Last year’s catastrophic wildfire season found the Northwest Territories short on the firefighters, equipment, information and communications needed to fight it, a new report concludes.
And the territory’s environment minister said the challenges his government faced should be a warning to every jurisdiction in Canada as climate change rewrites the firefighting playbook.
“Capacity is a challenge,” said Jay Macdonald. “That is the biggest message the country needs to hear.”
The N.W.T. was certainly challenged in 2023.
The report from consultancy MNP released Wednesday counted 306 fires over the fire season that scorched 34,000 square kilometres, forced the evacuation of 19 communities, including the territorial capital of Yellowknife, and killed one firefighter.
The report says the fires – worsened by two years of drought and high temperatures – strained almost every aspect of the territory’s response capability.
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After three decades of staff cuts, the report says the N.W.T.’s firefighting force was inadequate and at …