The Week's News: Wildfires are a-comin'. Get our guides
Plus what's going on at Yellowknife's Bellanca Building
Hello. It’s Ollie. Here we go again: it’s getting warm (very warm) and it’s time we started closely watching another wildfire season.
The signs suggest another bad fire season is likely, so we’ll bring you all the analysis and information we can as that season starts to unfold.
Here are two places I recommend you start:
Richard Olsen’s forecast
Don’t know who Richard is? He’s the NWT’s manager of fire operations. He has one of the most comprehensive overviews of what’s happening with wildfires in the territory, so this outlook from him is worth reading.
What’s NWT Fire doing differently?
We just had a devastating fire season. What immediate lessons did the NWT’s wildfire agency learn and what’s been changed for this season? Here’s a guide.
In the coming days, we’re going to look at a few more related topics:
The NWT’s trying something new in a bid to minimize person-caused fires
Do burn areas from recent fires offer the protection we thought they did?
Is Fort Simpson top of the risk list for this summer?
Watch the Cabin Radio website for those.
And now, on with the rest of the news.
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
Our most important stories
Things to listen to
The CAJ Awards
Stories to catch up on
Construction begins on apartments, retail space in Bellanca building
Yellowknife's vacant downtown Bellanca building is being transformed into a 72-unit apartment and retail complex. The owners hope it'll open at the end of 2024. (So many people asked us about this all week.)
Wait, they stole this VW convertible from where?
The search is on for a car reportedly stolen from an isolated NWT highway outpost in a mysterious theft that might involve a greenhouse.
Folk on the Rocks releases ‘second wave’ of artists for 2024
Folk on the Rocks added a raft of Canadian talent to 2024's lineup in its second of three reveals. Here's who to expect so far – with one announcement to go.
Most parts of the NWT are in drought. Not this river.
Not every part of the Northwest Territories is in drought, and one river in particular is bucking the trend as we head toward spring breakup and flood season.
Meet the projects aiming for Arctic Inspiration Prize money
Fort Smith's Aurora Heat is among the contenders putting forward major projects for Arctic Inspiration Prize funding. Read the shortlist here.
Aurora College postpones new general studies diploma for a year
Aurora College is pushing back the start of a new general studies course by a year because it doesn't have the right approvals and agreements in place.
RCMP say man ‘lay down in front of police vehicle’ ahead of collision
RCMP say video suggests a man lay down in front of a police vehicle before being struck by it outside Yellowknife's Salvation Army on Wednesday morning.
When you call the police in the NWT, this is who answers
Head inside the dispatch centre at Yellowknife's RCMP headquarters, where people take the territory's calls around the clock – and where vacancies abound.
Bunny handler wanted. Payment? Quality time with bunny.
A new website collects opportunities for people to volunteer in Yellowknife. Here are some of the best (unpaid) gigs you can score so far.
KBL launching ‘detailed investigation’ after Yellowknife fire
Environment and waste firm KBL says it's investigating how a fire began at its Yellowknife yard. Nobody was hurt. KBL believes non-hazardous waste was involved.
Is it time for Yellowknife to update its noise bylaw?
Should the city regulate noise-emitting devices designed to deter loitering? That was the start of a discussion on Yellowknife's 'antiquated' noise bylaw.
Some Niven residents oppose another housing project
Some neighbours dislike a proposed 24-unit apartment building in Yellowknife's Niven neighbourhood, and council will have to decide if it goes ahead as planned.
Yellowknifers clean out new bakery on its opening day
The From Scratch bakery in downtown Yellowknife sold out in a flash on its opening day, thrilling the couple who set it up.
NWT child’s counselling file missing for years in ‘serious breach’
A child's counselling file has been missing from an NWT office for years, despite a series of searches that kept finding mislaid files – just not the right one.
Would you take a bus between Yellowknife and the South Slave?
A new bus service could connect Yellowknife to Behchokǫ̀, Fort Providence, Hay River and Fort Smith. But first, there's a survey asking for your opinion.
Things to listen to
This week on the Cabin Talks podcast:
‘This has the potential to be another Diavik’
Li-FT is increasingly sure it's sitting on a huge lithium mine a half-hour drive from Yellowknife, a development that would have all kinds of ramifications.
‘The Arctic is our biggest vulnerability. We have to do more.’
We asked defence minister Bill Blair to set out what the NWT gets from Canada's new focus on Arctic security. Conservatives, meanwhile, urged immediate action.
New in Northern Music
Catch up on tracks by NWT artists Crook the Kid and Brenden MacIntosh, plus a guest appearance by Folk on the Rocks favourites Lemon Bucket Orkestra.
Get Cabin Talks on Spotify, Apple, Google, iHeartRadio or Amazon Music.
The CAJ Awards
Cabin Radio shortlisted twice for national journalism awards
Cabin Radio has been shortlisted twice at the Canadian Association of Journalists' national awards, including for daily excellence in its wildfire reporting.
Congratulations to our whole team for their work on the NWT's wildfires and evacuations last summer. This is our second nomination in back-to-back years for national daily excellence.
And congratulations to our former reporter Caitrin Pilkington, who is shortlisted for her use of access-to-information requests in telling a story related to research ethics breaches in the territory.
A huge thank-you to everyone who supports our work. Your monthly donations actively help to pay our small team’s wages and bring you journalism we hope you can rely on. We’re proud to do what we do.
Good interview with Bill Blair. Keep following up, the Feds have a habit of making big announcements with no action. The new emphasis on the North is long overdue.