Tina Gargan, Chairperson
Tina was raised in Fort Providence by her maternal grandparents. She spent a lot of her childhood out on the land, which instilled in her strong traditional values and respect for the land. While Dene Zhatie is her second language, she has developed some fluency in it and uses her traditional language as often as she can. Tina takes pride in living a clean, sober and spiritual lifestyle for over 20 years, and modeling healthy parenting for her children.
Tina graduated high school and earned a diploma in Aboriginal Addictions Counselling. She has spent many years in municipal leadership, and has served as President for both the Status of Women Council and the NWT Association of Communities, all of which have prepared her well for the position of Chairperson. Tina is currently employed by the GNWT in community corrections. She is grateful to the DLUPC for considering her for the role of Chairperson, and is looking forward to working with the other Committee members to complete the Dehcho Land Use Plan.
Allen Bouvier, Secretary Treasurer
Dehcho First Nations Representative
Allen Bouvier was born in Fort Providence and graduated from high school in Fort Smith. He loves the land and has made it his career. He was in the second graduating class from the Renewable Resource Technology program in Thebacha College. With this training, he was hired by Renewable Resources Department, GNWT and worked in habitat management and preparing for the transfer of the forest management program from Canada. In 1986, he transferred to Economic Development and Tourism Department, GNWT and took training in renewable resource development in Calgary and helped start various projects in the NWT and Nunavut. When Evergreen Forestry started in the 1990’s, he spent his summers as base manager and in winter, he helped set up and work for the Fort Providence Renewable Resource Management Board. From 2007 to 2015, he was the land and resources manager for Liidlii Kue First Nation. In his spare time, he tracks down historical stories and photographs about Dehcho people and the land.
Herb Norwegian, Vice-Chair
Dehcho First Nations Representative
The Board's responsibility is to guide the development of the plan and ensure proper consultation and communication is occurring with all relevant parties.
In fall 2011, Herb Norwegian was re-appointed to the Dehcho Land Use Planning Committee as one of the two members for Dehcho First Nations. Herb is Vice-Chair of the Committee. He has been involved with Dehcho First Nations governance for over 25 years. He was Vice President of the Dene Nation from 1979 to 1993, and chief for Liidlii Kue First Nation from 1992 to 1997. In July 2012, Herb was again elected Grand Chief of Dehcho First Nations, a position he has held twice before. Herb also served as the assistant negotiator for the Dehcho Process from 1997 until 2003. He has also worked as a consultant with Dehcho First Nations on negotiations, lands and resources made presentations to groups across Canada about the Dehcho Process. Herb is passionate about promoting Dehcho culture and language. Whenever he can, he follows his traditional lifestyle -- hunting, trapping and fishing, and keeping trails open to the Edehzhie (Horn Plateau).
Janet Pound, Director
Government of Canada Representative
Janet arrived in Yellowknife, from Prince Edward Island in the fall of 1986 and began her Federal Government career with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). This lead to a position with Medical Services, Health and Welfare Canada. In 1988, she transferred to Fisheries and Oceans. It was during this time, and as a result of working with both the Great Slave Lake Advisory Board and the Great Bear Lake Management Committee, that she came to embrace the benefits of cooperative and collaborative management approaches. It was also there that she entered the world of Aboriginal Land Claims processes and found the work to be of great importance as well as exciting and rewarding. In 1995 she found her way back to INAC and worked in the Land Negotiation office as Claims Analyst, Land Negotiator and eventually Chief Land Negotiation/Senior Negotiator. In addition to land related negotiations Janet held the position of Federal Negotiator on the Dehcho Process Negotiations, the Gwich’in Self Government Negotiations and the K’atl’odeeche Recognition of Indigenous Rights and Self Determination Discussions. Janet retired from the Federal Government in April of 2020.
Sharing the volunteer workload within her community has always been an important part of Janet’s life. She currently works in this capacity with Civil Air Search and Rescue and Special Olympics NWT.
While retirement provides her with more time with her family and to enjoy boating, fishing and snowmobiling, in December of 2020 she welcomed an opportunity to work with the Dehcho Land Use Planning Committee as the Federal Representative.
Gina Ridgely, Director
Government of the Northwest Territories Representative
Gina Ridgely was appointed as the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) Representative on the Dehcho Land Use Planning Committee in 2021.
Gina has called the north ‘home’ since 2001 when she moved to Inuvik to begin her northern career as an Integrated Management Planner with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Gina spent three years providing support to the Beaufort Sea Integrated Management Planning Initiative. In 2004 Gina moved to Yellowknife and spent the majority of the following decade working for Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada to advance and support the Protected Areas Strategy programme. During her time with the federal government Gina also had the opportunity to work on supporting the development and review of regional land use plans.
In April of 2014 Gina joined the Government of the Northwest Territories Department of Lands where she was the Manager, Sustainability. Since 2019 Gina has been the Director, Land Use and Sustainability with the Department of Environment and Climate Change (formerly Department of Lands).
Outside of work Gina is an active participant in local community theatre. She also enjoys walking her dogs, kayaking and spending time at the family cabin relaxing with her family.