John Havelock Parker

Who is John Havelock Parker?

John Havelock Parker, OC was Commissioner of the Canadian Northwest Territories from April 15, 1979 to July 31, 1989. He had previously been Deputy Commissioner of Northwest Territories from 1967 to 1979.

From 1959 until 1963 he sat on the Yellowknife council. In 1963 he became the mayor of Yellowknife, which he held until February 1967. While serving as mayor he was appointed to the Carrothers Commission which led to the formation of responsible government in the Northwest Territories and later the division that led to Nunavut.

His later work helped in defining the border between the NWT and Nunavut and his name was given to a protrusion known as Parker's Notch.

In 1986, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for his "significant contributions to the evolution and development both of the municipal government of Yellowknife and of the territorial government".

He has 6 grandchildren: Alyssa and Michael Duke; Graeme, Nigel, Victoria, and Alyson Parker.