Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories in the 2019 election.^[2] He represented the electoral district of Yellowknife North.^[3][4]

Rylund Johnson MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories
In office October 1, 2019 – November 14, 2023
Preceded by	Cory Vanthuyne
Succeeded by	Shauna Morgan
Constituency	Yellowknife North
Personal details
Born	Summerland, British Columbia
Political party	Green (federal)[1]
Residence(s)	Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Occupation	Lawyer

Political positions

Johnson is a member of the federal Green Party, describing himself as a part of the "millenial green wave addressing political apathy."^[1] He proposed that the Northwest Territories Power Corporation bring in revenue through district heating, which would therefore reduce greenhouse gas emissions.^[5]

Johnson is an advocate for drug decriminalization following similar actions in the city of Vancouver.^[6] Johnson also supports a system of guaranteed basic income and advocated for the implementation of such a system with fellow Frame Lake MLA Kevin O'Reilly.^[7]

Personal life

Johnson worked as a lawyer and as a co-founder of Makerspace YK, a nonprofit.^[8] He was formerly an admin for the BDSM workshop group Northern Bound.^[9]

Johnson was the target of parody in a YouTube video titled "The Greatest Speech Never Heard in the NWT Legislative Assembly," which was originally shared on the Dehcho First Nations Facebook page and subsequently acknowledged by him.^[10]

When he was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, he lived on a houseboat named the Scandimaniac, which also is the name of his podcast.^[11] Johnson moved to the Northwest Territories in 2015.^[12]