Enterprise declared a state of emergency last month to help with the cleanup of hazardous materials following this summer’s wildfire. Since then, the hamlet says their questions have gone unanswered.
The NWT Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, or Maca, hired Colliers Project Leaders to conduct an environmental survey in Enterprise in September. In October, they returned to test ash, according to department spokesperson Jay Boast.
“The environmental contractor surveyed the entire community and identified sites based on the condition of the community, identified sites that needed to be tested,” Boast said.
The environmental survey found that two hazardous materials – asbestos and hydrocarbon contaminated soils – were present in Enterprise, according to Boast.
After multiple requests from Enterprise council, Blair Porter, the hamlet’s senior administrative officer, said the territorial government has refused to share the results of that survey, citing privacy concerns.
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“Privacy, privacy, privacy. Well, no, it’s not privacy, it’s a public safety issue,” Porter said.
“It’s a bit more frustration dealing with Maca themselves, and trying to get the answers from those who make the decisions.”
Enterprise Mayor Mike St Amour said he doesn’t know which hazardous materials were found in his community. Because the hamlet does not have access to the environmental survey, he said, they cannot take proper safety measures.
“To this day, I haven’t heard or seen scientific proof that it’s contaminated,” he said. “If everything’s contaminated here, how come we’re allowed to live in town?”
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Boast, however, said the department is in “constant communication” with the hamlet regarding the hazardous materials.
“I am confident information is being shared with the hamlet,” he said.
Enterprise leadership said they did recently receive results from the study of ash in the community, but the report is technical and difficult to understand.
Presently, there are around 25 to 30 residents living in Enterprise full-time, according to Porter.
Maca said they’ve been clear about the risks of returning to the community since the evacuation order was lifted in September.
“Residents were informed that contaminated materials may be present in any of the burned areas in the community,” Jennifer Young, Maca’s director of corporate affairs, said in a statement to Cabin Radio.
“All sites that needed remediation were taped off and clear signage was posted with messaging warning the public of possible hazards.”
Porter said the department has not informed the hamlet of any health risks that could affect residents who presently live in Enterprise, nor offered direction for safety measures since their initial return.
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“We made it as safe as it can be. The snow is covering it, so it’s not airborne, it’s not going anywhere,” he said. “What’s gonna happen in the spring?”
To this point, Boast said the environmental survey did not find any risk to residents’ safety.
“I think that, obviously, there is a general level of concern,” Boast said. “If there were some sort of environmental safety concern, that would have been addressed by the contractors and subcontractors that went in.”
Boast said the department hired Colliers Project Leaders precisely for their specialized expertise in disaster recovery. According to their website, the company helps communities to “proactively prepare for a disaster and take on recovery projects afterward.”
“There’s been a steady progress of cleanup and professionals have been hired to make sure that it gets cleaned up properly,” Boast said.
The cleanup is expected to conclude by June 2024, as some of the final steps can only occur once the snow has melted, Boast said.
Between February and June, the department plans to continue the cleanup of Enterprise. It said that will include removing damaged trees, transporting debris and ash south for safe disposal, cleaning the staging site and levelling lots.
“Safety, obviously, is the first priority,” Boast said. “Making sure that it’s completed and done well.”
