The Week's News: Wildfire review, adventures and celebrations
Plus photos from the only community on the East Arm of Great Slave Lake
Hello readers, this is Emily, Cabin Radio’s assistant editor.
As cooler weather begins to arrive here in the NWT, many people are beginning to prepare for the fall. For some people that means pumpkin spice muffins and lattes. For others it means heading back to school or the start of cranberry-picking season (with some people zealously guarding the location of their favourite berry-picking spots).
As with every other time of year, fall is also a busy season here at the Cabin Radio office. We’ve recently said goodbye to our summer interns. Thanks to Elke Sorensen, Caelan Beard and Claire McFarlane for all their hard work, they will be sorely missed.
As the summer nears its end, we have plenty of stories about great adventures in the North, including two men who canoed from Minnesota to the Arctic Ocean, an international air rally that landed in Yellowknife, and a world travelling hitch-hiker who was picked up in Enterprise.
In political news, the NWT government released a third-party review of how its wildfire agency responded to wildfires in the territory last year. A broader review of the GNWT’s overall response to the historic wildfire season is currently under way and slated to be complete before the end of the year. (We have an interview with the people leading that review on Afternoons at the Cabin on Thursday. Listen after 2pm.)
Meanwhile, territorial and municipal politicians say they are working to address a tent encampment in downtown Yellowknife as shelters in the city say they face overcrowding.
In other news this week, the Diavik diamond mine is preparing for closure, Łútsël K'é celebrated five years since the establishment of Thaidene Nëné, and Behchokǫ̀ celebrated the opening of a new cultural centre and unveiled a statue of Chief Monfwi. Our reporter Kaylee Nitsiza was there, and you’ll hear her interviews on the air later this week.
IN THIS NEWSLETTER
Our most important stories
The breathtaking beauty of Łútsël K'é
What we’re reading
Stories to catch up on
At a health town hall, patients see nuance even as they endure pain
A meeting about NWT healthcare problems brought out patients who, in general, appreciate front-line workers and understand the challenges but remain devastated.
NWT restrictions on physicians leave patients ‘really vulnerable’
If you're a physician working for the GNWT, you sign a code of conduct that some doctors say restricts their ability to meaningfully advocate for patients.
Yellowknife council settles on $400 development appeal fee
Yellowknife will introduce a new fee of $400 for development appeals – 16 times the current fee of $25 but well below a fee of $2,500 proposed last month.
Forget calling an Uber in Yellowknife any time soon, city says
After councillors wondered if Yellowknife should regulate Uber and Lyft, staff made some calls and concluded: those services aren't coming any time soon.
Gwich’in pass resolution demanding that GNWT ‘halt all procurement’
The Gwich'in Assembly passed a resolution seeking to halt local GNWT procurement. Meanwhile, an internal split has paused self-government talks for months.
Construction under way on new Co-op in Łútsël K’é
Łútsël K'é is getting a new, bigger store that can offer a wider variety of goods. Other highlights include windows and shelf space for local artisans.
Is there a military base in Inuvik’s future?
Inuvik once had a permanent military presence. Defence leaders aren't sure that'll happen again but seem on the cusp of moving the town back in that direction.
How many NWT bears are killed or relocated each year?
Wildlife officers have killed more than 400 NWT bears since the start of 2021. In that context, 2024 is actually a quieter year than normal. Here's the data.
Nasa jet takes northerners for a ride over the NWT
A Tłı̨chǫ Government intern, YKDFN trainee and Ecology North employee joined Nasa scientists on a Thursday flight gathering climate data over the NWT.
CN, elaborating on its reasons, preps to ‘discontinue’ Hay River rail
CN has started a years-long process that will allow it to sell – or simply shut – Hay River's wildfire-damaged rail line. The company defended the move.
In pictures: Yellowknife’s star cats take on city’s ‘dog town’ image
Yellowknife is a cat city, too. A contest raising money for the NWT SPCA judged feline entrants on uniqueness, personality and even their biographies
In pictures: Enterprise regroups at jamboree one year after fire
"It wasn't about making it seem like nothing happened." One year after many residents lost their homes in a wildfire, Enterprise held a summer celebration.
Photos of Łútsël K'é
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to Łútsël K'é to attend celebrations of the fifth anniversary of the establishment of Thaidene Nëné.
The breathtaking community, home to around 300 people, is the only community on the East Arm of Great Slave Lake. Here are some photo highlights.
What we’re reading
Yellowknife’s Wildfire Evacuation Was Tailored for the Privileged
It’s been one year since Yellowknife and surrounding areas were ordered to evacuate due to encroaching wildfires. For The Walrus, Pat Kane interviewed and photographed residents about their experiences.
Flooding begins at Canada’s costliest hydro dam — more than a decade in the making
BC Hydro announced on Sunday that it has begun filling the Site C reservoir. For The Narwhal, Sarah Cox, author of Breaching the Peace, writes about the project. (Watch our for coverage of this from the NWT’s perspective on our website in the near future.)
Tanya Talaga is Rewriting Canadian History Her Way
Canadian journalist and author Tanya Talaga released her third book, The Knowing, this week. For Maclean’s, Katie Underwood interviews Talaga about the book, her podcast and more.