Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2026

Summary#

Bill 35 is a housekeeping bill that makes small, technical fixes to several Northwest Territories laws. Its main change is to repeal a pandemic-era law about extending legal time limits. The broad goal is to correct wording, update cross-references, and improve clarity in both English and French.

Key changes:

• Repeals the Temporary Variation of Statutory Time Periods (COVID-19 Pandemic Measures) Act.
• Fixes incorrect cross-references in the Elections and Plebiscites Act, Forest Act, Legal Aid Act, Medical Profession Act, and Social Work Profession Act.
• Clarifies that nurses licensed under the Nursing Profession Act are included as “health care professionals” in the Evidence Act.
• Corrects typos and wording in the Health Information Act, Residential Tenancies Act (changes “notice to terminate” to “a notice of termination”), and the Union of Northern Workers Act (“by-laws” to “bylaws”).
• Improves French wording in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Implementation Act (using “énoncé de compatibilité” instead of “énoncé de comptabilité”).

What it means for you#

• General public:

  • This bill is mostly technical. You are unlikely to see direct changes in daily life.
  • The repeal of the COVID-19 time-periods law ends special pandemic-era authority to vary legal deadlines. This could mean government processes and statutory deadlines follow the normal timelines set in other laws, without pandemic flexibility.

• Tenants and landlords:

  • The Residential Tenancies Act wording changes from “notice to terminate” to “a notice of termination.” This appears to be a wording cleanup, not a change in rights or process.

• Nurses and health professionals:

  • The Evidence Act now clearly recognizes nurses who are entitled to practice under the Nursing Profession Act as “health care professionals.” This likely keeps existing practice clear in court and evidence matters.

• Indigenous governments and communities:

  • The French text of the UNDRIP Implementation Act now refers to a “statement of compatibility” (énoncé de compatibilité). This clarifies the intended meaning in French; no policy change is stated.

• Public servants, lawyers, and boards/tribunals:

  • Corrected cross-references and spellings reduce confusion when applying the laws. Forms, guidance, and websites may be updated to match the new wording.

• Voters and union members:

  • Elections and Plebiscites Act and Union of Northern Workers Act changes are spelling/cross-reference fixes. No change to voting or union rights is indicated.

• Timing:

  • What is unclear: The provided text does not show when the changes start.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

• The bill appears intended to clean up statutes by fixing typos, outdated references, and inconsistent wording, which could reduce errors and confusion.
• Aligning the Evidence Act with current nursing licensing law helps ensure legal definitions match real-world professional standards.
• Repealing the pandemic time-periods law could be seen as removing an emergency measure that is no longer needed, returning timelines to normal.
• Improving French terminology (e.g., “compatibilité”) and standardizing English terms (“bylaws”) could improve clarity and consistency across languages.

Opponents' View#

• One concern is that repealing the COVID-19 time-periods law may remove flexibility some people or agencies still rely on for meeting legal deadlines; the bill does not explain any transition.
• Minor wording shifts (such as in tenancy notices) can sometimes have unintended legal effects until courts or tribunals clarify them.
• It is unclear when the changes take effect, which may cause short-term confusion in applying the updated wording.
• The bill does not provide detail on communication or guidance to help the public and practitioners adjust to the edits.