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[00:00:04]

AND I'LL CALL OUR GOVERNANCE AND PRIORITIES COMMITTEE MEETING FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 14TH, 2023 TO ORDER.

[1. Opening Statement]

WE DID JUST READ THE OPENING STATEMENTS IN OUR COUNCIL MEETING.

AND NEXT WE HAVE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA.

[2. Approval of the Agenda.]

SO WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO TABLE ITEMS FOUR, FIVE AND SIX TO A FUTURE G.P.C.

AND WE WILL ADD AN AGENDA ITEM WHICH IS AN UPDATE REGARDING THE FOREST FIRES.

SO WITH THAT, ANYTHING FURTHER? SEEING NONE. NEXT, WE HAVE DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST IN THE GENERAL NATURE THEREOF.

NOBODY'S GOT A PECUNIARY INTEREST IN FOREST FIRES.

THANK YOU. AND MS.

[Additional Item*]

BASSI-KELLETT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO YOU FOR THE 2023 WILDFIRE SEASON UPDATE.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MADAM CHAIR, AND THANK YOU, COUNCILLORS.

OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS A VERY, VERY PRESSING ISSUE FOR THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES AND FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND CERTAINLY AT THE CITY.

WE HAVE BEEN WORKING NONSTOP SINCE, I'D SAY AUGUST 1ST, WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH GNWT AND OUR OTHER PARTNERS ON MANY FRONTS ON THIS.

SO WHAT I WANTED TO DO TODAY IS PROVIDE AN UPDATE AND AN OVERVIEW OF CURRENT STATUS AND WHERE THINGS ARE AT, PARTICULARLY FOCUSING ON THE WORK THAT THE CITY HAS BEEN DOING.

SO JUST TO STEP BACK A LITTLE BIT, WE ALL REMEMBER EXCEEDINGLY CLEARLY THAT SINCE MAY, IT'S BEEN A VERY, VERY ACTIVE SEASON FOR FOREST FIRES IN THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES.

IN MID-MAY, WE THE CITY.

SORRY, EXCUSE ME. YELLOWKNIFE BECAME THE WELCOMING CENTER.

WE WERE THE RECEPTION CENTER FOR EVACUEES FROM HAY RIVER AND K'ATL'ODEECHE, DURING A TIME OF ENORMOUS STRESS FOR THE COMMUNITY IN MID-MAY.

AND THEY WERE ABLE TO RETURN HOME AFTER THE MAY LONG WEEKEND, WHICH WAS GOOD NEWS, OF COURSE, WITH SOME SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE ON THE RESERVE, BUT OTHERWISE THINGS INTACT.

WE WELCOME SOME EVACUEES FROM WEKWEETI AS WELL, SMALLER NUMBER OF PEOPLE, BECAUSE MANY CHOSE TO GO TO BEHCHOKǪ̀ AND THAT WAS OVER THE JULY LONG WEEKEND.

AND THEN, OF COURSE, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT EVACUATION OF BEHCHOKǪ̀ IN LATE JULY, AND WE WERE HOSTING PEOPLE FROM BEHCHOKǪ̀ AND FROM RAY AND FROM EDZO JULY 24TH UNTIL AUGUST 3RD.

NOW, BECAUSE IT'S BEEN SO DRY, OF COURSE, THERE HAS BEEN A FIRE BAN IN PLACE.

THE FIRE CHIEF HAS IMPLEMENTED THAT ON JULY 12TH.

THAT HAS NOT LIFTED.

THAT REMAINS IN PLACE FOR WITHIN MUNICIPAL BOUNDARIES.

AND SO THERE ARE SOME VERY CLEAR PARAMETERS AROUND THAT.

OF COURSE, THAT HAS BEEN COMPLEMENTED BY THE EXTRAORDINARY ACTION THAT THE GNWT HAS TAKEN UNDER THE FORESTRY ACT TO PUT IN THE FIRE BAN ACROSS THE NWT.

AND THAT'S BEEN, OH GOSH, I THINK THE PAST THREE WEEKS NOW THAT THAT'S BEEN IN PLACE.

SO WILDLAND FIRES, THIS HAS BEEN OUR MOST INTENSE WILDFIRE SEASON ON RECORD.

AND SO IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT AFTER A YEAR OF RECORD HIGH WATER, OF RELENTLESS RAIN, IT SEEMED FOR THE PAST 2 OR 3 SEASONS, HIGH WATER LAST YEAR, LOW WATER THIS YEAR WE ARE DEFINITELY FEELING THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS THAT ARE EXACERBATING WHAT'S GOING ON FOR WILDFIRE SEASON.

EXCUSE ME. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING COLLABORATIVELY, VERY CLOSELY WITH MACA, WITH THE NORTH SLAVE REGIONAL EMERGENCY MEASURES ORGANIZATION THAT'S COORDINATED BY GNWT, MACA, AND WE'VE HAD A VERY, VERY GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE AS NORTH SLAVE OFFICE, WHERE THEY ARE MANAGING THE FIRE WILDLAND FIRE RESPONSE FOR THE NORTH SLAVE.

WE HAVE REGULAR MEETINGS WITH THEM AND JUST HAD ONE JUST MOMENTS AGO.

AT THE CITY, OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS COMMITTEE HAS BEEN MEETING DAILY SINCE JULY 25TH.

WE ALWAYS MEET WHEN THERE IS AN EVACUATION, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN WE ARE A RECEPTION CENTER FOR OTHER COMMUNITIES.

THAT'S A LEVEL ONE, LEVEL TWO AND LEVEL THREE.

WE RAMP UP AS THERE IS MORE PARTICULAR POTENTIAL FOR THREAT TO YELLOWKNIFE.

SO REALLY WE HAVE BEEN DOING A LOT OF PROACTIVE WILDFIRE PROTECTION BASED ON THE RISK, BASED ON CURRENT CONDITIONS.

WE'VE DEVELOPED OUR PLAN WITH THE EXPERT ADVICE FROM THE ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE WILDLAND FIRE EXPERTS.

WE DEVELOPED THE PLAN, THEY REVIEWED IT, THEY ENDORSED IT.

THEY SAID WE WERE ON THE RIGHT TRACK.

AND SO WE'VE BEEN FOLLOWING THAT VERY CLOSELY.

SO THIS IS WHAT OUR PLAN LOOKS LIKE.

AND I'M JUST GOING TO FOCUS SINCE I'VE GOT A BIT OF A ZOOM IN ON THE NEXT SLIDE.

BUT WHAT YOU CAN SEE HERE IS THE YELLOWY ORANGE LINES ARE FIREBREAKS, THE RED LINES ARE SPRINKLERS.

AND SO THIS IS THE FOCUS OF OUR WORK.

AND JUST TO GIVE YOU THE SENSE OF SCALE FOR KILOMETERS, I WILL MOVE AHEAD TO WHERE WE ZOOM IN ON THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE.

SO WHAT YOU CAN SEE HERE IS THAT WE'RE PRIORITIZING THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIREBREAKS, 100 METER WIDE FIREBREAKS.

THERE IS THE FIRST ONE IS ON THE TOP LEFT SECTION.

THERE IS A TRAIL THAT GOES DOWN TO THE WEST OF THE SAND PITS.

[00:05:01]

WE'VE BEEN WORKING VERY PROACTIVELY ON THAT SINCE THE AUGUST LONG WEEKEND OF BUILDING A 100 METER WIDE FIREBREAK AT THAT POINT IN TIME, WHICH AS WELL THEN WILL BE COMPLEMENTED WITH SPRINKLERING ON THE EASTERN SIDE SO THAT WE CAN SATURATE GROUND THERE IN THE EVENT THAT FIRE IS COMING.

THE OTHER AREA THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR US IS, OF COURSE, TO PUT AN ENTIRE FIREBREAK AROUND ENGLE.

IT'S OUR INDUSTRIAL AREA.

THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL FOR HIGH RISK.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO MITIGATE ALL OF THAT WITH FIREBREAK.

WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON A FIREBREAK AS WELL ON THE SEWAGE LAGOON ROAD, WHICH IS THE MORE OR LESS HORIZONTAL ROAD THAT GOES OFF ON THE MIDDLE OF THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE PAGE. THAT, OF COURSE, THE SEWAGE FORCE MAIN RUNS ALONG THE NORTHERN SIDE OF THAT.

WE HAVE TO BE EXCEEDINGLY CAREFUL WITH THAT.

WE DO NOT WANT TO HAVE SEWAGE ISSUE MUCH AS THAT WOULD ADD MOISTURE TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

THAT'S NOT THE KIND OF MOISTURE WE'RE LOOKING FOR.

AND OF COURSE THE TOP THEN AREA IS DECHO BOULEVARD.

THAT IS A NATURAL FIREBREAK IN MANY WAYS ITSELF.

BUT WE'RE WORKING TO EXPAND THAT AREA AND TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE TAKING DOWN THE FUEL THAT IS ALONG THOSE AREAS AS WELL.

THE RED AREAS ARE OF COURSE SPRINKLERING.

SO THE AREAS BEHIND GRACE LAKE AND UP BEHIND ENTERPRISE DRIVE AND CAM LAKE, THAT IS PRIORITIES FOR US TO BE ESTABLISHING AND IMPLEMENTING SPRINKLERS THAT ARE GOING TO BE POSITIONED SHOULD WE HAVE RISK IN THAT AREA.

LITTLE LESS OF A RISK THERE.

THERE'S MORE ROCK. IT'S A LITTLE BIT FROM THE CURRENT FIRE, A LITTLE BIT OUT OF THE DIRECTION OF THE DIRECT LINE OF FIRE.

IF THERE WERE TO BE A RISK THAT WAS COMING TOWARDS THE CITY.

THESE ARE DEFINITELY AREAS THAT WE SEE THE PRIORITY FOR GETTING THE SPRINKLERS SET UP.

SO JUST TO SPEAK TO THIS AGAIN, FIREBREAKS ARE PRIORITY AREAS FOR THE 100 METER.

FIREBREAKS ARE THE BUSH TRAIL WEST OF THE SAND PITS, PUTTING A PERIMETER AROUND THE ENGLE BUSINESS DISTRICT WORKING ON DECHO BOULEVARD FROM THAT UNDEVELOPED AREA. ONCE YOU GET THROUGH CAM LAKE, RIGHT UP TO THE SAND PITS AND THE SEWAGE LAGOON ROAD, OF COURSE, THROUGH ENGLE TO FIDDLER LAKE.

A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO NORTHLAND UTILITIES.

THEY PROVIDED US WITH SOME OF THE AERIAL PHOTOS, BUT THIS GIVES AN EXAMPLE OF THE WORK THAT'S CURRENTLY UNDERWAY AT THE FIRE PITS THAT'S BEEN UNDERWAY SINCE THE MONDAY OF THE LONG WEEKEND.

WE ARE EXCEEDINGLY APPRECIATIVE OF THE CONTRACTORS THAT HAVE COME OUT.

SO WE IDENTIFIED CONTRACTORS THAT HAVE THE KIND OF EQUIPMENT THAT IS REQUIRED TO DO THIS WORK ON THE FRIDAY BEFORE THE LONG WEEKEND, WE WERE IN EXTENSIVE MEETINGS WITH ECC ON WHAT OUR PLAN WAS ON THE SATURDAY OF THE LONG WEEKEND, AND ON SUNDAY WE CALLED A MEETING OF THE HEAVY EQUIPMENT CONTRACTORS IN TOWN WHO WERE AVAILABLE TO COME OUT TO LOOK AT GETTING THE WORK UNDERWAY.

AND SO PEOPLE GAVE UP THEIR LONG WEEKENDS.

HUGE SHOUT OUT TO NWT CONSTRUCTION TO BREAKAWAY DRILLING TO ARCTIC FARMER.

I'M GOING TO FORGET JMS HAVE BEEN FANTASTIC IN THIS AS WELL AND A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO BRAVE ENTERPRISES OUT OF HAY RIVER WHO HAVE BROUGHT THEIR MULCHING EQUIPMENT UP TO YELLOWKNIFE AS WELL IN THE FACE OF SO MUCH PRESSURE THAT THEY'RE FEELING CERTAINLY IN THEIR COMMUNITY.

SO A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO ALL OF THOSE PARTNERS THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH US TO DATE.

MORE PICTURES, AGAIN, COURTESY OF NORTHLAND UTILITIES THAT ARE SHOWING THE WORK THAT'S UNDERWAY OUT BY THE SAND PITS.

SO FIRE SMARTING WORK THEN.

THIS IS A SHOT OF THE SEWAGE LAGOON ROAD, AND THAT'S WHERE WE'VE GOT BREAKAWAY DRILLING IS GOING IN, TAKING DOWN SOME OF THE FUEL THAT'S ALONG THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THAT ROAD.

WE WANT TO GET IT AS WIDE AS WE CAN, UP TO 100M IF WE CAN.

VERY SPECIAL CARE, OF COURSE, TAKEN WITH THE SEWAGE FORCE MAIN.

AND THIS FIRE SMARTING IS BASICALLY THE TERRAIN HERE NEEDS TO BE DONE.

WE CAN'T GET IN WITH THE HEAVY EQUIPMENT HERE.

THE TERRAIN IS SUCH THAT IT'S ROCKY, IT'S BOGGY, IT'S ROCKY, IT'S BOGGY.

SO THIS ROAD THEN REQUIRES THE FIRE SMARTING MORE BY HAND THAN BY MACHINE.

BUT YOU CAN SEE THERE ARE EXCAVATORS IN THERE AND THEY ARE DOING THIS WORK RIGHT NOW.

SO SPRINKLERS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.

SO WE HAVE THE SPRINKLERS THAT HAVE BEEN SET UP BEHIND CAM LAKE.

THEY'RE GOING UP. WE'RE GOING TO MEET THE FULL LENGTH OF CAM LAKE.

WE'RE GETTING THEM SET UP TODAY.

THEY'RE IN BEHIND A MAJORITY OF CAM LAKE AND GRACE LAKE PROPERTIES.

AND AGAIN, ALONG THE FIREBREAK WHERE THE SAND PITS THE TRAIL IS SO THAT WE CAN MOISTEN THE AREA SHOULD WE NEED TO.

THERE ARE SPRINKLERS, THERE ARE PUMPS, THERE ARE HOSES.

THEY'RE POSITIONED APPROXIMATELY EVERY 75 METERS, MORE OR LESS.

EVERY 15 [INAUDIBLE].

OH, MY GOODNESS. LOOK AT THAT.

EVERY 15 METERS.

FORGIVE ME ON THAT ONE. I WAS READING MAPS WRONG.

SO WE'RE USING A COMBINATION OF SPRINKLERS.

CLEARLY, SPRINKLERS ARE A BIG PART OF THE CITY'S OPERATIONS.

WE HAVE SPRINKLER SYSTEMS ACROSS MANY OF OUR PARKS.

FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS A RANGE OF SPRINKLERS AS WELL.

AND WE HAVE TWO RENTED WILDFIRE PUMP TRAILERS THAT HAVE 100 SPRINKLERS EACH THAT WE ORDERED OVER THE LONG WEEKEND IN AUGUST.

THEY'RE ON THE GROUND NOW AND THEY'RE BEING DEPLOYED.

HUGE SHOUT OUT TO THE MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC THAT CALLED IN VERY CONCERNED ABOUT SOMEONE STEALING SPRINKLERS FROM A PARK.

[00:10:02]

IT WAS US. WE WERE TAKING THOSE SPRINKLERS AND PUTTING THEM WHERE THEY NEED TO BE DEPLOYED.

WE ARE WORKING RIGHT NOW AS WELL.

ANOTHER GREAT PARTNER WITH US HAS BEEN CANADIAN DE-WATERING.

THEY'RE LOOKING AT HIGH VOLUME, HIGH SPEED PUMPS THAT WE'D BE ABLE TO UTILIZE TO PUT ON SITE AS WELL TO MAKE SURE THAT WATER GETS OUT WHERE IT NEEDS TO GET OUT.

SO THERE'S BEEN LOTS OF QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS THAT HAVE COME FORWARD ABOUT OUR EVACUATION FRAMEWORK AND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN THE EVENT OF SOMETHING NEEDING TO HAPPEN. SO OUR EMERGENCY PLAN HAS THE EVACUATION FRAMEWORK IN IT.

AND I DO WANT TO EMPHASIZE, I THINK WE GET ASKED A LOT, WHAT'S THE PLAN? WHAT IS THE PLAN? AND THERE IS NOT ONE SINGULAR PLAN.

THAT'S NOT HOW THIS WORKS.

WHAT IT IS, IS WE HAVE A FRAMEWORK THAT WE WOULD DEPLOY BASED ON WHAT IS THE RISK, WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS WE'RE FACING, WHERE IS THE THREAT COMING FROM.

SO IT'S VERY MUCH SITUATIONAL DEPENDENT ON THE CONDITIONS AND RISK.

WHAT WE SEEK TO DO WITH THIS IS THAT WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE THREAT IS, WHAT THE CURRENT CONDITIONS ARE, AND THEN LOOK AT WHAT THE RISK IS.

THEN WE DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT IT'S SAFER FOR PEOPLE TO SHELTER IN PLACE.

DO PEOPLE SHELTER IN THE COMMUNITY SO NOT PERHAPS AT THEIR HOMES, BUT IN ANOTHER PART OF THE COMMUNITY? OR IS THERE A NEED TO EVACUATE.

NOW, IF THIS WERE TO BE THE CASE THAT WE NEEDED TO CONSIDER SOMETHING LIKE THIS BECAUSE OF THE CONDITIONS AND RISK, AN EVACUATION ALERT WOULD GO OUT TO RESIDENTS AND THAT WOULD NOTIFY THAT, YOU KNOW WHAT, THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR RISK TO HAPPEN.

WE WANT PEOPLE TO BE MINDFUL OF THIS.

THERE MIGHT BE A REQUIREMENT.

WE WOULD THEN BE WORKING TO CONFIRM WATER EVACUATION RECEPTION CENTER LOCATIONS WOULD BE WHETHER IT'S THE MULTIPLEX WHICH WE HAVE USED, WHICH MEETS THE TEST THAT WE HAVE OF METAL SIDING, METAL ROOF, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT KEEP IT SAFE IN THE CASE OF A WILDFIRE.

WE WOULD CONFIRM OPTIMAL ROUTES TO GET THERE AGAIN BASED ON THE RISK IF THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE NEEDED TO DO AND WE WOULD MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE SITUATED TO BE ABLE TO WELCOME PEOPLE TO THAT LOCATION.

MANY PEOPLE MIGHT IF, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WAS A NEED TO MOVE FROM TO EVACUATE AN AREA OF TOWN, A SPECIFIC AREA, WE MIGHT BE LOOKING TO PEOPLE COMING TO THAT CENTER. THEY MIGHT GO AND STAY WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS THAT WE KNOW PEOPLE WOULD UTILIZE.

IF THE RISK BECAME SUCH THAT WE NEEDED TO SAY, YEAH, YOU KNOW WHAT? IT IS TIME THAT WE NEED YOU TO GET OUT.

WE WOULD ISSUE AN EVACUATION ORDER.

WE WOULD PUT THAT OUT THROUGH MEDIA, THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, THROUGH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PLATFORMS. IF WORSE COMES TO WORST, WE WOULD BE IN NEIGHBORHOODS MUCH LIKE A, YOU KNOW, A VERY SAD VERSION OF AN ICE CREAM TRUCK GOING THROUGH LETTING PEOPLE KNOW THROUGH, YOU KNOW, COMMUNICATION IN THAT WAY.

BUT WE WOULD BE MAKING EVERY EFFORT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE WERE AWARE OF THIS IN THE MOST TIMELY WAY POSSIBLE.

OUR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE TO STAY CONNECTED WITH RELIABLE SOURCES OF INFORMATION.

WHETHER OR NOT IT'S NWT FIRE, THE CITY'S WEBSITE IS PUTTING INFORMATION OUT.

THE CITY'S WEBSITE IS SUPPORTED IN ONTARIO.

WE'VE GOT SOME BACKUP AND REDUNDANCY THERE, WHICH IS GREAT.

WE'LL CONTINUE TO POST INFORMATION IN THAT WAY.

AND SO THAT IS A GOOD SOURCE FOR PEOPLE TO GO TO.

WE'VE BEEN ADVISED BY NORTHWESTEL AS WELL THAT WHILE WE HAVE HAD CONCERNS ABOUT INTERNET AND CABLE AND DIFFERENT THINGS, CELLULAR SERVICE WILL CONTINUE.

IT'S NOT AT RISK AT THIS TIME.

SO THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW.

GOOD TO HAVE YOUR PHONES. GOOD TO HAVE THEM READY AND AVAILABLE.

SO WHAT CAN YELLOWKNIFER'S DO? A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE CALLING AND THEY'RE ASKING ABOUT CERTAIN THINGS.

SO FIRST AND FOREMOST, IT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE ARE FIRE SMARTING THEIR PROPERTIES.

IT'S A REALLY GOOD PRACTICE TO DO.

WE ARE IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS, SO IT'S NOT JUST A MATTER OF, GOSH, I LIVE ON THE WEST SIDE OF TOWN AND THAT'S POTENTIALLY WHERE THIS IS SOMETHING FOR ALL OF US TO BE MINDFUL OF ON THE PROPERTIES THAT WE HAVE.

THE SECOND THING THAT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT IS TO RESPECT THE FIRE BAN.

AND SO THIS THIS IS SOMETHING I DON'T THINK PEOPLE ARE CONNECTING THE DOTS ON AT THIS POINT IN TIME.

SO, FOR EXAMPLE, I WAS WALKING MY DOGS AT THE SAND PITS ON SATURDAY.

THERE WERE A LOT OF DIRT BIKES OUT THERE, AND THAT'S GREAT.

LIKE GO OUT AND DO YOUR THING IN THE SAND PITS.

BUT PEOPLE WERE GOING UP INTO TRAILS AND I STOPPED ONE PERSON AND SAID, HEY, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT COOL BECAUSE THERE'S A FIRE BAN IN PLACE, SPARKS THAT COME OUT.

AND THE PERSON WAS GENUINELY LIKE, OH, I HAD NO IDEA THAT THERE WAS A BAN IN PLACE OR THAT THE SPARKS COULD BE A RISK.

THESE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF.

DON'T GO INTO THE BUSH WITH ANYTHING THAT CAN SPARK THAT CAN INADVERTENTLY SET OFF SOME SORT OF A FIRE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

REALLY IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE STAY INFORMED AND THAT WE'RE GETTING OUR INFORMATION FROM A RELIABLE SOURCE.

IT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IF THERE'S A SENSE OF I HEARD SOMEONE TOLD ME, THESE ARE NOT GOOD, THIS IS NOT GOOD INFORMATION, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S VALID INFORMATION. DON'T LISTEN TO RUMORS.

THESE ARE NOT GOOD THINGS FOR US TO BE FOLLOWING BECAUSE IT CAN BE VERY ALARMING TO PEOPLE.

AND AGAIN, PEOPLE WE ALL HAVE TO STAY CALM.

I MEAN, EMERGENCY SITUATIONS ARE VERY UNNERVING.

WE SAW THE SMOKE YESTERDAY.

PEOPLE WERE FEELING VERY ANXIOUS AROUND THAT.

IT'S STRESSFUL. IT CAN BE CONFUSING.

SO IT'S VERY GOOD AT TIMES WHEN WE FEEL LIKE WE DON'T HAVE CONTROL.

[00:15:03]

PERSONALLY, I FEEL LIKE IT'S ALWAYS GOOD IF WHAT CAN I CONTROL IN MY WORLD? I KNOW I CAN FIRE SMART.

I KNOW THAT I CAN MAKE SURE THAT I'VE GOT A PREPAREDNESS KIT THAT'S READY TO GO FOR MYSELF AND MY FAMILY.

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS.

THERE'S SOME GOOD INFORMATION THAT'S ONLINE AT THE CITY SITE.

GNWT HAS A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION, TOO, ON EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS.

AND OF COURSE, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WWW.GETPREPARED.GC.CA ALWAYS GOOD INFORMATION FOR EVERYBODY TO HAVE.

NOW CURRENT STATUS.

I MEAN, WE'VE SEEN WHAT HAPPENED OVER THE WEEKEND AND WE ARE ALL THINKING OF OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS IN THE SOUTH SLAVE.

IT'S VERY, VERY CONCERNING.

WE KNOW THAT SMOKE HAS BEEN VERY UNNERVING FOR YELLOWKNIFE RESIDENTS AS WELL, AND IT DOES MAKE EVERYBODY A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS AND ANXIOUS.

THE WEATHER CONDITIONS DETERMINE A LOT.

AND BOY, I'VE NEVER SEEN MORE PEOPLE ON THEIR WINDY APP OR THE YR.COM INTERCOM OR ENVIRONMENT CANADA LOOKING AT RAIN, TALKING ABOUT WIND DIRECTION.

WE'VE ALL BECOME, YOU KNOW, ARMCHAIR EXPERTS IN THIS.

WEATHER DOES DETERMINE A LOT.

AND CERTAINLY THE WINDS YESTERDAY REALLY WERE QUITE FRIGHTENING.

IT'S WINDY TODAY.

WE'VE GOT NORTHWEST WINDS COMING AS WELL.

SO WE DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TAKING EVERY PRECAUTION.

SO AT THIS POINT IN TIME, AT THE LATEST INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE FROM THE NORTH SLAVE ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE FOLKS WHO ARE DOING THE WILDLAND FIRE MITIGATION, ALL OF THAT WORK, THERE IS NO RISK TO YELLOWKNIFE, BUT THE SITUATION IS FLUID BASED ON THEIR LATEST UPDATE, WHICH IS THAT THERE WAS A BREACH.

WE HEARD ABOUT THIS YESTERDAY WHERE THERE WAS SOME CONCERN AROUND THE THE ZF015.

THE BEHCHOKǪ̀ FIRE DID BREACH THE RETARDANT LINE THAT HAS BEEN HOLDING QUITE WELL.

THE WINDS WERE PART OF THAT ISSUE THAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY.

THEY ARE DOING A LOT OF WORK RIGHT NOW.

I HAD A MEETING WITH THEM MYSELF, FIRE CHIEF NELSON JOHNSON AND DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY CRAIG MCLEAN, JUST MET WITH THEM JUST BEFORE THIS MEETING.

THEY'RE MONITORING THE BREACH SO THAT THEY'RE WORKING AND DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN SO THAT CONDITIONS CAN BE MITIGATED AT THIS POINT IN TIME.

THEY'RE DOING AERIAL SUPPRESSION WITH WATER BOMBERS AND HELICOPTERS, AND THEY ARE LOOKING AT RETARDANTS AS WELL TO BUILD UP FIRE GUARDS AT BOUNDARY CREEK.

NOW, IF THIS DOES BREACH BOUNDARY CREEK, WHICH IT'S NOW ABOUT FOUR KILOMETERS AWAY FROM, THERE COULD BE AN EVACUATION ORDER FOR THE REST OF HIGHWAY THREE UP TO THE BOUNDARY OF YELLOWKNIFE. SO WE ARE CONTINUING TO WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THEM.

WE ARE WORKING TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN DO WITH OUR SPRINKLERS, WITH OUR FIRE BREAKS ARE IN PLACE.

THEY ARE ON TOP OF THIS WITH ALL OF THE FIRE RETARDANT LINE.

THEY HAVE SUPPORT FROM THE MILITARY THAT WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO US STARTING WEDNESDAY ON OUR FIRE BREAKS.

THEY ARE DOING SIGNIFICANT WORK RIGHT NOW AND HAVE BEEN LOBBYING AND ADVOCATING THAT IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT ALL RESOURCES CAN BE DEPLOYED TO REALLY AGGRESSIVELY ADDRESS THIS, THAT A TERRITORIAL STATE OF EMERGENCY BE DECLARED.

THEY MAY BE LOOKING AT WHAT THAT COULD DO TO ENSURE THAT FULL DEPLOYMENT OF EVERY HELICOPTER, EVERY PLANE THAT HAS THE CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO FIGHT THIS FIRE IS UNDERWAY. AND SO I'M SURE THOSE DISCUSSIONS ARE UNDERWAY WITH GNWT AT THIS POINT IN TIME.

WE'LL WAIT AND SEE WHAT THEIR PROGNOSIS IS AND HOW THEY'RE APPROACHING IT.

BUT IN THE MEANTIME, WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WITH THE FIRE BREAKS, THE SPRINKLERS.

WE'RE LOOKING AT PROTECTING YELLOWKNIFE WITH THE HANDS ON SUPPORT OF ECC.

THEY'RE THE ONES WITH THE FOAM, THE FIRE RETARDANT.

THEY'RE THE ONES THAT UTILIZE SERVICES OF SOME OF THE GEL RETARDANT THAT WAS PUT ON HOUSES IN BEHCHOKǪ̀.

THEY'VE GOT THOSE CONTRACTORS THAT THEY HAVE AVAILABLE.

THERE ARE A LOT OF MOVING PIECES TO THIS, BUT THERE IS A LOT OF MITIGATION UNDERWAY AT THIS TIME.

SO ON THAT NOTE, I WILL END THIS UPDATE FOR COUNCIL RIGHT NOW AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS THAT MYSELF, FIRE CHIEF JOHNSON, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY CRAIG MCLEAN, OR ANYONE ELSE CAN ANSWER.

AGAIN, WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT FOCUSING ON WHAT IT IS THAT THE CITY CAN DO AS WE WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS AT ECC.

ONE LAST THING I DO WANT TO ADD.

WE'VE HAD SOME CALLS AT OUR FRONT DESK.

OUR ADMINISTRATION DESK HAS TAKEN CALLS TODAY FROM PEOPLE.

LOTS OF FOLKS YELLOWKNIVERS ARE OUT OF TOWN ON HOLIDAYS AND THEY'RE WONDERING, GEE, SHOULD I COME HOME OR NOT? AND AT THIS POINT, OUR ADVICE IS IT'S UP TO PEOPLE TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS ON THIS.

WE WANT PEOPLE TO FOLLOW WHAT THE ADVICE IS, GAUGE WHAT THEY BELIEVE IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE COURSE OF ACTION FOR THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES.

WE DO WANT PEOPLE TO BE SAFE.

WE DO WANT PEOPLE TO NOT TAKE RISKS ON THE HIGHWAY.

WE DO WANT PEOPLE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE MAKING EDUCATED DECISIONS.

SO UPDATES DO COME REGULARLY ON WHAT THE STATE OF THE HIGHWAY IS.

AND WE ARE, OF COURSE, WORKING TO DO EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN WITHIN THE CITY TO BE MITIGATING AND TO BE PREPARING IN THE EVENT THAT IN THE REMOTE EVENT THAT SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. AND A BIG THANKS TO YOURSELF, THE TEAM, THE ECC, ALL THE FIREFIGHTERS, CONTRACTORS.

THE LIST GOES ON.

THE MEDIA FOR ALL THEIR DILIGENT REPORTING RESIDENTS, FOR ALL THAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING.

[00:20:03]

I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF ANXIETY.

AND I THINK AT LEAST EVEN FOR MYSELF, YOU KNOW, YOU READ THE CABIN RADIO AND WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE SOUTH SLAVE AND YOUR YOUR HEART GOES OUT TO PEOPLE.

YOUR STOMACH DROPS AT THIS.

AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE BEING SO TAKING SO MANY STEPS IN REGARDS TO THIS PREVENTATIVE.

AND THE SITUATION IS FLUID.

AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE SAY THAT THE CITY IS NOT CURRENTLY UNDER THREAT, THAT'S NOT A CASE OF US JUST KICKING UP OUR FEET AND RELAXING.

IT'S A CASE OF DILIGENTLY, HOUR BY HOUR, MINUTE BY MINUTE MONITORING THOSE WINDS AND TAKING EXTRA ACTIONS IF ANYTHING NEEDS TO CHANGE.

IT'S PUTTING ALL THAT ENERGY INTO THE FIREBREAKS.

I DID JUST TALK TO THE PREMIER AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT GETTING ALL OF THE HELICOPTERS TO BE VOLUNTARILY REDEPLOYED AND IF NOT TAKING THE NEXT STEPS. AND THEN FOR OURSELVES AS WELL, AND GIANT MINE WITH THEIR HEAVY EQUIPMENT HOPEFULLY CAN ALSO COME AND HELP AND ALSO DISCUSS THAT WITH HER AND THE NEED FOR THE FEDS AND THE GNWT TO WORK TOGETHER ON THAT, BUT I'LL PAUSE THAT THERE AND SEE IF THERE'S QUESTIONS.

COUNCILOR PAYNE.

NO, NO QUESTIONS.

JUST A COMMENT.

I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN DOING.

I KNOW THAT YOU'RE BURNING THE CANDLE AT BOTH ENDS RIGHT NOW.

IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC TO NOT PANIC RIGHT NOW.

WE'VE SEEN SOME PANIC BEHAVIOR OF GIGANTIC LINEUPS AT THE GAS PUMPS.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE A BEER STRIKE WHEN A BEER STORE OPENS AGAIN, LIKE EVERYBODY'S LINED UP TO GET THEIR BREWS.

BUT I'M VERY CONFIDENT IN THE WORK THAT THE CITY HAS BEEN DOING.

AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S UP TO US UP HERE TO KEEP THAT MESSAGE GOING THAT, YOU KNOW, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO KEEP A CALM HEAD.

AND THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN CHARGE OF THIS HAVE A LOT MORE KNOWLEDGE ON FIRE SUPPRESSION AND HOW TO KEEP US SAFE THAN WHAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC DOES.

SO MY HAT'S OFF TO EVERYBODY THAT'S BEEN PLAYING A PART OF THIS, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE CONTRACTORS THAT HAVE COME OUT AND MY HEARTS ALSO OUT TO THE SOUTH SLAVE. AND HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, THE DAMAGE IS MINIMIZED DOWN THERE AND PEOPLE CAN SOON GET ON WITH LIFE AGAIN.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DEPUTY MAYOR ARDEN-SMITH.

THANK YOU.

FIRST OFF, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO SHEILA AND THE TEAM.

AND I KNOW THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE ON THIS TEAM TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CITY IS SAFE.

MY QUESTION IS, IT'S A WHAT IF QUESTION AND IT'S BASICALLY IT'S ABOUT COUNCIL AND IT'S ABOUT BECAUSE WE'RE ALREADY SEEING WHERE COMMUNICATIONS HAVE BROKEN DOWN.

WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN IF WE AS CITY DO NOT HAVE ANY METHOD OF OF COMMS TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER WHETHER IT'S CELL PHONE, PHONE, INTERNET.

WHAT DO WE DO THEN FOR FOR OUR RESIDENTS? YEAH, DEFINITELY A BIG EVERYTHING COLLAPSED AT ONCE SCENARIO BECAUSE EVEN IN THE SOUTH SLAVE I WAS RECEIVING TEXTS FROM FOLKS YESTERDAY AND THIS MORNING.

AND WE DO IN OUR EMERGENCY PLAN IT'S NOT PUBLIC THAT PART OF IT BUT WE HAVE EVERYBODY'S HOME ADDRESS.

AND SO IF WE DO NEED TO CALL AN EMERGENCY MEETING, IT WOULD BE GOING DOOR TO DOOR TO GET FOLKS AWARE AND HERE TO CITY HALL.

BUT MS. BASSI-KELLETT, IF YOU CAN TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE REDUNDANCIES THAT THE CITY HAS AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S IF ALL ELSE FAILS, THERE IS ALSO WHAT FORT SMITH AND EVEN NOT EVEN IF ALL ELSE FAILS, BUT FORT SMITH, BOUNDARY CREEK, THEY WERE SEEING GOING DOOR TO DOOR, HAVING THE SIRENS GOING.

SO A LOT OF OLD SCHOOL SOLID TECHNOLOGY CAN STILL EXIST IF THE FIBER LINE GETS CUT.

MS. BASSI-KELLETT, THANKS VERY MUCH.

YES, IT'S KIND OF IRONIC THAT SINCE COVID, WE'VE DRIVEN SO MUCH ONLINE, BUT THERE MAY BE A VERY MUCH A NEED THAT IF WE CAN'T RELY ON WHAT'S VIRTUAL, THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE OTHER ALTERNATIVES.

I DO WANT TO STRESS AGAIN, WE'VE GOT THE ABILITY WITH OUR WEBSITE TO KEEP IT UP TO DATE.

IT'S NOT POSITIONED OR HOUSED OR BASED OR ANYTHING HERE.

WE WILL BE ABLE TO KEEP THAT UP TO DATE.

WE WILL, OF COURSE, WE'VE BEEN ASSURED THAT CELL SERVICE CONTINUES.

WE'VE SEEN THAT THAT CELLULAR SERVICE OVER YESTERDAY BETWEEN YELLOWKNIFE AND HAY RIVER WAS CONTINUING ON EVEN WITH ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WERE HAPPENING.

SO WE DO HOLD THOSE TRUE.

IN THE EVENT THAT THAT DIDN'T, WE WOULD NEED TO THEN HAVE SOME SCENARIOS WHERE WE'D BE ALERTING THE PUBLIC THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WOULD BE COMMUNICATION LOCATIONS AND WHETHER OR NOT WE WERE POSTING BIG UPDATES, TAPING THEM INTO THE FRONT WINDOWS OF CITY HALL, THE MULTIPLEX, OTHER PLACES AROUND TOWN, SO THAT THERE ARE COMMUNICATION UPDATES.

IF THERE WAS SOMETHING WHERE IT WAS A MATTER OF GETTING INFORMATION OUT THAT WAS IMPORTANT BUT NOT URGENT.

[00:25:01]

IF THERE WAS URGENT, THEN WE WOULD BE MAKING SURE THAT WE WERE FINDING A WAY TO ALERT EVERYBODY.

THE EVACUATION ALERTING SYSTEM ON CELL PHONES IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT AND WE WOULD LOOK TO MAKING SURE THAT THAT IS A WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN REACH OUT TO EVERYBODY.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

AND I DON'T ASK THIS QUESTION JUST TO MAKE PEOPLE PANIC.

IT'S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I'VE HEARD LOTS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IFS.

SO I ASK THIS ONLY SO THAT THE INFORMATION CAN BE BROUGHT OUT TO THE COMMUNITY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE, LIKE MADAM MAYOR SAID, WE HAVE REDUNDANCIES FOR, YOU KNOW, THE HUGE WHAT IF ON THAT NOTE, I REALLY DO WANT RESIDENTS TO BE AWARE THAT WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE POSSIBLY CAN.

WE'RE NOT JUST SITTING UP HERE ON OUR LAURELS.

WE'RE ACTIVELY MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE UP TO DATE ON THE INFORMATION THAT WE'RE SENDING IT OUT TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS, PUTTING IT ON OUR PLATFORMS. YOU KNOW, THIS IS HOME FOR ALL OF US.

SO WE'RE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT AND.

YEAH, IT'S SCARY TIMES, BUT WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.

AND YEAH, MY HEART GOES OUT TO EVERYONE IN THE SOUTH SLAVE.

I'VE GOT FAMILY AND FRIENDS WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO LOOK OUT FOR TO SEE IF THEY'VE MADE IT OUT.

SO IT HAS BEEN SCARY ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, SO I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT IT IS LIKE FOR OTHER PEOPLE.

SO JUST.

YELLOWKNIFE BE.

BE YELLOWKNIFE IS ALL I CAN SAY IS, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN TIME AND AGAIN HOW WE HAVE STUCK TOGETHER, HOW WE HAVE HELPED ONE ANOTHER OUT.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO DO. AGAIN, WE GOT TO HUNKER DOWN.

WE GOT TO HELP OUR FELLOW MAN AND GET THROUGH THIS.

THAT'S HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET OUT OF THIS HORRIFIC SUMMER SEASON.

MERCI. THANK YOU.

MY COMPUTER SAYS TOMORROW WE MIGHT HAVE A NEAR RECORD LOW FOR TEMPERATURE.

THAT WOULD BE GREAT IF IT WAS FREEZING COLD.

COUNCILLOR COCHRANE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, MADAM CHAIR.

I ALSO WANT TO ECHO THE SENTIMENTS HOW MUCH I DO APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS THAT OUR TEAM IS PUTTING INTO ASSURING THE SAFETY OF OUR CITY AND OUR JURISDICTIONAL PARTNERS IS THAT WITH THAT AS WELL. I ALSO DO WANT TO ECHO THE DEPUTY MAYOR HERE IN SAYING OUR HEART DOES GO OUT NOT ONLY TO THE SOUTH SLAVE, BUT ALL THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED DOWN THE INGRAM TRAIL AS WELL. PUTTING YOUR PROPERTY IN A SITUATION AS OF NOW IS INCREDIBLY STRESSFUL AND I JUST WANT THEM TO KNOW THAT THEIR COMMUNITY AND THEIR NEIGHBORS ARE HERE FOR THEM.

I DO ALSO WANT TO GET IT OUT THERE THAT THERE'S A LOT OF DISINFORMATION RUNNING RAMPANT THROUGH THE RUMOR MILLS.

PLEASE USE OFFICIAL RESOURCES SUCH AS OUR WEBSITE, OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND THE GNWT.

WHEN LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON THE SITUATION, DO NOT JUST GO AND TALK AROUND THE WATER COOLER ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON.

THAT'S NOT GOING TO HELP YOU.

THERE IS A LOT OF OFFICIAL RESOURCES THAT HAVE THE CORRECT INFORMATION.

PLEASE UTILIZE THEM.

MY ONE QUESTION IN THIS MATTER THOUGH, IF CONTRACTORS WITH HEAVY EQUIPMENT HAVE AVAILABILITY OF ASSETS THAT COULD ASSIST OUR EFFORTS IN FIRE SMARTING, WHO WOULD YOU SUGGEST THEY CONTACT? MS. BASSI-KELLETT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THEY CAN REACH OUT TO FIRE CHIEF NELSON JOHNSON, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY, CRAIG MCLEAN OR MYSELF.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

AND THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILLOR MCLENNAN.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

YEAH, EVERYONE HAS BEEN PRETTY ELOQUENT, SO I'LL JUST ECHO WHAT EVERYONE SAYS.

THINKING ABOUT THE SOUTH SLAVE.

I'M GLAD THERE'S STILL NO TERRIBLE NEWS COMING OUT FROM THERE.

YEAH.

AND JUST ECHO AGAIN FOR EVERYONE TO STAY CALM AND LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER, CHECK ON YOUR NEIGHBORS, SEE HOW THEY'RE DOING, CHECK ON YOUR FRIENDS.

USE RELIABLE NEWS SOURCES.

THE CITY G.N.W.T., N.W.T.

FIRE HAS BEEN GREAT WITH THEIR COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION.

THERE'S LIKELY TO BE SOME MORE SMOKE BLOWING INTO THE COMMUNITY THIS AFTERNOON, BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN WE ARE AT RISK.

WE HAVE A LOT OF RESOURCES ON ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT ALL OVER IT AND DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN.

IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS, FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO ANY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND WE'LL DO OUR BEST TO HAVE A CHAT AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.

YEAH. WISHING EVERYONE A GREAT AFTERNOON.

AND YEAH, THINKING ABOUT EVERYONE IN THE SOUTH SLAVE AND WISHING EVERYONE A SAFE DAY.

THANK YOU. I'D ALSO PLUG THE FIELD HOUSE IS STILL FREE, SO I KNOW FOR ME WHEN ANXIETY AND STRESS IT'S A GOOD REMINDER TO GET OUT.

GO FOR A WALK.

THAT'S A GREAT WAY WITH CLEAN ENERGY OR CLEAN AIR.

AND THERE'S ALSO THE PLAYGROUND THERE, SO GO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT FREE ASSET.

COUNCILLOR FEQUET.

THANKS, MADAM MAYOR.

YEAH. IN ADDITION TO EVERYTHING EVERYBODY ELSE HAS SAID, I'M JUST CURIOUS TO STAFF.

SO IF THE TERRITORY WERE TO DECLARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY, ARE WE AWARE OF HOW THAT MIGHT CHANGE OUR INVOLVEMENT WITH THE EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER OR THE

[00:30:04]

COMMUNICATIONS? OR ARE THERE ANY IMPLICATIONS THAT WE'RE AWARE OF FOR OUR INVOLVEMENT OR HOW THAT MIGHT AFFECT RESIDENTS OF YELLOWKNIFE? MOSTLY THE TERRITORIAL OR LOCAL DECLARED STATE OF EMERGENCY IS YOU'RE LOOKING TO ACCESS ONE OF YOUR POWERS.

AND SO FOR THEM, IT'S.

YEAH. FORCING EVERYBODY TO BE ONTO THE ONE PROJECT.

FORCING MAYBE ISN'T THE RIGHT WORD, BUT MS. BASSI-KELLETT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

IT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION AND I THINK CERTAINLY HOW THE HIERARCHY OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE WORKS THERE ARE LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND CERTAINLY IN THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACT IT DOES LOOK AT LOCAL COMMUNITY GOVERNMENTS, TERRITORIAL AND THEN REGIONAL AND EXCUSE ME, LOCAL, REGIONAL AND TERRITORIAL.

WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT AS THE CAPITAL CITY, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF TERRITORIAL RESOURCES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE BEEN THERE'S BEEN OUTREACH DIRECTLY TO US FROM THE HOSPITAL, FROM THE MUSEUM ABOUT WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO TO PROTECT THE RESOURCES AND ASSETS OF THOSE BUILDINGS AND THE CONTENT.

AND SO CERTAINLY WE YELLOWKNIFE FIRE DIVISION, OF COURSE, HAS A MAJOR ROLE TO PLAY IN ANY FIRE WITHIN.

BUT WE CERTAINLY DO LOOK AT THE TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT TO BE THINKING ABOUT SOME OF THOSE TERRITORIAL ASSETS AND MAKING SURE THAT THERE IS A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE SAFE. THANK YOU.

I DID FORGET TO PLUG THE LIBRARY AS WELL FOR A GOOD PLACE TO GO.

AND THEY DO HAVE REALLY GOOD ONLINE RESOURCES FOR I REALLY LIKE CREATIVE BUG.

IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO DO SOMETHING WITH THE KIDS AT HOME OR EVEN PERSONALLY, JUST GET SOME CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING, SO.

COUNCILLOR HENDRICKSEN.

THANK YOU MAYOR ALTY.

EVERYTHING ALL THE OTHER COUNCILLORS HAVE SAID IN TERMS OF THANKS, BUT SPECIFICALLY THANK YOU TO THE CITY MANAGER AND STAFF.

I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ALL INCREDIBLY HARD, PRACTICAL, NUTS AND BOLTS QUESTION THAT I KNOW I'M GOING TO BE ASKED AT SOME POINT.

AS YOU DESCRIBE THE SPRINKLERS AND THE LINES, THE PROTECTIVE LINES IS AT WHAT POINT, IF ANYTHING, IT KEEPS CREEPING, AT WHAT POINT DO THE SPRINKLERS GO ON AND ACTUALLY START WETTING THAT AREA? WHAT ARE THE SORT OF RISK ASSESSMENTS THAT WILL BE GOING THROUGH YOUR BRAINS AS YOU START THINKING THAT ONE THROUGH? BECAUSE I KNOW I'M GOING TO GET ASKED THAT AT SOME JUNCTURE IN THE FUTURE.

THANK YOU. GREAT QUESTION, MS. BASSI-KELLETT. YES, I THINK YOU JUST HAVE TO.

THERE YOU GO. THROUGH OUR INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM OF OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS COMMITTEE.

LORD KNOWS WE HAVE ALL BEEN GEEKING OUT ON THIS.

THIS IS THE LEADERSHIP THAT'S BEEN THERE EVERY DAY WITH THE FIRE CHIEF.

HE IS OUR HEAD OF LOGISTICS.

I WILL ASK HIM IF HE WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THIS.

THANK YOU. SO THE QUESTION IS, IS WHEN DO THE SPRINKLERS GO ON? IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A CALCULATED RISK.

WE DO WANT IT ON BEFORE THE FIRE HITS.

WE WANT IT TO RUN LONG ENOUGH THAT THE FIRE WILL GO THROUGH AND WE WANT IT TO STAY RUNNING AFTER THE FIRE IS GONE.

SO TYPICALLY, IT'S ABOUT 30 MINUTES BEFORE THE FIRE COMES TO THAT AREA.

SO WE MONITOR HOW FAST THE FIRE IS TRAVELING, WHERE IT IS, WHICH WAY THE WINDS ARE GOING.

AND THEN WHEN WE FIGURE IT'S ABOUT THAT HALF HOUR MARK, THAT'S WHEN WE GO AND TURN THE SPRINKLERS ON.

IT WILL GIVE US ENOUGH WETTING.

THE SPRINKLERS RUN 2 TO 4 HOURS ON THE FUEL THAT'S THERE.

SO THAT'S WHY WE KEEP IT GOING.

THE FIRE DOES MOVE FAST, BUT THE RESIDUAL OF THE FLAMES AND STUFF STAY THERE FOR ABOUT A HALF HOUR.

SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING'S WET SO NOTHING CONTINUES TO BURN.

IT MAKES OUR JOBS EASIER.

THANK YOU. THAT'S GREAT.

THANKS FOR THAT INFORMATION BECAUSE I KNOW I'M GOING TO GET ASKED.

SO NOW I CAN JUST FIRE THAT CLIP OVER TO YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT IT'S NOT JUST YOUR AUNT NANCY'S SUGGESTIONS.

THIS IS ALL VERY SCIENCE AND THOUGHT OUT.

AND SO DO APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT GOES INTO THAT.

COUNCILLOR MCGURK.

THANKS. YEAH, EVERYONE HAS SAID SOME LIKE VERY GOOD HEARTFELT THANKS AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE CURRENTLY WORKING OUTSIDE DOING ALL OF THIS WORK AND BRAVING THE ELEMENTS IN THAT SENSE, A BIG THANK YOU.

I WORK OUTSIDE EVERY DAY, ALL DAY, AND I'M FEELING THE EFFECTS RIGHT NOW.

EVEN WEARING A RESPIRATOR OR MASK AS OFTEN AS I CAN.

AND I HOPE YOU ARE ALL, AS I IN MANY OF YOU, WORK ALONGSIDE YOU.

NOT TOO PROUD TO WEAR A MASK.

PLEASE DO. SO THAT'S MY PSA.

[LAUGHTER] YEAH, I THINK THAT PROBABLY ANOTHER FEELING LIKE YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE SITUATION HELPS ME OR OTHER PEOPLE I KNOW. SO A QUESTION FOR ADMINISTRATION IS IF RESIDENTS FEEL LIKE THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO SOMETHING THAT WILL IMPACT OR HELP THE EFFORTS, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT THEY CAN DO? MS. BASSI-KELLETT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

AND THAT'S SO TYPICALLY AWESOME OF YELLOWKNIVERS TO WANT TO HELP OUT.

[00:35:01]

WE'VE HAD QUESTIONS COME IN FROM CONDO CORP OVER THE WEEKEND.

WHAT CAN THEY DO AROUND THEIR PROPERTIES WITH FIRE SMARTING.

WE ABSOLUTELY ENCOURAGE PEOPLE START THEIR FIRE SMART.

THAT'S REALLY GOOD.

IF WE GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE'D LIKE SOME VOLUNTEER SUPPORT AROUND THINGS, WE'LL DEFINITELY PUT THE CALL OUT.

BUT I THINK FOR PEOPLE TO BE PREPARED, STAY CALM, UNDERTAKE THE FIRE SMARTING, MAKE SURE THEY'RE SHARING VALID, TRUTHFUL INFORMATION.

THOSE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS FOR EVERYONE TO BE MINDFUL OF AND DOING RIGHT NOW AND TAKING CARE OF THEMSELVES, AS YOU POINTED OUT, TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SMOKE DOESN'T BECOME TOO PERSONALLY DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE'S PERSONAL HEALTH.

COUNCILLOR WARBURTON ANYTHING FROM YOU? THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.

YEAH, JUST LIKE EVERYONE SAID.

A BIG THANKS TO ALL THE FOLKS.

STARTING TO SEE WHAT'S COMING OUT OF SOUTH SLAVE RIGHT NOW.

AND MY HEART IS REALLY WITH THOSE FOLKS.

SO LET'S YEAH, LET'S KEEP TOGETHER, STAY CALM, AND LET'S HELP OUR NEIGHBORS WHEN THEY ASK.

THANK YOU.

ANYTHING FURTHER.

AGAIN, A BIG THANKS TO TO EVERYBODY.

AGAIN, THE BEST THING IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY IS TO STAY CALM AND STAFF WILL BE CONTINUING TO MONITORING THE SITUATION AND MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENTS IF NEED BE.

PLEASE CHECK RELIABLE SOURCES AND PLEASE ONLY SHARE INFORMATION WHETHER IT'S VERBALLY WITH YOUR FRIENDS AT THE BAR OR ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT COME FROM RELIABLE SOURCES. THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO IS START PERPETUATING THESE RUMORS THAT THEN TAKE STAFF TIME TO SOURCE AND FIND OUT THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY JUST A RUMOR AND THEY'VE JUST WASTED THEIR TIME INSTEAD OF ACTUALLY BEING ABLE TO WORK ON THE EMERGENCY.

SO BEST TO PLEASE JUST USE RELIABLE SOURCES.

WITH THAT, A BIG THANKS AND WE WILL BE ADJOURNED TILL NEXT MONDAY AT 12:05.

AND THANKS AGAIN TO ALL STAFF FOR THEIR WORK.

MOTION TO BE ADJOURNED BY COUNCILLOR FEQUET.

AND DEPUTY MAYOR ARDEN-SMITH.

NOBODY OPPOSED. BOOM.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.