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The City of Yellowknife committed to reviewing the actions taken by the City in response to last summer’s extraordinary wildfire season and the emergency response undertaken. 

Through a competitive process, KPMG has been contracted to complete an After Action Assessment to identify best practices demonstrated by the City’s response to the 2023 wildfire season, as well as areas for improvement. The intent is to determine actions that will ensure better preparation for the future, as well as medium to long-term actions needed to strengthen and standardize the emergency response capabilities within the City’s mandate.

The After Action Assessment consists of five phases: Project initiation, document review, engagement, analysis, and reporting. The KPMG team is currently on Phase 2, reviewing documentation. Phase 3, engagement, is expected to take place mid-February until the end of March. This process will include consultations with partners, stakeholders and the public, and will be undertaken under KPMG’s direction through a combination of virtual public forum and in-person focus group discussions.  More information on opportunities to engage will be shared publicly as it gets closer to this phase.

City of Yellowknife is proactively planning for 2024

The City of Yellowknife has been proactively preparing for the potential 2024 wildfire season since fall 2023. The City has been in the process of updating its Emergency Plan, Community Wildfire Prevention Plan with support from the Government of the Northwest Territories Department of Environment and Climate Change, and completing a Community Wildfire Pre-Plan.

The City is committed to sharing information with residents on preparing for potential wildfire risk and emergencies in general through the following channels:

- Emergency Preparedness round table for residents to attend to become more informed about preparing for the summer;

- Collaboration with GNWT’s Department of Municipal and Community Affairs on emergency preparedness planning and communication, including its #BeReady campaign; and

- Updating the City’s website to enhance the information available on all aspects of emergency preparedness for residents.

As these are ready to share, they will roll out to the public this spring.

It is important for residents to take the time to familiarize themselves with emergency preparedness materials and make their own emergency kit. Please understand that each government body plays a unique role in an emergency response, and as such, residents have the responsibility to follow updates regularly. Residents can find more information on emergency preparedness on the Federal Government’s website, the GNWT’s website, and City’s website.

Much of the planning and preparedness actions the City undertakes are collaborative with the GNWT, given respective mandates and resource capacity. The City appreciates the ongoing partnership with GNWT and other partners.