The board of the Northwest Territories Hydro Corporation and the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) has accepted the resignation of Cory Strang, the utility announced Friday, marking another leadership change at the crown corporation that supplies power to most of the territory.
Transition at the top of the territorial utility
Strang, who became NTPC’s president and chief executive officer in November 2021, will continue in the role until Dec. 31 while the board initiates a CEO recruitment process and transition plan.
The announcement noted Strang is the first Indigenous president and CEO from the Northwest Territories to lead the territory’s energy utility. The board said Strang brought extensive experience to the position and an understanding of the territory’s partners and energy potential.
“Have accepted, with regret, the resignation of President and CEO Cory Strang,”
The board also confirmed that recruitment is underway for the position of chief financial officer, following the previously announced retirement of the incumbent.
Long service within NTPC
Strang’s career at NTPC spanned 28 years in a range of financial and regulatory roles, including budgeting, regulatory affairs, risk management and chief financial officer, before his appointment as president and CEO.
NTPC distributes electricity to end-use consumers in 26 of the 33 communities in the Northwest Territories and provides wholesale electricity to two distributing utilities that retail power to customers in Yellowknife and the Hay River area. The corporation’s operations and decisions on leadership affect a wide cross-section of northern residents, many of whom rely on diesel generation and are engaged in discussions about energy transition and local power solutions.
Frequent leadership turnover
Strang is the fourth NTPC chief executive in the past decade. The recent sequence of executives and their tenures includes:
- Noel Voykin — March 2019 to November 2021.
- Cory Strang — November 2021 to Dec. 31, 2026 (resignation announced Aug. 29, 2026).
- Jay Grewal — June 2017 to January 2019.
- Emanuel DaRosa — 2011 to mid-2017.
Several of Strang’s predecessors left NTPC for senior roles elsewhere in the energy sector: Voykin moved to an energy-sector consulting firm in Saskatchewan, Grewal went to lead Manitoba Hydro, and DaRosa accepted the top job with the Jamaica Public Service Company.
| CEO | Term | Next role (where noted) |
|---|---|---|
| Emanuel DaRosa | 2011–mid 2017 | President & CEO, Jamaica Public Service Company |
| Jay Grewal | June 2017–Jan. 2019 | President & CEO, Manitoba Hydro |
| Noel Voykin | March 2019–Nov. 2021 | Innovation in Industry (consulting firm) |
| Cory Strang | Nov. 2021–Dec. 2026 (resignation announced Aug. 29, 2026) | — |
Local significance and practical implications
NTPC’s board stressed Strang’s long service and familiarity with the territory’s energy landscape. Leadership changes at a publicly owned utility carry practical consequences: they set priorities for capital investments, adaptation of diesel-dependent systems, the pace of renewable projects, and how NTPC engages with Indigenous governments, municipal utilities and residents in remote communities.
For residents in communities served by NTPC — and for customers of the two distributing utilities in Yellowknife and the Hay River area — the immediate operational services are expected to continue unchanged during the transition. The board’s statement indicated a planned and managed handover to a new chief executive.
Recruitment for both the CEO and CFO roles presents an opportunity for the territory to influence the utility’s future direction, particularly as jurisdictions across Canada, including the North, face pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to improve energy reliability and affordability in remote communities.
What comes next
The NTPC board has launched a formal recruitment process and transition plan. Until a successor is appointed, Strang will remain in place to oversee the corporation through the end of the year. The timeline for filling the CEO and CFO positions was not specified in the announcement.
As the search proceeds, communities and stakeholders will be watching for clarity on NTPC’s priorities on infrastructure, diesel reliance, Indigenous partnerships and the pace of renewable energy development across the territory.
Strang is Métis and was born and raised in Hay River. The board’s acceptance of his resignation concludes a chapter of long service within NTPC and begins a period of change at the helm of a key territorial institution.
