Emails show 'a lot of miscommunication' as city and N.W.T. gov't planned Yellowknife's re-entry

Emails from the final days of Yellowknife's 2023 wildfire evacuation detail the confusion around which level of government was supposed to lift the order and welcome everyone back.  

On Aug. 30, 2023, just days before the announcement was made that the evacuation would be ending, an official with the city of Yellowknife wrote an email to the territorial government asking several questions around the plan. 

"When the time comes, what will the decision process be for MACA [the Municipal and Community Affairs] Minister," the city's email read. 

"Evac Order Lifted altogether? Or downgraded to Evac Alert? What's our role on this?"

Through an access to information and protection of privacy (ATIPP) request, CBC News obtained 142 pages of emails and notes between the city, the territorial government and the Yellowknives Dene First Nation on the days leading up to the announcement.

Names of city officials in the email exchanges were redacted. 

The confusion, shown in the emails, was also discussed in the KPMG report of the city's handling of the evacuation, which was released in early July. The report found communication from both governments to be better on the re-entry compared to the evacuation.

On August 27, 2023, as firefighting efforts improved and reduced the threat of the fires to the city, the confusion between both governments grew worse.

Mike Westwick, N.W.T. Fire information officer, alerted both levels of government that it would be declaring one of the fires as "being held" and said he wanted to ensure the governments would co-ordinate messaging. 

"We will put out a bulletin saying what that means, and the work ahead to reduce the wildfire risk to the capital. I will also speak to this in the presser tomorrow," he wrote.

"The one missing piece in this to tie the bow, so to speak, would be the city's more granular re-entry plan. Is the city going to be in a position to talk that through tomorrow, including the timelines at play?"

He also asked that the city have a phone number and email available for the public to reach with questions. 

"Our fire team was completely overrun with calls which should have been going to either the city or MACA during the evacuation phase with questions we were not in a position to answer," he wrote. 

"The volume is pretty immense in terms of what we receive on the wildfire front already, and another surge like that would compromise our ability to operate effectively with continuing situations in Hay River and Fort Smith."