Sep 16, 2024 Governance & Priorities Committee

[1. Opening Statement]

[00:00:03]

AND I'LL CALL OUR GOVERNANCE AND PRIORITIES COMMITTEE MEETING FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2024 TO ORDER.

COUNCILLOR ARDEN-SMITH JUST READ THE OPENING STATEMENT IN OUR LAST OUR TWO SECOND THERE SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING.

NEXT WE HAVE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA.

[2. Approval of the agenda]

THANK YOU. NEXT WE HAVE DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND THE GENERAL NATURE THEREOF.

[3. Disclosure of conflict of interest and the general nature thereof]

IT'S JUST INFORMATION.

SO SEEING NONE.

NEXT WE HAVE A PRESENTATION REGARDING THE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY PLAN.

[4. A presentation regarding the Community Emergency Plan]

OH, SORRY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MADAM CHAIR.

WE'RE VERY PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT THIS TO YOU TODAY.

JOINING US TODAY IS ELIZABETH THOMPSON, OUR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICER, WORKING WITH THE WITH THE CITY THAT'S JOINED US ABOUT A YEAR AGO. TODAY WE'RE GOING TO BE TAKING COUNCIL THROUGH A PRESENTATION THAT WILL HIGHLIGHT MUCH OF THE WORK AND INVESTMENT OF TIME AND ENERGY THAT'S BEEN PUT INTO PREPARING FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SINCE, SINCE LAST SUMMER.

I'M HOPEFUL THAT THIS WILL PROVIDE COUNCIL WITH A MORE COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW MUCH EFFORT AND TIME AND ENERGY OUR TEAM HAS PUT INTO PREPARING YELLOWKNIVERS FOR THE UNFORESEEN. AND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'LL JUST TURN IT OVER TO CRAIG AND ELIZABETH TO WALK US THROUGH THE PRESENTATION.

GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.

WITH ME TODAY THANK YOU TO THE INTRODUCTION FROM MR. VAN DINE. WITH ME TODAY IS ELIZABETH THOMPSON, WHO IS OUR MANAGER OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS.

ELIZABETH DID START WITH US IN JUNE 15TH OF THIS YEAR.

SO SHE'S BEEN WITH US A COUPLE OF MONTHS AND BEEN VERY BUSY AND ACTIVE IN OUR EMERGENCY PLANNING PROCESS SINCE THEN.

WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE A BRIEF SYNOPSIS ON AN UPDATE OF WHERE WE ARE WITH OUR EMERGENCY PLANNING APPROACH FOR THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE.

THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROCESS, JUST NOT FROM THE SUMMER OF LAST YEAR, BUT EVEN PRIOR TO THAT STARTING OFF AT THE END OF 2022 WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR PROGRAM.

OF COURSE, LAST YEAR, WE WERE IMPACTED BY THE NORTH SLAVE WILDFIRE COMPLEX WHICH LED TO A LOT OF IMPOTENCE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLANS THAT WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT TODAY. SO THANKS FOR YOUR TIME IN LISTENING TO US.

SO OUR EMERGENCY PLANNING APPROACH PROVIDES THE VEHICLE FOR BRINGING ALL THE NECESSARY ELEMENTS TOGETHER FOR EFFECTIVE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS WITH THE PEOPLE AND THE RESOURCES THAT ARE REQUIRED TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO IN OUR PRESENTATION, WE HAVE A FEW OBJECTIVES THAT WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT, SUCH AS COMMUNITY PLAN, SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS AND NEXT STAGES, WHICH WILL FOCUS ON THE PRIORITY OF OUR EMERGENCY PLANNING APPROACH.

EXCUSE ME. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE IS TO HAVE AN EFFECTIVE CONTEMPORARY EMERGENCY PLAN AS AN EVERGREEN DOCUMENT THAT CONTINUES TO GROW AND EVOLVE BASED ON THE DEVELOPMENT CHARACTERISTICS AND HAZARDS IN THE COMMUNITY.

THE PROCESS NEVER REALLY ENDS FOR US.

THE EVOLUTION OF THE PLAN AND THE APPROACH IS A CONTINUOUS PROCESS.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MISS THOMPSON NOW WHO WILL TAKE US THROUGH SOME OF THE SPECIFIC DETAILS.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU AND GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE.

SO AS MAYOR AND COUNCIL ARE AWARE, AN AFTER ACTION ASSESSMENT WAS CONDUCTED BY KPMG WITH OUR FINAL REPORT RECEIVED ON JULY 6TH OF THIS YEAR.

THIS PROVIDED AN INDEPENDENT, EVIDENCE BASED REVIEW OF THE CITY'S ACTIONS DURING THE 2023 WILDFIRE SEASON AND THE NORTH SLAVE COMPLEX IN PARTICULAR.

THE KEY FINDINGS FOR EACH OF THE THREE PHASES OF THIS EMERGENCY EVENT WERE DERIVED USING INTERNAL CITY DOCUMENTS, PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION, VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, AND TARGETED STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS.

THE KEY FINDINGS WERE ORGANIZED ACROSS FIVE THEMES AND INCLUDED 19 KEY STRENGTHS DEMONSTRATED BY THE CITY AND OUR SUCCESSES IN MANAGING THE INCIDENT.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO WITHIN THE FINAL REPORT, THERE WERE 26 RECOMMENDATIONS PROVIDED TO ADDRESS THE 35 AREAS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED FOR IMPROVEMENT.

TO SUPPORT THE PRIORITIZATION OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION, THEY WERE ASSESSED AND RANKED BASED ON THE TIME AND EFFORT REQUIRED FOR IMPLEMENTATION, THEIR RELATIVE IMPACT ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION, THE CAPABILITY OF THE CITY ACROSS THE FOUR PHASES OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, AND MAINTAINING LIFE SAFETY.

AS THE KPMG RECOMMENDATIONS ARE BASED ON EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICES THE CITY HAD ACTUALLY ALREADY STARTED 23 OUT OF THE 26 RECOMMENDATIONS PRIOR TO RECEIVING THIS REPORT, WITH EIGHT RECOMMENDATIONS NOW BEING COMPLETE.

[00:05:02]

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO ONE OF THE KEY ITEMS FOR THE CITY TO ADDRESS INTERNALLY WAS A SUBSTANTIAL UPDATE TO OUR EMERGENCY PLAN.

THE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY PLAN IS THE BASE PLAN.

SO IT PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE CITY'S APPROACH TO EMERGENCY OPERATIONS.

YOU CAN THINK OF IT AS THE FRAMEWORK DOCUMENT IN WHICH CONSISTENT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ARE DESCRIBED.

IT IS THE CITY'S PLAN.

SO WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THAT IT FOCUSES ON HOW CITY STAFF WILL REACT TO AND OPERATE IN AN EMERGENCY.

IT'S NOT PROVIDING SPECIFIC GUIDANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS OR FOR GROUPS ON HOW THEY'LL REACT TO AN EMERGENCY EVENT, ALTHOUGH AS PART OF THE OVERALL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK, THEY ARE ENCOURAGED TO BUILD THEIR OWN RESILIENCE AND PERSONAL PREPAREDNESS.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PLAN IS NOT A ONE TIME PROJECT.

WE DON'T INTEND TO JUST PUT IT IN A BINDER AND STICK IT UP ON A SHELF.

ALL OF THE CITY'S EMERGENCY PLANNING DOCUMENTS ARE, QUOTE UNQUOTE, LIVING DOCUMENTS AND ARE THEREFORE ALWAYS UNDERGOING CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT, REVIEW, AND UPDATING.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF HAZARDS WHICH HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO IMPACT THE CITY.

BUT THE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY PLAN LOOKS AT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WITH AN ALL HAZARDS APPROACH.

THIS MEANS WE CAN USE IT IN ANY TYPE OF EMERGENCY.

IT DOESN'T FOCUS ON PREPAREDNESS FOR OR RESPONSE TO ANY SPECIFIC HAZARD TYPE.

THE FOCUS IS ON OVERALL RESILIENCY AND INCIDENT MANAGEMENT.

IN 2024, THE GNWT RELEASED AN UPDATE TO THE TERRITORY WIDE HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND RISK ASSESSMENT, AND THE CITY'S CURRENT HAZARD RISK ASSESSMENT IS CONTAINED IN THE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY PLAN AS WELL.

THE CITY IS CONTEMPLATING A REVIEW OF OUR HAZARD RISK VULNERABILITY IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO THE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY PLAN IS DESIGNED TO MEET LEGISLATED RESPONSIBILITIES AND BEST PRACTICE STANDARDS FOR DIRECTING AND CONTROLLING LOCAL COORDINATION OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO AND RECOVERY FROM A MAJOR EMERGENCY EVENT OR DISASTER.

SO THIS PLAN WAS DEVELOPED WITH SUPPORT FROM MACA, WHILE ALSO CONTEMPLATING A NUMBER OF BEST PRACTICES AND STANDARDS FOR EMERGENCY PLANNING AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO UNDER SECTION TEN OF THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACT, THE CITY IS PROVIDED WITH VARIOUS POWERS RELATING TO EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

IT REQUIRES THE CITY TO ESTABLISH A LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION AND DEVELOP LOCAL EMERGENCY PLANS.

AND THEN FINALLY WE'RE ALSO REQUIRED TO PROVIDE MACA WITH OUR ADOPTED PLAN ONCE IT HAS BEEN FINALIZED.

WE HAVE ACTUALLY PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY TO THE GNWT TO COMPLETE A RED FLAG REVIEW OF BOTH THE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY PLAN AND THE EVACUATION PLAN TO ENSURE THAT THEY MEET THE INTENT OF THE LEGISLATION.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO THE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY PLAN, AS I MENTIONED, IS THE BASE PLAN.

AND THEN UNDERNEATH WE HAVE SUPPORTING PROGRAM DOCUMENTS CRAFTED TO SUPPORT THE PLAN AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL DETAIL.

SO THE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY PLAN PROVIDES THAT OVERARCHING FRAMEWORK.

CONTENT USERS CAN EASILY ACCESS THE NECESSARY ELEMENTS WITHOUT HAVING TO WADE THROUGH INFORMATION THAT'S NOT RELEVANT TO THE CURRENT INCIDENT OR THE CURRENT SITUATION.

FUNCTION SPECIFIC SECONDARY PLANS SUPPORTING OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES ALL FALL UNDER THIS FRAMEWORK AS INTERNAL ORGANIZATIONAL DOCUMENTS, WHICH ARE SPECIFIC TO CERTAIN PROCESSES OR EVENTS.

THESE ITEMS CAN PROVIDE THE TACTICAL STEPS AND GUIDANCE FOR EMPLOYEES, WHILE STILL ALLOWING FOR FLEXIBILITY WITHIN THE OVERALL PROGRAM.

THESE ITEMS ARE STANDALONE DOCUMENTS, BUT THEY ARE SUBJECT TO THE SAME RIGOR AS THE BASE PLAN.

SO IN PARTICULAR, PERIODIC REVIEW, EXERCISE AND REVISION AND THEN ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION AND BEST PRACTICES WILL CONTINUE TO BE DEVELOPED UNDER THAT OVERARCHING FRAMEWORK AS PART OF THE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO ONE OF THOSE DOCUMENTS I MENTIONED WAS THE EVACUATION PLAN.

THE EVACUATION PLAN WAS DEVELOPED THROUGH COLLABORATION WITH GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS BASED ON STANDARD PRACTICES.

AND IT EXPANDS ON THE CITY'S PREVIOUS EVACUATION FRAMEWORK.

THE EVACUATION PLAN PROVIDES CONSIDERATIONS ON MULTIPLE FACTORS AND DECISION POINTS TO ADDRESS BEFORE THE ORDER FOR AN EVACUATION GOES OUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO REENTRY, AND IT'S INTENDED FOR USE DURING THE RESPONSE PHASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO SOME OF THE OTHER ADDITIONAL SUPPORTING COMPANION DOCUMENTS THAT EXIST UNDER THIS EMERGENCY PLAN FRAMEWORK INCLUDE SOME INTERNAL HAZARD AND SITUATION SPECIFIC PROCEDURES AND PLANS, INTERNAL OPERATIONAL GUIDES, AND AN INTERNAL CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN.

AS I MENTIONED, EACH OF THESE ITEMS PROVIDE SPECIFIC STEPS AND GUIDELINES FOR AN ASPECT OF THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, AND THEY CAN ALL BE UPDATED INDEPENDENTLY WHEN IT'S REQUIRED. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

[00:10:05]

CLEAR COMMUNICATION IS A CRITICAL AND CONTINUOUS PROCESS REQUIRED IN ALL PHASES OF AN EMERGENCY BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER.

THE CITY COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY CONTEMPLATES PROVIDING PUBLIC INFORMATION.

AS I SAID BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER AN EMERGENCY, AS WELL AS ENSURING THAT COMMUNICATIONS TO THE PUBLIC ARE CLEAR, ACCESSIBLE, INFORMATIVE AND TIMELY.

IN 2024, SEVERAL IMPROVEMENTS WERE MADE TO THE CITY'S WEBSITE FOR EASE AND CLARITY OF PROVIDING EMERGENCY INFORMATION TO RESIDENTS.

SO SIGNIFICANT COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION HAS OCCURRED BETWEEN STAKEHOLDERS TO IMPROVE THE COMMUNICATION FUNCTION.

AND JUST TO CLARIFY COMMUNICATION ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES, AUTHORITIES AND THE CAPACITIES OF ALL PARTNERS.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AND UPDATING OF THE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY PLAN AND ALL OF THOSE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS I MENTIONED IS A CRITICAL PART OF THE PROCESS TO PREVENT, MITIGATE, PREPARE, RESPOND TO AND RECOVER FROM AN EMERGENCY.

SO ALL THE PHASES THAT YOU SEE IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

GATHERING, REVIEWING, ASSESSING FEEDBACK FROM STAKEHOLDERS ALLOWS THE CITY TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE AND REFINE EXISTING PLANS TO ENSURE ADDITIONAL DATA OR INFORMATION IS CAPTURED AND UPDATED. THE CITY DOES UNDERSTAND THERE WILL BE OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT FROM ALL INFORMATION SOURCES AVAILABLE.

FUTURE PLANNING REQUIRES LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORT FROM ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT.

FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT THE LEADERSHIP FROM CITY COUNCIL WILL BE INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING CREATE FUTURE RESILIENCY.

I WILL PASS THIS BACK OVER TO MR. MCLEAN FOR THE NEXT SLIDE.

THANK YOU, MISS THOMPSON.

GREAT JOB. SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO WHAT ARE OUR NEXT STEPS THEN.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT DOING.

SO WITH THE EMERGENCY PLAN DEVELOPED THE CITY CAN NOW MOVE FORWARD TOWARDS SYSTEMATICALLY.

EXCUSE ME. EXERCISING THE COMPONENTS AND ENGAGING WITH FUTURE ENGAGEMENT WITH STAKEHOLDERS TO MAKE IT MORE SUCCESSFUL.

SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS MORE ON IS PERSONAL PREPAREDNESS.

AND THAT IS THE KEY TO ANY TYPE OF EMERGENCY, IS MAKING SURE RESIDENTS KNOW AND UNDERSTAND HOW THEY CAN PREPARE THEMSELVES, HOW BUSINESSES CAN PREPARE THEMSELVES, HOW USER GROUPS CAN PREPARE THEMSELVES.

THE CITY HAS A ROLE TO PLAY IN THAT WITH PROVIDING INFORMATION AND ENGAGEMENT.

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EXERCISING ENSURES THE PLAN AND THOSE COMPONENTS THAT WE SPEAK TO ARE FEASIBLE AND MEET THE NEEDS FOR THE CITY.

AND THE PRINCIPLE OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT CAN'T BE OVERSTATED HERE.

IT'S CRITICAL TO THE OVERALL QUALITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PLAN.

WE EXERCISE THE COMPONENTS, WE LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE IT.

WE WRITE PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES WHERE THERE'S GAPS AND DIRECTION NEEDED ON HOW PEOPLE ARE ANTICIPATED TO ACT, HOW THEY ACTUALLY DO ACT.

AND THAT PROCESS IS GOING TO BE ONGOING FOR US.

AND A MAIN FOCUS OF OUR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS MANAGER.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO THANKS TODAY FOR ALLOWING US TO PRESENT TO YOU AND WE'LL OPEN IT UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS WANT TO STAY THERE OR TAKE A SEAT.

YOUR PREFERENCE.

SO. OKAY.

OPENING IT UP TO QUESTIONS.

DEPUTY MAYOR COCHRANE. THANK YOU SO MUCH, YOUR WORSHIP.

I JUST WANT TO THANK DIRECTOR MCLEAN, MISS THOMPSON, AND THE ENTIRETY OF THE ADMINISTRATION FOR ALL THE WORK THAT'S BEEN GOING IN ON THIS.

I KNOW HOW WE HAVE PUT A REPORT ON THIS, AND I KNOW HOW SERIOUSLY WE HAVE TAKEN THIS AND ALL THE WORK THAT IS GOING IN AND ALL THE WORK THAT IS STILL TO COME.

AND I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU GUYS ARE DOING HERE.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

AND I FORGOT TO MENTION I KNOW STAFF WERE DOING A FEW CHANGES BASED ON MACAS FEEDBACK OVER THE WEEKEND, AND THE DOCUMENT WILL BE POSTED SHORTLY FOR RESIDENTS.

WE ARE HOPING TO HAVE IT OUT THIS AFTERNOON.

PERFECT. I JUST WANT TO, FOR THOSE LISTENING AT HOME.

COUNCILLOR FEQUET.

THANKS, MADAM CHAIR.

THANKS, GUYS. THIS IS GREAT TO SEE THIS UPDATE.

THANKFULLY WE DIDN'T REALLY NEED TO USE IT THIS YEAR, AND HOPEFULLY NOT FOR A LONG TIME.

BUT THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HARD WORK YOU GUYS ARE PUTTING IN.

A FEW QUESTIONS.

ONE AND SORRY, I'M JUST HAVE BOTH OF THE PLANS IN MY BRAIN RIGHT NOW.

THE EMERGENCY EVACUATION, AND THEN THE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY PLAN.

THERE WAS A LIST OF EXTERNAL BODIES.

AND I JUST NOTICED THAT THE SCHOOL BODIES ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THERE, AND I JUST I WASN'T SURE IF WE HAD HAD ANY CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM.

I KNOW THAT THE SCHOOLS HAVE THEIR OWN SAFE SCHOOL PLANS THAT DO NOT CONSIDER COMMUNITY EMERGENCIES, AND THEY ALSO OBVIOUSLY HAVE FACILITIES THAT MIGHT NEED TO BE LEVERAGED,

[00:15:06]

SO MOSTLY JUST AN OBSERVATION OR A QUESTION.

DID WE TALK TO THE SCHOOLS AND SHOULD THEY BE LISTED UNDER OUR TABLE OF ALL THE EXTERNAL FOLKS THAT WE HAVE AGREEMENTS IN PLACE WITH? AND IF IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS, THAT'S TOTALLY FINE TOO.

I SEE THEM IN THE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY PLAN, BUT.

MADAM CHAIR, IF YOU CAN DIRECT THEM DIRECTLY TO MR. MCLEAN. MR. MCLEAN? YEAH, THANKS FOR PICKING UP ON THAT.

DEFINITELY, OUR SCHOOL BOARDS ARE PART OF THE PLANNING PROCESS.

I DON'T KNOW SPECIFICALLY WHERE IT'S REFERRING THAT YOU'RE SPEAKING TO IN THE DOCUMENT.

I'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THAT.

I CAN SAY THAT WE HAVE MET WITH YK1 SCHOOL BOARD OVER PRIOR, I GUESS PRIOR TO THE START OF WILDFIRE SEASON TO DISCUSS SOME OF THEIR BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING AND SOME OF OUR CONTINGENCY PLANNING WITH THEM, THAT RIGHT NOW IS THE ONLY BOARD THAT WE'VE HAD COMMUNICATIONS WITH NOT BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T WE RECOGNIZE THE NEED TO MEET WITH ALL BOARDS. IT'S JUST THAT'S THE ONLY ONE WE'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS FORMALLY SO FAR.

THANK YOU. THANKS.

AND JUST FOR CLARITY, THAT REFERENCE WAS SECTION 4.5.

EXTERNAL AGENCIES OF THE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY PLAN.

NEXT. I WAS JUST WONDERING IF IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS OR MAYBE IT WAS INTENTIONAL.

I DIDN'T SEE ANYWHERE AND I PROBABLY NEED A MORE THOROUGH READ, BUT ARE WE PLANNING TO CLARIFY WHEN OR UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES WE WOULD CONSIDER A UNIFIED COMMAND STRUCTURE WITH THE GNWT IN ANY OF OUR EMERGENCY PLANNING DOCUMENTS? MR. MCLEAN.

THANK YOU. SO UNIFIED COMMAND WOULD MOSTLY COME WITH ANY EMERGENCY WE WERE DEALING WITH WITH ECC.

WE DO HAVE AN UPDATED.

ONE OF THE WORKS WE DID THIS YEAR WAS TO UPDATE OUR MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH ECC.

THAT WOULD COME THROUGH THE INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM, WHERE WHICHEVER PARTY, THE CITY OR ECC HAD AUTHORITY HAVING JURISDICTION OVER THE WILDFIRE EVENT.

THAT BEING SAID, WHETHER IT STARTED OUTSIDE THE MUNICIPAL BOUNDARY ECC WAS THE AUTHORITY HAVING JURISDICTION.

WE WERE COMING IN AS A SUPPORTING RESOURCE OR IF IT STARTED INSIDE THE MUNICIPAL BOUNDARY, WE ARE THE AUTHORITY HAVING JURISDICTION AND ECC WOULD COME IN.

SO THOSE THAT THAT UNIFIED COMMAND IS DETERMINED THROUGH THE INCIDENT SITE MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT SYSTEM.

HOPEFULLY THAT ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION.

THANK YOU. YEAH.

UNDERSTOOD. IT'S KIND OF CIRCUMSTANCE SPECIFIC AND YEAH.

THANKS. THE NEXT QUESTION I HAD WAS I'M TALKING ABOUT THE EMERGENCY EVACUATION PLAN.

IT MENTIONS ON PAGE 38 THAT AVENS IS THE ONLY ASSISTED LIVING LONG TERM CARE FACILITY IN YELLOWKNIFE.

AND I JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE MARY MURPHY HOME IN SPRUCE BOUGH ARE ALSO SUPPORTED LIVING FACILITIES, BUT MAYBE THEY'RE NOT AS LONG TERM. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE BEING CONSIDERED IN OUR THOUGHTS AND OUR PLANNING AND PREPARATION.

SPRUCE BOUGH WAS IN A DIFFERENT SECTION OF THE EVACUATION PLAN BUT.

MR. MCLEAN. THANK YOU.

WE'LL TAKE THAT UNDER ADVISEMENT AND GO BACK AND REVIEW THAT ITEM.

THANKS. GREAT.

AND LAST QUESTION, AT LEAST FOR ROUND ONE.

THERE WAS A EVACUATION ZONES AND ROUTES ON PAGE 31, AND THERE'S LOTS OF ZONES WITHOUT EVACUATION ROUTES.

AND MOSTLY JUST BECAUSE I ASSUME RESIDENTS WILL WANT TO KNOW, DOES THAT JUST MEAN THAT THEY NEED TO GET TO THE PRIMARY EVACUATION ROUTE? OR WILL MORE BE ADDED AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE? MR. MCLEAN. THANK YOU.

I'LL LET MISS THOMPSON ADDRESS THAT ONE.

THANKS. SO THAT MAP ISN'T INDICATING THE SET EVACUATION ROUTES THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE? IT'S JUST INDICATING THE MAJOR ROADS.

AT THE TIME, SITUATIONALLY SPECIFIC EVACUATION ROUTES ARE DECIDED.

THANK YOU.

COUNCILLOR MCLENNAN.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MADAM CHAIR.

AND YEAH, THANKS TO STAFF.

I KNOW THIS IS ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WORK.

SO. YEAH, THANKS FOR ALL OF IT.

I'LL START WITH THE SORT OF FEEDBACK BETWEEN MACA AND THE CITY.

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, IT'S GREAT TO SEE ALL THE GNWTS AND FEDERAL RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE DOCUMENT.

IT JUST HELPS WITH CLARITY.

AND TO THAT POINT ON SECTION 9.4, DOES THE CITY AND THE GNWT AGREE ON OUR CURRENT INTERPRETATION THAT ONLY THE MINISTER OF MACA HAS THE

[00:20:03]

SO THE CITY HAS MADE A POLICY PRINCIPLE DECISION OF WE WANT ENFORCEABLE EVACUATION ORDERS, WHICH ONLY THE GNWT CAN DO.

SO THERE'S CLARITY THAT THIS IS HOW WE'RE GOING TO PROCEED AND NOT IS IT GOING TO BE YOU? IS IT GOING TO BE ME? BUT MR. MCLEAN OR MR. VAN DINE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD MORE? YEAH, THANKS FOR THE QUESTION.

SO YEAH, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.

THE INTERPRETATION OF THE CITY IS THAT THE MINISTER HAS THE AUTHORITY TO ENFORCE THAT.

REGARDLESS, ANY EVACUATION EVACUATION ORDER DRAFTED BY THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE HAS TO GO TO MACA BEFORE IT'S PUBLICLY SHARED ANYWAY.

SO AT THAT OPPORTUNITY, WHEN IT'S SENT, WE ANTICIPATE THAT NUANCE WILL BE APPROVED.

THANK YOU. AND WE'VE GOT CONFIRMATION.

SORRY. MR. VAN DINE WAS JUST GOING TO ADD A BIT MORE.

YEAH. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. YEAH.

CERTAINLY. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO REINFORCE ALL OF THE POINTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE AND TO REMIND OURSELVES OF AN IMPORTANT PRINCIPLE OF MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS.

AND SO I'M VERY PLEASED THAT IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY, WE DO HAVE THE SUPERINTENDENT FOR NORTH SLAVE [INAUDIBLE] JOINING US.

AND PART OF THE STEP THAT THE TEAM ADOPTED AT A SUGGESTION THAT I HAD MADE WAS TO INVOLVE A PRE-CONSULTATION STEP WITH MUNICIPAL AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS WITH RESPECT TO OUR DRAFT PLANS, IN HOPES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MAINTAINING AN OPEN LEVEL OF COMMUNICATION AND DIALOG BETWEEN THE TWO ORGANIZATIONS WITH RESPECT TO EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

RIGHT ON. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

JUST ANOTHER COMMENT IN THAT DOCUMENT TALKING ABOUT SPECIFIC AND TACTICAL PLANS BEING INTERNAL.

IS THERE A REASON THAT THESE AREN'T MADE PUBLIC? AND IS THIS THE BEST PRACTICE ACROSS MUNICIPALITIES ACROSS CANADA? MR. VAN DINE SORRY, MR. MCLEAN. THANK YOU.

I JUST ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION ON TACTICAL PLANS.

AND WHAT WAS THE OTHER ONE YOU SUGGESTED? I THINK THE WORDING WAS SPECIFIC AND TACTICAL PLANS.

YEAH. SO WHAT THAT REFERENCE REFERS TO IS STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINES AND STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

IT IS A BEST PRACTICE IN ANY TYPE OF EMERGENCY PLANNING, WHETHER AT A MUNICIPAL LEVEL OR AN INDIVIDUAL RESPONSE DEPARTMENT RESPONSE LEVEL, TO USUALLY NOT SHARE STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES.

THE PRINCIPAL REASON FOR THIS IS THE HUMAN FACTOR.

AND WHEN RESIDENTS HAVE INFORMATION, THEY OFTEN ACT ON THAT INFORMATION.

AND IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE PROVIDING THE BEST DIRECTION AND INFORMATION TO RESIDENTS ON WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO AT THE TIME AND NOT HAVE BASED ON TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, EXPERTISE AND NOT HAVE INDEPENDENCE OF ACTION WHERE PERHAPS UNTRAINED PERSONNEL OR UNTRAINED RESIDENTS ARE TAKING INDEPENDENT ACTION AND, YOU KNOW, GOING OR MOVING THEMSELVES TO A LOCATION THAT MAY NOT BE THE INTENDED SAFE LOCATION OR TAKING ACTION IN A PROCESS THAT MAY NOT BE THE INTENDED SAFE PROCESS THAT WE WOULD WANT TO COMMUNICATE OUT.

ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EMERGENCY PLAN.

YEAH. THANKS FOR THE MENTIONING INDIVIDUALS AND INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY.

JUST IN TALKING TO RESIDENTS, I GET THE SENSE THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS.

AND YEAH, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE TO HAVE A PLAN AND REALLY THINK ABOUT IT AND SORT OF WALK THROUGH EACH STEP.

HAVE WE HAD A TABLETOP OR A LIVE EXERCISE WITH MACA OR ECC THIS SUMMER AND OR IS ONE PLANNED? MR. MCLEAN? THANK YOU.

YEAH. IN JULY OUR CONTRACTOR, KPMG, WHO DRAFTED OUR EVACUATION PLAN DID A STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND A DISCUSSION BASED EXERCISE WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS AT THAT TIME.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

FROM 4.4.1.

THIS IS JUST A QUESTION FROM THE OR THAT CAME UP IN AUDIT COMMITTEE WITH REGARDS TO HAVING THE ABILITY TO MAINTAIN RECORDS DURING AN EMERGENCY.

FINANCIAL RECORDS.

WHERE IS THAT RESPONSIBILITY LYING AND WHAT IS WHO IS THE REPRESENTATIVE LEMO OR EOC FOR SORT OF MAINTAINING FINANCIAL RECORDS IN THE FUTURE DURING AN EMERGENCY? MR. MCLEAN? YEAH, THANKS. GOOD QUESTION.

WE ALWAYS WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE MONEY IS AND WHERE IT'S BEING SPENT.

SO THAT FUNCTION LIES UNDER FINANCE ADMINISTRATION SECTION IN OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER.

[00:25:04]

FINANCE WOULD HAVE THE AUTHORIZATION TO INITIATE ANY PURCHASING THAT WOULD NEED TO BE DONE.

AND THEN IT'S ACTUALLY OUR LOGISTICS SECTION UNDER OUR EOC THAT WOULD ACTUALLY RESOURCE THE MATERIALS OR THE ITEMS NEEDED.

SO HOPEFULLY THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.

PERFECT. THANK YOU.

WAS THERE ANY CONSIDERATION TO INCLUDING THE INFORMATION OFFICER IN THE LEMO TEAM DIRECTLY? MR. MCLEAN.

THANKS. BEAR WITH ME HERE.

SO, INFORMATION OFFICER IS A STAFF POSITION UNDER THE COMMAND STAFF, WHICH WOULD BE THE EOC DIRECTOR DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH THERE. LEMO IS OUR PLANNING GROUP.

AND FROM OUR BYLAW, IT DEFINES WHAT POSITIONS IN THE CITY SIT ON THERE.

SO THERE ARE TWO KIND OF DIFFERENT ITEMS. LEMOS ARE NON-EMERGENCY PLANNING COMMITTEE EOC IS OUR ACTIVATED GROUP THAT BASED ON WHATEVER LEVEL OF ACTIVATION THEY'RE AT, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT COLLECT INFORMATION, DISSEMINATE IT, RECEIVE QUESTIONS BACK AND THAT SORT.

SO A COUPLE OF LITTLE DIFFERENT NUANCES THERE AND THAT STRUCTURE.

THANKS. RIGHT ON.

MAKES SENSE. THANK YOU.

DOES THE CITY HAVE A DIRECTORY OF LIKE SPECIFIC NUMBERS PEOPLE TO CONTACT FROM COMMUNITY PARTNERS LIKE GROCERY STORES, FUEL SUPPLIERS, NTPC, SALVATION ARMY SCHOOLS, ETC..

MR. MCLEAN. THANK YOU.

YES WE DO. WE HAVE A VERY COMPREHENSIVE SPREADSHEET THAT CAN OFTENTIMES BE OVERWHELMING.

AND YES, SO ALL THOSE TYPES OF WHAT WE CALL CRITICAL PARTNERS OR CRITICAL STAKEHOLDERS ARE CAPTURED IN THERE AS WELL AS OUR COMMUNITY SERVICES GROUP. KUDOS TO THEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE A VERY COMPREHENSIVE LISTING OF ALL OUR NGO GROUPS WITHIN THE CITY AND WHO THE PRIMARY SECONDARY CONTACTS ARE FOR THOSE GROUPS.

SO LOTS OF INFORMATION AND CONTACT INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE AT THIS POINT IN TIME, ALWAYS LOOKING TO CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAIN IT AND UPDATE IT AND IMPROVE IT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

FROM 6.2, IS THERE A TIMELINE TO UPDATE THE COMMUNITY RISK ASSESSMENT? AND THIS ISN'T NECESSARILY BASED ON THE 2024 ONE, BUT DOES THIS GET UPDATED EVERY TWO YEARS FOUR YEARS? SIX YEARS? MR. MCLEAN. THANK YOU.

I LOOK FORWARD TO THE DISCUSSION IN BUDGET 2025 ON HAZARD RISK VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

AND LAST ONE FOR THE EMERGENCY PLAN 9.1.

ARE THERE SHELTER IN PLACE LOCATIONS THAT WOULD BE PROVIDED BY THE CITY OR MADE AVAILABLE BY THE CITY FOR RESIDENTS WHO DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE A SAFE PLACE TO SHELTER IN, A SHELTER IN COMMUNITY OR SHELTER IN PLACE SITUATION.

MR. MCLEAN? YEAH.

GREAT QUESTION. SO RIGHT NOW, THE CITY FACILITIES THAT WE'VE PRE IDENTIFIED AS POTENTIAL SHELTERING AREAS ARE OF COURSE THE MULTIPLEX AND SOME OF THE TRIGGERING THAT COMES AROUND THAT FOR OUR RESIDENTS, THE FIELDHOUSE AND THE YK ARENA ARE THE THREE MAJOR FACILITIES THAT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO HOUSE ANY NUMBER OF RESIDENTS FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, BASED ON THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE STOCKED TO DO THAT.

THERE IS OPPORTUNITIES TO ACQUIRE OTHER SHELTERS OR OTHER FACILITIES TO USE AS SHELTERS.

I SHOULD SAY THAT COULD BE DONE THROUGH STATE OF LOCAL EMERGENCY.

IF NECESSITATED, WE WOULD ACQUIRE THE NEEDS WE NEED, SORRY, THE RESOURCES WE NEED TO TO DEAL WITH THE EMERGENCY AT THE TIME.

ADDITIONALLY, THERE COULD BE OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH OUR EOC THAT IF THERE'S SPECIFIC AREAS THAT WE NEED, PERHAPS THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIPS AS WE'RE DEALING WITH LIKE AN EMERGENCY AT THE AIRPORT, FOR EXAMPLE, WE MAY NEED TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW HANGAR RESOURCES OR SPACE IN THE TERMINAL OR, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER LOCATION ON THE AIRPORT PROPERTY IF WE'RE DEALING SOMETHING JOINTLY, WITH THE AIRPORT.

SO DEFINITELY PRE-IDENTIFIED AND THEN ACCESSED ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, EITHER THROUGH OUR POWERS OR THROUGH COLLABORATION WITH THE PARTNERS, THAT WE MAY BE MITIGATING THE DISASTER EMERGENCY WITH.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

AND THEN JUST TWO QUESTIONS ON THE EVACUATION PLAN.

THIS MIGHT BE THE SAME BUDGET 2025 ANSWER.

IS THERE A SET SCHEDULE TO UPDATE THE EVACUATION PLAN?

[00:30:03]

THANKS. SO THESE PLANS AREN'T INDEPENDENT OF EACH OTHER OF COURSE THEY'RE INTERCONNECTED.

AND THE SINEW BETWEEN THE EVACUATION PLAN AND THE EMERGENCY PLAN, AS AS WE GAIN KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING FROM OUR PARTNERS FROM, YOU KNOW OUR GOVERNMENT COUNTERPARTS, AND WE NEED TO TWEAK OR ENHANCE OUR EMERGENCY PLAN.

OF COURSE, WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE DOWNSTREAM OF ANY OF THOSE ENHANCEMENTS OR CHANGES AND HOW THEY INCORPORATE INTO THE EVACUATION PLAN.

SO THE EVACUATION PLAN DOESN'T SPECIFICALLY CALL OUT AN ANNUAL REFRESH ON IT.

ANYTIME IT'S PUT INTO PLACE OF COURSE, WE'RE GOING TO DO A REVIEW OF IT, SOME TYPE OF A POST-INCIDENT ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF IT.

AND I WOULD EVEN GO AS FAR AS TO SAY THAT EACH YEAR WHEN WE REVIEW OUR ANNUAL PLAN AND WE UPDATE IT WE WOULD INHERENTLY HAVE TO LOOK AT OUR EVACUATION PLAN IF THERE WERE CHANGES.

AND AS WE SAID IN OUR PRESENTATION, THERE IS THE GNWT AFTER ACTION ASSESSMENT COMING OUT THAT WE'RE ALL AWARE OF IS OCCURRING.

AND WE DO ANTICIPATE THAT AFTER THAT ENGAGEMENT, THERE WILL BE SOME INFORMATION OR RECOMMENDATIONS, PERHAPS EVEN COMING TO THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

AND LAST ONE FROM PAGE 18.

WOULD PUBLICIZING THE DYNAMIC TRIGGER POINTS MENTIONED BE CONSIDERED AS A MEANS TO AID RESIDENTS IN THEIR OWN PLANNING AND DECISION MAKING? MR. MCLEAN. I WOULD SAY NO.

AND THE REASON I WOULD SAY NO IS THOSE TRIGGER POINT MATRIX IS REALLY NUANCED AROUND IN PARTICULAR, FIRE WEATHER BEHAVIOR AND FOREST FIRE ACTIVITY AT THE TIME, WEATHER CONDITIONS, HUMIDITY LEVELS, THINGS LIKE THAT.

WE AS AN ORGANIZATION IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, WOULDN'T EVEN AS BE AS BOLD TO INTERPRET THOSE TRIGGER POINTS. WE WOULD LEAVE THAT TO THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS THAT WOULD BE ECC, THAT WOULD UNDERSTAND THOSE DYNAMICS AND PROVIDE US THE BEST RECOMMENDATIONS.

ONCE AGAIN, WE WON'T WE WOULDN'T WANT TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO, YOU KNOW, A GENERALIST OR SOMEONE OF THE, YOU KNOW, A RESIDENT THAT DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE TECHNICALITY OF THAT INFORMATION AS A PIECE OF INFORMATION IN THE FIRST STANCE.

SO THANK YOU.

AWESOME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL THE ANSWERS.

AND AGAIN FOR ALL THE WORK.

COUNCILLOR FEQUET.

THANKS FOR ALL THAT INFORMATION.

JUST. YEAH, YOU MADE ME THINK OF ONE MORE QUESTION IN ONE OF YOUR RESPONSES WITH RESPECT TO THE ONGOING KIND OF LARGER AFTER ACTION ASSESSMENT, IS THE CITY BEING INVITED TO PARTICIPATE THAT IN THAT AS LIKE AS A SEPARATE STAKEHOLDER, NOT KIND OF JUST DURING THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.

MR. MCLEAN OR MR. VAN DINE? THANK YOU.

WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK DIRECTLY WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES WITH RESPECT TO THEIR AFTER ACTION REPORT PROCESS.

BOONDELBAH. SEEING NO FURTHER QUESTIONS.

THANKS AGAIN TO THE TEAM FOR THE UPDATE AND WE WILL LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING IT WIDELY WITH THE COMMUNITY ONCE IT'S POSTED LATER ON. NEXT ON THE AGENDA IS WHETHER TO ADOPT FOR INFORMATION THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE'S AFTER ACTION ASSESSMENT.

[5. A memorandum regarding whether to adopt for information the City of Yellowknife After‐Action Assessment: 2023 North Slave Complex Wildfires Final Report]

SO AS COUNCIL MEMBERS, WE HAD THE PRESENTATION, BUT WE DIDN'T BRING FORWARD THE MEMO.

SO THIS IS A BIT OF A HOUSEKEEPING.

SO BRINGING THIS FORWARD AND THEN IT WOULD BE BROUGHT TO COUNCIL NEXT MONDAY NIGHT AT 7 P.M.

FOR APPROVAL, AND STAFF WOULD STILL BE DOING THE UPDATE KIND OF THE RESPONSE ON ACTIONS COMPLETED IN PROGRESS AND STILL TO COME AT A FUTURE FALL DATE.

MR. VAN DINE, ANYTHING FURTHER TO ADD? NO, THAT'S IT, MADAM CHAIR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU.

ANY QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? DISCUSSION.

SEEING NONE, WE WILL BRING THIS FORWARD ON NEXT MONDAY AT 7 P.M..

THAT IS THE END OF OUR GPC AGENDA.

IF I CAN GET A MOTION TO ADJOURN.

MOVE BY COUNCILLOR WARBURTON, WE CAN BE ADJOURNED.

UNFORTUNATELY, OUR NEXT MEETING IS NOT STARTING FOR 20 MINUTES.

SO FOLKS CAN TAKE A QUICK LITTLE BATHROOM BREAK AND THEN BE BACK HERE FOR 1 P.M..

THANKS.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.