News

Waahli is bringing new music from Soap Club Volume 1, his upcoming album to the Folk On The Rocks festival this summer in Yellowknife. The artist says performing songs from the new album live is a musically transformative experience. “In the show, there's a lot of things that could change and playing with a live band as well is there's the flexibility of creating changes."

Liidlii Kue and Fort Simpson community officials say while winds are working in favour of wildfire response, FS016 remains active around the Wildrose and Nogha Heights area, especially behind the subdivisions. Community officials say they are working on plans to shuttle community members and non-emergency personnel who remain behind to Yellowknife. Hundreds of community members have evacuated Liidlii Kue First Nation and Fort Simpson following evacuation orders issued June 28 due to FS016.

Swimming restrictions at the main beach area of Fred Henne Territorial Park have been lifted as of Saturday. Territorial officials say follow-up testing now shows levels of bacteria within health guidelines. On July 2, a pubic advisory was issued restricting swimming and water use, as a precautionary measure after elevated levels of bacteria were detected, including E-coli. 

“Highway 1 is now open to traffic but only to south bound headed vehicles,” read a message from the village of Fort Simpson’s Command team Saturday afternoon after Friday's shelter-in-place order was lifted. Wildland and community officials are closely monitoring what they say is a "dynamic situation" with a potential wind shift anticipated.

Environmental groups and coastal First Nations say a major economic agreement announced this week between British Columbia and the federal government protects the North Coast tanker ban, but leaves new concerns about a possible southern oil pipeline route.

The Village of Fort Simpson reported that at approximately 7:00 pm last night wildfire FS016, which caused the evacuation order for the community earlier this week, burned around the tank farm at the Wrigley turnoff.

Housing NWT says modular homes, constructed as five duplex buildings, valued at $150 million are scheduled to arrive in Ulukhaktok in early August. The units were loaded onto a Marine Transportation Services vessel to depart Hay River on July 6. The housing units will make a journey across the Great Slave Lake, down the Mackenzie River to the Arctic Ocean, over a distance of more than 2,200 kilometres.

NWT Fire reported last evening that only two new fires had been identified in the territory.

The territorial government says water testing is underway after recent findings of bacteria, including E. coli recently detected at Fred Henne Territorial Park. Public swimming, wading and shoreline play at the main beach area have been temporarily restricted in the meantime.