $113,852.24. 

Amounts are registered in the court documents from Dec. 10, 2009, till Dec. 6, 2019. According to the papers, no charges have been reported since. 

Edjericon is the second sitting MLA to owe cash to the territorial government. 

Rocky Simpson, MLA for Hay River North, owes the Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation beyond $1.8 million.

This is for a defaulted $2 million loan back in 2011 for Concept Energy. 

CBC News went out to Edjericon for comment. Edjericon replied by text message, stating that his lawyer would contact him. 

Although there are no laws stopping someone who owes money to the territorial government from operating as an MLA, the matter differed in the Chief Electoral Officers’ (CEO) report on the 2019 election.

Source – cbc.ca