The City of Yellowknife from Bush Pilots Monument (Photo: Ethan Montague)
City of Yellowknife
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GNWT Taking Over Operation of Emergency Measures in Yellowknife

Connor Pitre
By Connor Pitre

The GNWT will be officially taking over wildfire preparation operations in the City of Yellowknife.

Extensive progress has been made by the City, working with all the contractors who have stepped up to construct the firebreaks, to actively remove vegetation ”fuel” and establish the sprinkler lines.

The fire break to the west of the sandpits is almost complete and is being widened to the 100M+. Sprinklers were being tested yesterday with some adjustments today to ensure continuity, including piped water access. The fire break along Deh Cho Boulevard and around Engle is more than half completed, and additional resources for FireSmarting the city are being sourced.

The GNWT Department of Environment and Climate Change is also putting a fire retardant line down beyond the work that the City is doing for additional protection.

Pursuant to the Territorial State of Local Emergency, the Territorial Emergency Management Organization (EMO) is the official lead on the current wildfire situation. As such, the official channel for the most current information and status updates is the GNWT. The City will share the information provided by the GNWT on its website and social media.

Connor Pitre
Connor Pitre
Born and raised in Central Alberta, Connor Pitre attended the Western Academy Broadcasting College in Saskatchewan, before making his way to the NWT in November of 2021. Since then, he has become a regular staple of the True North FM crew in the News department, and occasionally filling in on the afternoon show.

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