Back to Search

Friday, August 16, 2024 marks the one-year anniversary of the evacuation and the City of Yellowknife (City) understands that this may stir many difficult memories and feelings for residents and businesses. The City wishes to take this opportunity to recognize the strength and resiliency of our community. 

Since the evacuation, City staff, Mayor and Council have been working hard to advance the City’s emergency preparedness planning. As weather conditions and local air quality continue to fluctuate, residents can be assured that the safety and well-being of residents remain a top priority for the City. In a continued effort to improve our strategies for preparing for and managing emergencies, several actions have been taken to allow the City to effectively navigate the current and future wildfire seasons.

Preparations for wildfire season:

  • An After Action Assessment was conducted based on the City’s emergency response to the 2023 wildfire season.
  • In alignment with the final report from the After Action Assessment and the 2024 NWT Emergency Plan, the City is updating its Community Emergency Plan and is developing Evacuation and Communications Plans, which will be available on the City’s website once finalized.
  • Detailed wildfire content was added to the City’s website to ensure residents can easily access information on the current wildfire status and how to get prepared. 
  • The City continues to collaborate with local partners, municipalities and the territorial government to ensure processes are aligned and resources are identified and utilized.
  • The City has improved the capacity of our Emergency Operations Centre and Emergency preparedness training has been given to City staff.
  • Free home and property fire risk assessments remain available to residents until fall 2024 and will be made available each year during wildfire season. 
  • The City has been working with contractors to remove the piles of vegetation that were generated during creation of the fuel breaks in 2023.

The City would like to thank all community members for their patience, cooperation and contributions during the 2023 wildfire season, as well as the feedback provided to help shape our emergency response tactics moving forward.

Information on the current wildfire season can be found of the City’s website.