On June 23, the N.W.T government was officially approved by the Gwich'in Land and Water Board to operate the Tsiigehtchic ferry landing, after its previous licence expired in November. The department said the timing of the licence approval wasn't responsible for the delay in the ferry's opening — that was caused by high water levels. The average opening date for the ferry over the last 15 years has been May 30. This year, it was open on and off from June 13 until June 21, and has remained open since then, according to the Department of Infrastructure's Twitter account. Lawrence Norbert of Tsiigehtchic told CBC News in mid-June that he and other residents were getting concerned when the ferry connecting the hamlet to other communities had still not opened. Their fears were around access to medical supplies and services.