Lindberg Landing resident found guilty of civil contempt

Lindberg Landing resident found guilty of civil contempt Emily Blake Thursday September 24, 2026 at 9:06pm MT A photo of the gate at the entrance to the Lindberg Landing access road filed in court documents. Share An NWT Supreme Court justice has ordered a leaseholder in Lindberg Landing to pay $2,500 in fines after finding him in civil contempt. The territorial government had sought to have Clinton Leussink found in civil contempt, as well as criminal contempt, for failing to remove all obstructions and interfering with road access to the isolated area in the Dehcho region. Leussink had disputed the contempt claims, arguing the court order was unclear and not supported by law, adding he had taken reasonable steps toward compliance. In a ruling on Thursday, Justice Sheila MacPherson found Leussink had breached the court order without adequate excuse. MacPherson said Leussink’s conduct indicated “a troubling disregard” for the order and court process, and he “may have been unreasonable, self-serving and wrong.” She said, however, that did not rise to the level of criminal contempt – which the GNWT had proposed should result in jail time. Advertisement. Advertisement. “Criminal contempt is reserved for conduct that goes beyond mere non-compliance with a court order,” MacPherson wrote. “It requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt of conduct amounting to a public, open and flagrant challenge to the authority of the court and the administration of justice.” Lindberg Landing pictured on a Google Earth map. The case stems from increasing tensions and conflict dating back several years around access to Lindberg Landing. Following legal action by the GNWT, in August 2025 MacPherson ordered Leussink to remove a gate at the entrance of the main access road off Highway 7. The order also required Leussink to remove signs, recording devices and other obstructions on the road and a smaller connected road. It prohibited anyone from further interfering with access to the area. In making the order, MacPherson found the public is entitled to use the roads and obstruction had prevented Indigenous people in the region from accessing land they have long used to hunt and fish. Advertisement. Advertisement. According to Thursday’s decision, Leussink had removed gate panels and altered some signage but did not remove the gate posts, signs nor some other obstructions. He maintained he did not install the gate, lacked the equipment to remove the posts, and was…