Premier, environment minister reply to Michael McLeod over wildfires

The NWT’s premier says he has “full faith” in the territory’s firefighting and safety must come first, following criticism expressed by a former MP who is now an evacuee.

Michael McLeod, the territory’s Liberal MP from 2015 until April this year, told Premier RJ Simpson and others at a public meeting this week that the NWT’s efforts to protect his home community of Fort Providence were an “embarrassment.”

McLeod expressed anger at what he said was a lack of aerial support to defend the community from wildfire SS014, approaching from the north and east.

“You guys are providing us nothing to prevent fires, Nothing,” McLeod said. He told Simpson the territory should hand control over firefighting to the federal government instead.

The territory’s wildfire agency had already responded on an operational level to some of McLeod’s concerns, saying safety and visibility were the reason air tankers couldn’t attack SS014 for days on end.

“We know this is an extremely stressful time. We know people want to see the big machines out there. We want to have them out there too – desperately,” NWT Fire’s Mike Westwick wrote on Tuesday evening.

On Wednesday afternoon, Simpson told Cabin Radio he understood the “immense stress” facing evacuees from multiple NWT communities. Fort Providence and Whatì are both under evacuation orders while Jean Marie River is on evacuation alert.

“The frustrations expressed by some residents of Fort Providence are understandable. It can be difficult to find comfort when your home and community are at risk, and there’s no sense of when you may be able to return to your normal life,” Simpson said in a written statement.

“I have full faith in our wildland and structural firefighters, emergency responders, and support staff. Fire crews have worked relentlessly under extremely challenging conditions and managed to control or extinguish more than one hundred fires this season — often in the face of extreme winds, heavy smoke, and the very dry conditions resulting from years-long drought. Their professionalism and dedication have kept our communities and residents safe.

“However, wildfire is a natural and necessary occurrence that no government can completely control. Safety must always come first — for the people in our communities and for the crews on the ground and in the air.”

Simpson, who expressed concern that misinformation online was only adding to evacuees’ stress, said his government “will continue to bring every available resource to protect our communities, and when this season is behind us, we will take stock, learn from this experience, and strengthen our program.”

“Northerners deserve to feel secure, and we will continue working with our emergency management partners to ensure that we are ready for emergencies,” he concluded.

‘Every safe opportunity is taken’

McLeod is not the only evacuee who feels strongly that the territory is employing the wrong approach.

Raymond Rabesca, a former wildland firefighter, has been forced to leave his home in Whatì.

On Wednesday, he told Cabin Radio he felt that firefighting tactics had changed and fire ZF048, which is threatening Whatì, should have received an earlier, more aggressive attack.

“We used to attack before it gets big. We always watched out for the wind. When the wind died down, it was good to attack – you can shut it off,” Rabesca said.

“That’s what we were trained for. Now, I’m looking at it. What are they doing? Why do they just leave the fire like that?”

NWT Fire officials dispute that account and say the Whatì fire did receive a strong initial attack but could not be readily contained.

More broadly, experts in the field say some fires simply can’t be easily extinguished, either because of their size, the conditions in which they are burning, or weather and smoke that can interfere with crews’ work.

Jay Macdonald is the NWT’s environment minister. In that role, he has oversight of the territory’s wildfire management.

Macdonald told Cabin Radio fire crews had made a “clear” difference as they worked around the clock this summer, juggling “dozens of incidents at once across the largest response area in the country.”

“In just the past two days, they have carried out major operations to stop fires from reaching communities, supported by reinforcements from other jurisdictions when needed. This has been much more than sprinklers on roofs,” Macdonald wrote. “It has included professional, coordinated firefighting on a very large scale and increased attention to structural protection to help shield homes and critical infrastructure.”

Macdonald said he understood that residents of Fort Providence, Whatì and Jean Marie River want to see visible action, but he insisted that “every safe opportunity to put resources in place has been taken.”

“The fire threatening Jean Marie River, for example, has been fought since the day it was detected, with containment efforts that left the community in a much stronger position than it otherwise would have been,” Macdonald stated.

“Wildfire is a natural force, driven by years of drought, extreme winds, and heavy smoke that can ground aircraft. When conditions allow, air tankers use both water and retardant to slow fire spread — but those flights can only occur when visibility and safety thresholds are met.

“Wildfire management is a territorial responsibility, and we have the expertise, partnerships, and resources to carry it out. We continue to draw on national support when needed, but our program is designed here in the Northwest Territories to meet the unique challenges our communities face. Northerners can be confident that our wildfire teams will continue doing everything possible to protect people and communities, and to strengthen our response with every season.”

Miriam Bosiljevac contributed reporting.