The Week's News: What we learned in Yellowknife's wildfire review
Plus the NWT's hottest new fashion item and how to use morel mushrooms
Hello readers, it’s Emily, Cabin Radio’s assistant editor here with your latest newsletter.
I can’t believe the second week of July is already almost over.
It’s been a hot one for much of the territory so far, while parts of the Dehcho region are expected to see a deluge of rain this week. Meanwhile, Fort Simpson saw some wild-looking storm clouds that had residents snapping photos of the sky.
In Yellowknife, the city has released a much-anticipated review of how it handled last summer’s wildfires and evacuation with some key takeaways about how the municipality can better prepare for future emergencies. (A larger territory-wide review is currently under way, which isn’t expected to be released until December, while a review of the NWT’s wildfire management operations should be published sooner).
Yellowknives Dene First Nation filmmaker Morgan Tsetta is working on a documentary about the evacuation to “give a voice to people who were feeling frustrated, feeling run down and just disappointed through the whole process.”
We’ve also got positive news about the current wildfire situation in the territory.
Fort Good Hope residents have now returned home after an evacuation order was lifted for the community. While a wildfire is still burning nearby, the territory’s wildfire agency says the risk has been “drastically reduced” and the fire will continue to be monitored.
Edzo lifted its evacuation notice after a wildfire burning north of the community was reclassified as being held, meaning the fire is still burning but it’s not expected to grow as firefighters work to prevent flare-ups.
You can find daily updates on wildfires in the NWT here.
In political news, longtime NWT Liberal MP Michael McLeod has announced he will not be running in the upcoming federal election. Meanwhile, the Conservatives are still in the process of selecting the party’s candidate for the territory.
In other news this week, we explored the response to a new ban on heavy fuel oil in the Arctic, examined growing issues with long detention stays at RCMP detachments, met the latest inductees to the Order of the NWT, and chatted with a Yellowknife performer recently honoured by the Burlesque Hall of Fame.
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
Our most important stories
Meet Yellowknife’s birdman
What we’re reading
Stories to catch up on
Man held for nearly a week in Behchokǫ̀ detachment cell
A man says his son spent six days in a police cell before his transfer to Yellowknife's jail. NWT lawyers say long detachment stays are increasingly an issue.
Breaking down some of the big issues with NWT medical travel
At a briefing, a wide range of problems with NWT medical travel were laid bare – as were some of the territorial government's plans to address them.
Inuvik’s greenhouse adds a café serving local produce
Inuvik's community greenhouse opened a café with a garden-inspired menu designed to help residents eat out without breaking the bank.
As Arctic heavy fuel oil ban comes into force, critics want more
A long-awaited ban on heavy fuel oil in the Arctic is now in force. Some environmental and Indigenous groups say it doesn't go far enough.
Young Inuvik designer makes jackets out of liquor store bags
With an image of the northern lights dancing above the trees, the reusable bags at NWT liquor stores were already iconic. Now, Inuvik's Dustin Smith is turning them into clothing.
Before and after: the NWT’s incredibly low water
Cameras fixed in place alongside NWT rivers for years offer a snapshot of the extraordinary drop in water level since 2022. Take a look.
Łútsël K’é Co-op gets dog food delivery to beat cyber attack
With a cyber attack leaving the Łútsël K'é Co-op unable to order dog food and the shelf growing bare, the general manager turned to a Yellowknife veterinarian for help.
Travellers fed by Tsiigehtchic during days-long ferry wait
"You should see the lineup." After six days out of action, the Tsiigehtchic ferry reopened on Tuesday. Residents had helped to keep waiting travellers fed.
Got morel mushrooms? Try these recipes.
Harvesting wild morel mushrooms is big this year in the NWT, not least because they grow where wildfires recently burned. Here are four recipes to try.
‘It’s not all glitter, glamour and feathers. There are so many stories’
A mentor to many performers, Yellowknife's Stella Gams was recently honoured by the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. This is what the art form means to her.
Two children hit by Yellowknife drivers in the space of a week
"If we're looking at street safety, this is a pretty big one." In a matter of days, two children were hit by drivers along the same stretch of Yellowknife road.
NWT Fire helicopter ‘makes emergency landing on highway’
An eyewitness described a helicopter landing on the road north of the Alberta border. NWT Fire confirmed "an incident" had taken place, saying nobody was hurt.
Meet the 2023 Order of the NWT inductees
Learn more about the achievements of this year's Order of the NWT inductees: Helen Balanoff, Richard Hardy and Mary Teya.
Sahtu team fundraises way to Beaufort Delta slopitch tournament
A group of Sahtu slopitch players turned a years-long dream into a reality by raising enough cash to travel to a tournament in Inuvik.
Carmen Braden releases lead single from new album
Yellowknife's Carmen Braden will release her fourth studio album in December. Her single, Voice in the Dark, released on Friday, has a radio theme.
Bruno Capinan promises ‘Brazilian, queer, extravagant’ Folk set
The music's vibrant. So are the outfits. Bruno Capinan promises a Folk on the Rocks set that'll leave people "feeling like they can be whoever they want to be."
Watch: They call him the birdman
Reid Hildebrandt is known as the bird guy in Yellowknife. We joined him for a morning of birding to learn more about the hobby and what makes him tick.
What we’re reading
Rare 'polar rain' aurora seen from Earth for the first time
Scientists have solved the mystery of an unusual aurora display over the Arctic on Christmas Day in 2022. For Space.com, Keith Cooper explains.
Residential school denialism is an attack on the truth
While awareness about the residential school system has grown in Canada, there is also a troubling movement to deny that history. For The Conversation, Crystal Gail Fraser writes about the harms of residential school denialism. “Worst of all, denialism seeks to silence survivors and discredit their experiences.”
A Scientist’s Quest to Decode Vermeer’s True Colours
As an art nerd, I’ve long been enchanted by the work of Johannes Vermeer, a Dutch painter known for his use of light. One of his most famous paintings, Girl with a Pearl Earring, inspired a fictional book of the same name, which was adapted into a film starring Scarlett Johansson. In this captivating piece for The Walrus, Adnan Khan explores how a scientist is working to answer questions about the mysterious master and his work.